rachel
Singapore
Each of the four male characters have their own interesting backstories and past histories, but the most important is that of Sun-woo (played by Kim Jae Wook) and Jin Hyuk (played by Joo Ji Hoon). I think it was rather groundbreaking for its time to have an openly gay man who flaunts his sexuality and kissing scenes between two men.
Yoo Ah In's character had an interesting backstory but since he was just a supporting character, the story was not elaborated on very much.
What makes it unique is probably the 'hyperrealistic' or 'surrealistic' way in which the movie was shot, with strange musical numbers popping out of nowhere during which the characters express how they feel, instead of speaking it, or the way each character's memories fade in and out of reality, such that sometimes I don't know what is real or not. I personally did not like this because I became very confused about what was the truth.
There is a bit of everything in this movie, such that it is difficult to pinpoint what genre this movie would fit into. It has comedy, romance, and some drama to it.
Even though I am still utterly confused about the ending, I would recommend this movie as a 'chance card' watch - you won't know how you would feel about it until you have watched it.
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I only watched this because I like Moon Chae Won and Yoo Yeon Seok. I guess that's how other viewers would have been hooked into watching the movie. The premise of it taking place on a KTX train was interesting too.
The premise of the show was slightly misleading - I thought the whole movie would take place on a KTX train, but really, it was just the start of the movie. From then, many of the usual rom-com cliches kicked in. A girl struggling in her high heels, taken for granted by, plus a playboy who likes to sleep around, but who is actually, deep down inside, a romantic and sincere man at heart. I just felt like I've seen all this before.
The addition of the subplot of trying to locate a up-and-coming basketball player really did not serve much purpose or give more meaning or depth to the movie. Jo Jae Yoon was as usual, some small comic relief, but not enough to excite me about the movie on the whole.
Overall, if you're looking for some light comic relief and need something to pass your weekend afternoon, you could watch it. But I won't promise that it will be the best use of your time.
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This review may contain spoilers
Going into this movie my initial impression was that it would be a comedy with some heartwarming moments, but boy I was not expecting being taken on an emotional roller-coaster ride.I watched this movie for Jo Jung Suk and it was totally worth it. He is entertaining as always. D.O. is also a good actor and this is not my first time watching him act. (No I am not an EXO fan.) Jo Jung Suk and D.O. have great chemistry which is essential to the success of the movie. Park Shin Hye did a decent job; frankly she didn’t have much to do in the movie anyway. Initially I felt she was miscast, but upon reflection, I think she was suitable for the role.
Without giving away any spoilers, I must say there’s a big twist in the movie that I did not expect at all and I applaud the cast and marketing team 2 times over for NOT giving it away while the movie was being promoted. Unfortunately this twist seems to have been revealed by other reviews of this movie on this site.
I wish I could say more about the movie but there would be major spoilers. I highly recommend this movie.
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The most compelling part of this show is what Jo In Sung did with his role. Very emotional and credible performance of a character with a pretty dark past. I do wish the show had a better focus on his character's story because it was really what kept me watching the show in the second half.
There were certain aspects of the story that left me pretty irritated. Perhaps the characters' quirks, frustating behaviour and decisions can be excused by the fact that this drama is celebrating how everyone has their own skeletons and "mental issues". Another thing is that there was so much talk of sex, especially in the first half of the show. I had a "whoa back off a bit" feeling towards that part of the story. Even then, I did appreciate some of the frank talk about sex in this show.
However, I did appreciate how the drama tries to explain mental illnesses to the layman viewer. It's a small but important step towards better treatment and understanding of mental illness.
Kudos to the music team for choosing non-Korean songs for the OST though.
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I was expecting a movie that would perhaps be more reflective or insightful about what allowed the researcher to deceive Korea and the rest of the world for so many years, but I guess the focus of the movie was really on the whistleblower himself, and his internal struggles with revealing the truth.
Park Hae Il impressed me with his doggedly determined character. I myself watched it for Yoo Yeon Seok, but I wasn't that impressed by him either, regardless of the fact that he was a secondary character to Park Hae Il's PD character.
On the whole, it is an exciting thriller but I was disappointed by it.
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It is definitely very stylishly put together, assisted by the glamorous Macau and Hong Kong cityscape, and gritty Busan apartment buildings in the backdrop. Most of the main characters well developed, with the exception of some supporting characters, whose backgrounds we had a a peek but were never quite fully explained. But if this was done well, it probably would last EVEN longer than the approximately 2h 20min duration (which is more than long enough for me). For me, this is the most interesting part of the film.
Besides some exciting action scenes, particularly those that involve wire work, there are many funny scenes too, especially those involving Gianna Jun, Kim Soo Hyun and Oh Dal Soo. The music was pretty snazzy and added to the exciting scenes of the movie.
There is no need to overanalyze this movie. Suitable for general entertainment.
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What was disappointing: Certain parts of the story descended into totally unnecessary classic Korean drama noble idiocy. The show definitely felt like it could have ended at 18 episodes and safely and neatly tied the story up conclusively.
That said, there are many redeeming aspects to this show. The chemistry between Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara is totally worth sitting through some of the more agonising parts. What a great reunion of early 00s greats. Jang Hyuk is so, so awesome in his role. He swings from maniacal to sincere and heartbroken, with the smallest expressions on his face revealing what a less capable would otherwise need a few minutes to express. I also enjoyed the way Jang Nara’s character was written - as a timid woman forced into a very peculiar set of circumstances, she wised up quickly and she learnt very quickly how to protect herself, all without betraying her true nature. Of course credit must also be given to Jang Nara for playing out all these nuances of her character.
I also really enjoyed the various cultural references, a few to famous Korean movies, and a few to Jang Hyuk and Jang Nara’s previous projects. There are a few moments I'll always remember and would certainly want to relive, so I believe there is some rewatch value in it.
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From my paltry background in literature, I spotted hints of themes and characters I studied in The Great Gatsby, an American classic. I'm really, really impressed that a Korean drama is ambitious to go this far in exploring relationships and universal themes that have been a mainstay of other artistic forms. Whether our characters meet the same fate as Gatsby in the book is up to you to find out.
The posters make the affair look like a sizzling romance, but this show is actually light on the physical passion, and heavy on the emotional tension and chemistry. Music is a conduit for the characters to express their passions and emotions, which is much more beautiful and satisfying than physical passion.
The directing is very controlled. There are no sudden movements or harshly lighted scenes, and the earthly tones of the show help contribute to the withheld tone of the show.
The classical music is beautiful in execution, and its use in the show. The background stories of composers is masterfully integrated into the stories of the characters and relationships. I"m really impressed by this aspect. In that sense, the music itself is a character in the show, influencing and speaking into the lives of the characters. This, I think, is the best use of music in a show.
Kim Hee Ae is also extremely controlled in her acting, hence showing her skills as an actress. This control should not be interpreted as stiff; it is actually vital to our understanding of her character. Similarly, Yoo Ah In does a brilliant job of playing a character who is young, rash and passionate, yet a man, mature beyond his years and full of empathy. They have great chemistry too.
I don't usually rewatch dramas, but if I ever do, I can picture myself watching this. This drama is so subtle and controlled in its direction and acting that it'd probably be easy to pick up different messages and emotions from each scene.
Deserves the critical reception it gets.
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I was kept on the edge of my seat because I just didn't know what would happen next. The terror was real. At some moments, I even gasped out loud. At one point, the story almost moved into territory that conspiracy theorists would have loved, but thankfully the movie steered away from that very quickly. I was quite satisfied with the ending and the way Ha Jung Woo's character arc was resolved. There are some moments where the movie seems to be trying to tug at your heartstrings, but thankfully they are minimal, so that the movie didn't descend into melodramatic territory.
Ha Jung Woo plays the central character. His character was an ordinary man thrust into the most extraordinary circumstances, and he grabbed the opportunity to be a witness to an important event. His performance is the most important to the movie. He is a quintessential action star and he doesn't disappoint.
If you enjoyed Captain Philips, United 93 and The Bourne Identity, you will probably enjoy this.
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Cha Eun Sang, played by Park Shin Hye, does not know how to kiss, as seen from all of Park Shin Hye's other dramas. She is mostly tossed and bossed about in the show by the richer characters around her, until she suddenly decides, once in a while, to take charge of her own life and decisions. Girl, get a backbone! Choi Young Do, played by Kim Woo Bin, magically transformed from being one of the most hateful characters to almost having a bromance with Tan. That was really odd.
This is one of Lee Min Ho's poorer dramas. After the strides he made with City Hunter, I don't know why he chose to return to a soppy chaebol show. Park Shin Hye didn't give a performance that compelled me to really side with her character. Kim Woo Bin certainly did well with the material he was given - one cannot blame him for having to play such a violent character, but he once again does well playing a angst-filled teenager, learning to forgive those who have hurt him (sounds like Heung Soo in School 2013!).
I felt that the side characters had more interesting stories. Krystal's character, Bo Na, and Minhyuk's character, Chan Young, along with Hyungsik's character, Myung Soo, were the only cheery bits of this show. Add to that the hilarious relationship between Kim Tan's mum and Eun Sang's mum. Kim Ji Won's character, Rachel, started out as your vanilla hateful second female lead, but as more of her relationship with her mum was revealed, I began to partially understand her hateful attitude. The fate of Choi Jin Hyuk's character, Won, provides an interesting contrast to Tan's story, but too bad the show didn't delve that much into his character. Kang Haneul's character, Hyo Shin, has a pretty unsurprising backstory, but with KHN's charm I was really won over by him.
And finally, LOVE IS FEELING, LOVE IS MAH PAIN, and LOVE IS THE MOMEEEEENNNNNT.
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Each episode, being about 22-25 minutes, breezes by, making it a very light and breezy show to watch. Of course, B2ST is heavily featured, Kikwang being the male lead in this show. It is interesting to learn about the difficulties idols face in their dating lives. Your dedicated fans can be your biggest assets and your biggest enemies too, no? Idols are built up to be 100% dedicated to their fans and their music, but they are people too, with the need for love and relationships in their lives. Also, the all-important first love concept is featured too.
Lee Da In puts in a fairly likable performance as the beleaguered commoner girl. Kikwang doesn't feature as heavily so I can't say much about his acting, and his character doesn't carry the emotional weight that Lee Da In's character has to.
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The show starts off right in the centre of things, which is great and gets you excited about the events that have transpired. A theme I enjoyed from this show is the father-daughter bond which is the beating heart of this story. Yes the romantic relationships were important too, but this familial relationship is the strongest and most compelling for the characters and viewers. Another theme I enjoyed is Taesan's personal journey during his two weeks on the run, his maturation and self-reflection on all the wrongs he's done to the people in his life. It's so damn satisfying to see him making an about-turn in his outlook towards life.
But about halfway through the drama, I started feeling slightly weary, which hinted to me that this wasn't an *excellent* drama. There's just something missing from this show to make it excellent.
On a positive note, Lee Jun Ki did a very good job with this role. He was utterly committed in all aspects - the action scenes, his conversations with In-hye or his daughter Su-jin, and in particular, my favourite, the scenes of self-reflection. Park Ha-sun was good too, particularly in the flashback scenes.
The villains were alright, but I guess one thing that got me frustrated was how the villains could sometimes outsmart the good guys so easily, or even how the villains were so incompetent at being villainous.
On the whole, a very very thrilling ride, packed with action but emotionally compelling and heartwrenching.
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I've never seen Doojoon acting, and I know it's not his first acting project. I was pleasantly surprised that he did a good job in this show, but was probably helped by the fact that his character did not carry much emotional baggage or gravity.
The progression of the story arcs could have been improved. I mostly enjoyed the development of the love square (?), but the pace was definitely markedly slower compared to other dramas. The suspenseful story arcs were written to keep us on our toes, yet I felt that they fell flat and were resolved without much consequence for the overall story. Jin Yi's suspenseful arc also felt very rushed. The theme I enjoyed most was about single people living alone, but coming together to find family in each other. In this aspect, this drama reminded me of Flower Boy Next Door.
As someone who really enjoys her food, I did enjoy the food porn scenes. It took all my willpower not to stuff myself with food while watching these scenes. It's true that sometimes it felt like the screenplay went overboard with those scenes, but food does play an important part in this movie, sometimes helping to explain the characters' state of minds and the state of their relationships.
On the whole, this is a light and feel-good show with no high drama or angst, yet it kept me invested and gave me many laughs.
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In the early stages of the movie it was difficult to understand what was going on, and where each character loyalties lay. I would rewatch it only to understand the early parts of the movie better, in the context of the later part of the movie.
If I am correct, this is Gong Yoo's first turn as the lead in an action thriller. He is committed and his hand-to-hand combat scenes are quite gripping, but Park Hee Soon steals the show for me. His wily, dogged South Korean officer in the NIS, pursuing Dong Chul by all ways and means.
An alright action film with the necessary thrills and spills for about 2 hours.
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Plus, there was a total overuse of dramatic music like soaring choruses.
As the show progressed, I appreciated the storytelling style of the writer, where we are thrown into the moment of the story, but we also get to understand the background and history between different characters through their eyes.
What I really liked about the story is how the characters shift and morph through the course of the show, in terms of their motivations and their allegiances. Sometimes I can feel that the writers are toying with our allegiances to the characters, but I was willingly ‘manipulated’ because it was enjoyable to see the characters choose how to play their chess pieces.
My favourite is probably the relationship between Kim Rae-won and Jo Jae Hyun’s characters. So complex, compelling and heartbreaking all at the same time. Great performance by both actors too.
Another thing that annoyed me about the show is the very unrealistic portrayal of the legal system and prosecutors. I am familiar with legal systems but not so much with the Korean legal system. Even then, I’m pretty sure this is pretty unrealistic. In any case, it’s a drama, not real life, so I’ll drop this point.
And my gripe about overuse of dramatic music remains. While there are definitely many twists and turns in the story within every episode, I became extremely desensitised to these twists and turns because every scene would use the same dramatic music.
Overall, an enjoyable thriller.
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