An Unimaginative Gangster Movie…
South-Korean director and screenwriter John H. Lee’s ‘ A Cut Runs Deep’ (1999) is a movie which is often unspoken about and hidden under the radar amongst South-Korean movie enthusiasts. Yet whilst Lee’s visually streamlined movie presented some intriguing themes within its notable Asian-American cast and certain ultra-violent scenes, ‘ A Cut Runs Deep’ could often fall victim to its cliche-ridden script.
The storyline is set in New York and focuses on half-Korean Ben (Alex Manning); the main character and narrator of the film. Ben works as a delivery boy at a dingy Chinese restaurant which he also resides in and during a particular delivery he ends up encountering a suave and introverted young man called JD (David Lee McInnis). There’s an oddly dangerous air surrounding JD which Ben can’t quite put his finger on but after taking a shining to the young male lead, JD ends up imitating Ben into his gang and leads his down a violent and destructive path.
Admittedly whilst the dialogue could sometimes feel slightly lacking during quintessential moments arguably one of the greatest standouts of the film came through main leads’ Alex Manning and David Lee McInnis’ onscreen performances- adding a touch of brutal humanity even during more generic moments of the series.
However where an ultimate downfall lay with ‘ A Cut Runs Deep’ was that Lee didn’t seem to be trying to add his own personal touch to otherwise overused genre of film . Naturally its evident that there were socio-commentaries in the storyline which were brushed over from economic and social injustice in Asian communities, prejudice and racism which can occur also for biracial individuals. However in a film where our main lead is stuck on the edge between his biracial identity and a seeming ticket of freedom out of his deadbeat job, Ben’s own opinions and character drive rarely seemed to reflect more profound reasoning for the existence of these themes in the movie with Lee executing these commentaries into more effect .
Naturally this resulted in the seeming chronicle transition between Ben being an “ innocent child” and a “ gangster” rarely feeling more impactful for viewers due to lacking scenes of being able to see the main leads’ development in more depth. Consequently Lee’s heavy reliance upon an an abundance of snipped and inauthentic “ gangsta”-style dialogue and poorly-developed stock characters ( “ the prostitute girlfriend” and the “ intimidating loose-cannon boss”) often create awkward and forgettable scenes for viewers. A low-budget admittedly did not necessarily give the drama a great start with filming advancement, but the dichotomy between imaginative and generic filming techniques by Lee became evident throughout the film, with an ending which didn’t seem to truly deliver its intended greater impact also.
Overall whilst not an unwatchable film with decent performances by our main leads, social commentaries towards issues which are still prevalent today and certainly should be given some praise amongst attempting to subvert certain generic stereotypes and cliches of Asian-gangster flicks of its time, Lee’s ‘ A Cut Runs Deep’ is a fairly generic gangster flick which lacks elements of ingenuity and memorability also.
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It was the mother, really!
With a background in Religious Studies, mythology and knowledge of shamanism, atheism (and many other ism's) I found this movie fascinating and intriguing.Religiosity can be a strength for many people, but religious fanaticism usually is detrimental to all socio-economic classes, especially the poor!
Over-religiosity can lead to fanatics like David Koresh, Jim Jones and even a mother like Hee Jin's, briliantly played by Kim Bo Yun.
Religious fanaticism can lead to conditions such as OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) and even worse, such as the disassociation of those close to the practitioners, such as Hee JIn's younger sister, Kang So Jin (Shim Eun Kyung), whose every scene except for the very last one (with mother dead) showed her mother's overbearing impact on her life. It can even lead to residual problems to others, such as Hee Jin's cough at college, which stopped after her mother's death.
Hee Jin's mother, in my opinion, had already crossed the fine line between 'believer' and 'Satan's henchman'.
I admit it was slow at times, but part of that was necessary to set up the interaction of opposing forces in the movie.
The movie started working on the question, "What is faith" to the participants, although it gave up before it go to any conclusion (and it wasn't long enough to come to any definite conclusion as well!). It should have been, possibly, a series instead looking at such topics more thoroughly.
The other reviewer complained about the film being slow at times; I agree, but this movie wasn't so much about action horror, as it was about a continuous philosophical horror which will let down some viewers.
A complaint about the "murders without reason" is answered later on in the film; the tenants of the apartment build from admiring, then fearing, and ultimately condemning Kang So Jin, as she is manipulated by her zealous mother. Enter the shamanass and the tenants find out how powerful, and dangerous, Kang So Jin' mother is!
I admire the use of black and white to make the apartments and complex itself fit the eerie atmosphere of the film during most paranormal scenes. The main and support staff also work well together to create a film that should become a classic in the future.
The director used every inch of film to build on the film's atmosphere (the furnace room lit only by a cell phone light) and did an excellent job. Without so much of a "Gotcha" moment of fright, this movie seems to keep you rather in constant suspense, which I thought the director did a good job.
I could write another 7-8 pages on this movie, but you probably wouldn't stay here that long!
Suffice to say, come here every Halloween or more often and be prepared to be glued to the edge of your seat, rather than being occasionally scared out of it!
I down-voted it due to unanswered questions at the end but really felt it deserved a better score
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Fell asleep in first half but second half took a 180 turn
I watched this movie in four parts... lol the first three times, I kept falling asleep. Nothing was really happening, it was boring, and I had to get my friend to recap for me. Thank goodness my friend kept prodding me to finish it, because halfway through the movie literally goes from 0 to 105. It's all action, gore, fighting, and the main lead being OP af. If you like seeing the protagonist beat up foes, this one's for you. Story-wise, though, there's a lot missing.(Also, one of the reasons she made me watch was to see Da Mi and Woo Shik before Our Beloved Summer aired lol. I like both actors - they have young faces and bring refreshing emotions to the screen.)
PROS
❀ Good introduction to the actors | I haven't watched Itaewon Class but Kim Da Mi left an impression on lots of people and she did a good job in this movie too. Even though her character was written very lazily, she still managed to give off very intelligent and savage vibes for her character. Woo Shik was great in Parasite and in The Witch, he plays the lunatic working for the evil scientist quite well. Honestly, I'm impressed with how well he expressed the character because his lines bordered on cringe sometimes. The Witch is a testimony that movies can be successful, despite poor writing, due to the execution of the actors and the producer.
❀ Fun action, especially towards the end | Once everything gets out in the open by the middle of the movie, the action is non-stop. You basically watch the main character Goo Ja Yun beat all the bad guys up in a very satisfying way. The production quality for the action was eye-catching and vibrant, which makes up for all the boring scenes in the beginning. Like I said, the movie goes from 0 (nothing big happening) to 105 (a LOT of things happening) lol. So if you're struggling while watching, try to push through to reach that middle part.
CONS
✕ Really sloppy writing | This movie takes the idea of "genetically engineered superhuman children" and... that's it. Lol. It doesn't progress past the vague idea of one of the superhuman children turning against the researchers and nothing is deep. Main character Ja Yun wants to live and protect her foster parents. That means getting rid of the people after her. Solution? Kill those people. I'm a huge fan of sci-fi and have seen this vague storyline done 10+ times through Western books/movies/etc. The Witch: Subversion doesn't offer anything new, unfortunately, nor does it stand out against the myriad of stories with the same theme. The story doesn't have depth, the characters barely have depth, and the superhuman plot is not used to its potential. Everything about this movie just screams "shallow."
OVERALL
Honestly I feel like you shouldn't watch it until Part 2 comes out. Part 1 ends in a cliffhanger, there's barely a storyline going on, and the characters felt like caricatures. The reasons I kept watching were 1) my friend basically forcing me and 2) the main actors. The action towards the end and the female lead kicking ass make it worth the watch, but everything else is a hazy memory in my mind.
(Note: My rewatch value is set to 5.0 always as a default as I'm not the type to rewatch dramas EVER. Thus, I do not take it into account when calculating overall score.)
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Storyline has so many red flags
First of all, who ever rate the storyline of this more than 7 over 10 or 3 stars out of 5 IS A SURE FREAK. (I’m referring to those who rate it an almost perfect like how could y’all overlook the pedophilia and grooming in this movie???)Acting is great. All casts deliver their emotions and characters very well.
Cinematography is also good. It’s giving us that nostalgic feeling
Music is also good
However, let’s discuss the storyline.
First half (which is a bl) is outstanding. It makes us pity both the characters as gays during their times are considered a disease. We can literally connect w/ their characters as they are so good w/ delivery of lines and emotions.
Now let’s discuss the last part, the incarnation part, which is really disturbing and problematic. First of all, a teacher and student relationship is a big no no. On top of that, girl is a highschool student, literally a MINOR and Sir, you already have your own family and all of a sudden you’re targeting a high school kid just because he is the incarnation of your ex???
And u guys are actually ok w/ that?? That’s grooming and pedophilia 😭 How could y’all rate it a perfect 10 omg
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Harrowing
There are some plot points in this movie that are kind of questionable and require suspension of disbelief, but overall this was great to watch.The story was harrowing and I felt mind-blown by the way things were playing out, even when I realized things one second before it was revealed. The tone of the story was really doom-and-gloom and I felt like it perfectly encapsulated the vengeance theme, from the very first second to the very last scene. Great movie— one that's not afraid to embrace its darkness.
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The story is really nothing new, though it does try to show the difficulties Hong Kong's police face with pressure from varying groups. It also asks the question, what does it take to push a good cop over the edge? I was able to call out the major plot points and turning points without reading the synopsis in that it strays very little from stories done before. What Raging Fire has going for it is over the top, frenetic action sequences. Whether with fists, knives, guns, or cars, the action choreography is graphic and breath-taking.
Raging Fire's other strength is its two stars. Donnie Yen as Bong, the tough, honest cop gives a captivating performance as a man struggling to survive in a system that does not reward integrity and sacrifice. Nicholas Tse's Ngo chewed up the scenery and his opponents in a mesmerizing performance of a wronged cop out for revenge. One of the strongest scenes is a quiet, tense conversation between the two men who used to be friends, taut with anger as they play cat and mouse, not knowing for sure who the predator is. Yen and Tse have amazing chemistry.
The rest of the cast, including Qin Lan, who plays Bong's wife, have very little time or moments to stand out. The good cop team and the bad cop team characters are not very memorable.
Raging Fire's explosive action sequences propelled by its two stars' energy tumbles headlong to the climax everyone will know is coming, providing enough entertainment to make this a movie worth watching. Hold on for the ride because the action is non-stop.
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the title can mean 'never forever apart' or 'never forever together' - confusing but very Korean, as we got an open ending. i enjoyed this movie - read a lot of mixed comments and considering the topic (that's a bit sensitive - to put it mildly) i get why. but all in all i enjoyed this very much - more than i thought i would...first off Vera Farmiga is a great actress, so didn't expect anything less then what i got from her - seen David McInnis in a load of Kmovies and dramas, never found his acting lacking, but here it was a bit off, maybe cause his strong points r action(?) not emotion. or maybe his character was a bit lacking in general - bottom line we need his character's POV.
we start off with Andrew's fathers funeral and his 'attack' on his wife (heard that there r people who get horny at funerals, its a need to affirm they r alive or something along those lines). as i have never felt this way (only depressed and sad) will go by what i've heard. and from there to him standing on the roof and looking below, was scene after scene of his silent personal "drama" - which considering the only thing i had to go by, was the description - i guess his reason was his low sperm count. he never verbalizes much.
Sophie on the other hand gives u tons to "work with", u know what she is feeling not only with words - the desperation that makes her do something unthinkable. her humbling herself, when surrounded by his mother and those weird cult like believers, preaching at her (her need to pray in order to conceive, cause she is obviously the one at fault) her taking it quietly - cause of her love for her husband. his suicide attempt, fueling her hopelessness and despair, swallowing her pride into approaching Ji Ha - with a bold unthinkable "job offer"... let alone going through with it - u see that its abhorrent to her, and when u get that she did conceive in the past and aborted the baby, without Andrew's knowledge - how guilt is also playing a huge hand in her desperation to convince, this time and make amends to her "suffering" husband, that she feels she wronged cause of aborting a baby when they weren't even married or committed in anyway.
Ji Ha has his own problems like any illegal immigrant, he is working around the clock to make ends meat and find a way to become legal, plus bring over his gf. he is basically living in isolation. so what starts off as "look at the money" and just do it.. turns into jealousy when he finds out that Sophie's husband is also Korean, plus them being well off and happy - him seeing everything he wants, already in the hands of another - like him is what makes him belligerent - but that blow-up also brings them closer - ironically.. what at the start was mechanical, after the fight turn's emotional - they connect, treat each other like humans.
as will happen when two desperate people find each other, they cling... is this love? hope? guess with the ending we get, it is... at least that's what i chose to believe - she needed to forgive herself and let go of a man that was depressed, and a baby was just a band-aid (she finds that out when Andrew finds out that it aint his baby). and no person tries to kill themselves just cause they can't conceive - there is much more that's going on - that's why i keep saying - Andrew's character is lacking...
the open ending according to a lot is her answering Ji Ha's call and them both moving to Korea, considering the beach - but then i ask, why the kid talking English?!? her being pregnant indicates Ji Ha is the father, not cause of the beach but cause of the choice of wool she is knitting with - the red was the shirt he wore in her "day dream" (when she was having a party and missing/fantasizing about the man she "missed"). personally i think as she left Andrew and comes from money, she had the ability to keep Ji Ha from being deported, plus he Is the father of her baby. (lets not forget Ji Ha said he never felt connect to Korea) that's why i think they still in the US. but the important bit is that everyone agrees that they remind together - so happy ending - so enjoyed this, for sure a rewatch and would happily recommend.
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A BL horror with an interesting ending
This in reality is a noble gesture in trying to provide a different feel to the BL genre. It frankly is not very scaring but it did have a very interesting ending to it that came as a surprise at least for me. However, the main actors were certainly not afraid or ashamed to show their Adonis bodies nude or in very tight underwear and speedos. How refreshing! A BL movie that showed guys being guys in scenes that called for nudity. We did not have to speculate or guess. We saw. It brought this to an adult level without it being in any way pornographic or celicious. Kudos for them for doing this even if the production was a bit week.You can see my full review of this movie at BLBliss.com.
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Needed more character development
The movie attempter through use of flashback to show why the FL was so attached to her drama teacher. but we never understand fully what the teacher's wife did and what was his motivation/continued emotional connection to her (I was not clear whether she killed his mother or just set fire to their shed). I think she would have had deeper feeling for her boyfriend as he was so in love with her and she was supposed to be very needy. If you have something else to watch. I would not waste my time unless you like kinda dark, depressive. unclear movies to discuss later with others.Was this review helpful to you?
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The action in this movie was absolutely incredible but I missed some deeper character moments. Like...Were the Ajin truly colder than humans? What happened to Kei and Eriko's parents? Why did Izumi work for Tosaki and the department that experimented on Ajins when she was an Ajin herself, how could she have just stood by and watched them do that to people like her? Etc. etc...
I think my favorite moments were the back-n-forths between Nagai Kei and Satou because Satou was a fantastic villain, deranged, sure, but you got where he was coming from and why he was so gung-ho about killing humans. Their scenes were the best part of the movie.
And then the scene at the end, when Tosaki betrayed Kei. Did he actually feel regret? We didn't really find out anything about Tosaki's motives so it was hard to say for sure but... did he feel regret about betraying Kei after everything he had done for them? It sure looked so but, well, he was as disgusting as everyone else who participated in those experiments, Izumi included, so... ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
But honestly? I was glad that both Kei and Satou escaped at the end. I usually like for the bad guys to get what they deserve but here...
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Beautifully strange
Echoing comments that I've seen about this short film : yes, it is weird. Though I believe bizarre would be a more fitting term. But what a splendid gem of a bizarrerie.Everything is meant to evoke the uncanny ; from the eerie sound design every time U moves or speak, to the unbridled, mad, incoherent editing. I was so confused on my first watch but intrigued enough to watch it a second time, paying more attention to the fine details that are easily missed in the chaos, and I can definitely say that I love it. Warmly recommended to people who love strange yet thoughtful bite sized cinema.
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Best chinese movie I have ever watched!!
Just got done watching it so everything is still fresh in my mind. The acting is great. Even when they had a blank face, you can tell exactly what they were feeling and it was enough to make me cry. This is probably the saddest movie I have ever watched. I ugly cried continuously most of the time. The storyline was so sad. Amazingly directed. I would rewatch this like 50 times straight and still not get bored. I came across this when I was looking for a similar movie to Better Days and I have to say, this is actually better. If you guys watched these and you know more movies or shows like this, PLEASE TELL ME BECAUSE I'M DYING TO FIND ANOTHER ONE. You can really feel all the emotion building up from the start of the movie to the point she killed herself. It was really realistic too. When she realized she had something against her bully who leaked her secret to everyone, she actually threatened to tell everyone. In most other movies, they would say something stupid like "Don't worry, I won't tell. I won't stoop as low as you" but this was way better. I feel like all of us would've at least scared the bully by threatening to tell everyone just like she did in the movie. This was the best thing my eyes have ever witnessed and everyone should watch it ASAP.Was this review helpful to you?
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Important Representation
I'm not gonna lie this is mainly going to be me giving opinions about the asexual rep found in this movie, since I'm an asexual myself. I'm going to try not to spoil things, but if you want to go in blind stop reading here, just go watch it becuse tl;dr this movie is good and the ace + poly rep is A+.What makes me super happy about this movie is that beyond just being excited to see myself on screen, my identity was talked about in a caring, knowledgeable manner. I was worried going into this that they'd present the "solution" to the problem in their throuple as Minho just having sex with them regardless. Thankfully that wasn't the case, and we got good discussions about his boundaries, and what he was curious about/the things he wanted to try with them and what things were most likely off the table. The power was always in Minho's hands.
Side note, the first scene where we see he likes to take pictures of his partners was actually a really nice detail! The indication that he had aesthetic attraction towards them and expressed this through photography was something I appreciated. Some people who are trying to give asexual representation sometimes don't acknowledge the split attraction model, so seeing this director understand that he can still have aesthetic attraction was really nice.
Honestly, Minho is probably one of the best aces i've seen portrayed, because while he shone a light on the asexual experience, it never felt like an "Asexual 101" that some characters devolve into. He wasn't a vague ace, but he also wasn't a "teaching prop" ace. You could see him as a proper, fleshed out person. We saw him talk about his boundaries, we saw him express his love in other ways, he talked about his curiosity, and even the moments where he hated himself rang painfully true.
To talk about his partners, there's one whose name I didn't catch but don't have much to say on. He was the calm, caring one who was attuned to the feelings of both of his partners, and was definitely the glue. As for Seongjin, his behaviour at the beginning initially bothered me, because his frustration came out in the form of slight aphobia. Not in a strong sense, he knew what asexuality was and acknowledged that was part of who Minho was and he loved him, but he was was often frustrated that there were so many things Minho didn't like him doing and verbalized it and that made Minho sad which made the other partner upset as well. The more I watched though, I could see that it was because Seongjin's love language was physical contact, and so was at a loss of how to express his love towards Minho when kissing and sex were taken off the table. That wasn't put forward like an excuse, but I did understand the reasons behind his behaviour better. This died down later anyways as they all began to strike a balance, discovering the other ways they can all express their love for one another.
Is it odd to say the ending made me tear up a bit? I just really liked the fact that Minho wanted to try something, and felt safe to ask his partners to help him explore this. It was a great moment full of so much love..
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Mei & Takumi’s acting.
I truly loved how they did their roles. I never saw Nagano Mei doing roles like this before so personally I was really excited to see how she did and I loved it. Takumi’s role is not so different from others, yet, it still had me speechless many times.I was TOTALLY crying when Mamizu passed away and Takuya didn’t even cry.... I was like, ur girl just died but u didn’t cry?!?! But I still understood his character easily. I wasn’t mad at him for not crying but I was a little surprised.
Their acting overall wasn’t perfect but it wasn’t so bad either, I think they did a good job in their own potraying such roles so, in my opinion, this movie is really worth it. You get to see a new side of Nagano Mei so you will like it definietly.
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