Martial-arts pro Jeong Du-hong stars as Jeong Tae-su in notorious Korean action director Ryoo Seung-wan's The City of Violence (aka Jakpae). A former punk and brawler-turned-police detective, Tae-su returns to his hometown for the funeral of a buddy, Wang-jae (Ahn Gil-gang). Once there, he reconnects with members of the "old gang," including the tough but loyal fighter Ryoo Seok-hwan (played by the director) and the gang leader, Jang Pil-ho. Tae-su suspects foul play in Wang-jae's death, and
instinctively ties it to Pil-ho, now a scuzzy slimeball with a massive inferiority complex and hordes of armed men. His instincts, it seems, are correct -- Pil-ho indeed had Wang-jae rubbed out. Thus, Tae-su and Seok-hwan ultimately take on Pil-ho at an abandoned Korean restaurant, fighting myriads of his henchmen with bare knuckles, blades, and Korean martial arts, and accompanied by a rousing Leone-style score. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
KOREAN cinema's answer to Quentin Tarantino, Ryoo Seung Wan lives up to his all-action reputation with this bone-crunching, chop-socky revenge thriller.
There's not much below the surface, and it does take time to get up to speed, but the jovial, high-energy approach and the endless charisma and athleticism of the leads makes for a superior slice of high-kicking entertainment.
Roly-poly comic Lee Beom-su's terrific performance as the oleaginous villain is another plus, setting the seal on a no-nonsense action flick delivered with skill and conviction.
It's not polished or ambitious enough to be another Old Boy but there's no doubt that it's ready to rumble: think Get Carter meets The Warriors with bone-crunching tae kwon do and you're nearly there.
A Seoul cop returns to his hometown for the funeral of a boyhood friend but when he finds that one of their own is responsible, the remaining two friends unite and declare war on those responsible. City Of Violence looks like a gangster thriller on the surface, but its lack of depth and grittiness in the story and
characterisation, combined with virtually non-stop fight sequences mean it is actually a pure martial arts film. The narrative is a little too reliant on montages and flashbacks, and we know little about the characters apart from the fact that they look cool and are hard as nails. The action is actually brilliantly handled and the direction is very stylish, the final showdown (which is very similar to that of Kill Bill Volume 1) in particular is supremely exciting and well done. The emaciated script means it will never win any awards for high drama, but its a fun ride for those who enjoy slickly choreographed, bone-crunching martial arts mayhem.
December 1, 2007
xGary Xx
Super Reviewer
What seems like it may be a cross between Stand By Me and any number of revenge films underminds itself by being too lighthearted. A serious plot and wonderfully characterised friendships are ruined by the music video style editing. The fight scenes are spectacular but don't make too much sense, which wouldn't matter
in a balls out action flick. The film is short and considering the last 20 minutes is an epic showdown the story moves fast and furiously. Of course like so many martial arts films it's a good job everyone knows martial arts or the fights would be dull. Very entertaining and certainly worth a watch.
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