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3-Iron

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3-Iron (2005)

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Reviews Counted:85

Fresh:74

Rotten:11

Average Rating:7.4/10

Consensus: A tender and moving romance from Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... And Spring's director Kim Ki-Duk.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some sexual content.

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Theatrical Release:Apr 29, 2005 Limited

Box Office: $167,892

Synopsis: Tae-suk (JAE Hee) drifts around on his motorcycle looking for empty houses to stay in. He goes from door to door and puts up flyers in the keyholes of each house. He later breaks into the house... Tae-suk (JAE Hee) drifts around on his motorcycle looking for empty houses to stay in. He goes from door to door and puts up flyers in the keyholes of each house. He later breaks into the house where the flyer has not been removed, assuming that the owner is away. Tae-suk lives in the empty house until the owners return, but never steals or ruins anything. He simply guards the houses for a few days, fixing broken items, and even does the owners’ laundry. Before leaving, he puts everything back as it used be. One day, sneaking into a wealthy home, Tae-suk meets his destiny – a married woman named Sun-hwa (LEE Seung-yeon) who has been tormented by her abusive husband. While Tae-suk sneaks around the house, Sun-hwa hides in the dark and silently watches him. At first she's afraid of him, but when she sees him fixing a broken scale, she realizes he's not a thief and continues to observe him. That same night, Tae-suk wakes up suddenly to find Sun-hwa staring at him. He runs out, but the phone rings suddenly. It's Sun-hwa's husband. Tae-suk overhears their conversation and realizes that Sun-hwa has an unhappy marriage and life. Sun-hwa looks silently at him as if she is begging for him to save her. Tae-suk however, turns away and walks out. Tae-suk can't stop thinking about Sun-hwa's imploring eyes. The more he tries to forget about her, the more vivid the images of Sun-hwa become in his mind. Taesuk sneaks into her home again, and watches her in silence. After watching her for a while, Tae-suk turns on music to soothe her soul. He prepares clothes for her while she's in her bath. Sun-hwa senses that Tae-suk has come back for her and starts to feel comfortable. But her comfort turns sour after her husband comes home and tries to force her into having sex. Tae-suk is enraged. He grabs a 3 iron and swings it at golf balls on the ground. The balls strike her husband several times and he collapses. Tae-suk then runs away with Sun-hwa. Together, Tae-suk and Sun-hwa stick flyers onto doors and enter empty houses together. In every home they break into, Tae-suk continues to cook, do chores, and fix broken items. For the first time ever, Sun-hwa feels the real comfort of a home. Tae-suk sees that she is able to smile again, and the two ultimately fall in love with each other. One day, as they enter a house, they discover the dead body of an old man. Taesuk and Sun-hwa bury the body in a respectful ritual, and begin living in the old man's house as if it was their own. Their happy days come to an end when the old man's son makes a surprise visit. He calls the police and they take Tae-suk and Sun-hwa away. Tae-suk is charged with murder, trespassing, and kidnapping, while Sun-hwa is unwillingly brought back to her husband. Sun-hwa lives in hope for the day of Tae-suk’s release. But while in prison, Tae-suk finds a secret way to bring back the joys he and Sun-hwa once had... © -- Sony Pictures Classics [More]

Starring: Seung-yeon Lee, Hee Jae, Hyuk-ho Kwon, Jin-mo Joo

Starring: Seung-yeon Lee, Hee Jae, Hyuk-ho Kwon, Jin-mo Joo, Jeong-ho Choi, Joo-suk Lee, Sung-hyuk Moon, Jee-ah Park, Jae-yong Jang, Dah-hae Lee

Director: Kim Ki-Duk

Director: Kim Ki-Duk
Screenwriter: Ki-Duk Kim
Producer: Ki-Duk Kim
Composer: Slvian
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics

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Release:

Sep 6, 2005

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for 3-Iron

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1 - 20 (sorted by rotten rating)
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N/R

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Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
08/30/05
Hollywood Reporter
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
07/14/05
Time Out
N/R

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Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
05/07/05
Boston Phoenix
N/R

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Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
09/26/05
AV Club
N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
07/05/05
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

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Full Review Source: Sydney Morning Herald | comment Comment
08/11/06
Sydney Morning Herald
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out New York | comment Comment
08/16/07
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out New York
N/R

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Full Review Source: CHUD | comment Comment
02/27/09
Devin Faraci
Devin Faraci
CHUD
N/R

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Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
04/29/09
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
05/26/06
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

This Korean import boasts good performances and lovely imagery, but it all feels a bit gimmicky.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
04/29/05
E! Online

The attention Kim pays to the spirit world is obsessive and alluring, but his view of flesh-and-blood women and victimhood is still a problem.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
04/15/05
Ed Gonzalez
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

The change in tone, from swiftly destabilizing drama to outright fantasy, feels less like Kim provocatively switching gears, and more like he's painted himself into a corner.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
04/26/05
Ed Park
Ed Park
Village Voice

It's really a point of departure, though, toward bloodier precincts.

Full Review Source: Philadelphia Daily News | comment Comment
05/20/05
Gary Thompson
Gary Thompson
Philadelphia Daily News

Moves from a strangely spiritual reality to a really strange spirituality -- and leaves its best parts behind.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
05/20/05
Geoff Pevere
Geoff Pevere
Toronto Star
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Raises questions that are more frustrating than provocative.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
04/29/05
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Artful and engrossing, but the hero's insolent silences get to be a pain.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
04/28/05
Jan Stuart
Jan Stuart
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The quirkiness does get a little tiresome, even though director Kim Ki-duk and cinematographer Jang Seung-beck are able to capture some eerily beautiful images.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
06/10/05
Jeff Vice
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

What is meant to be profoundly puzzling can start to seem just theatrically silly.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
05/20/05
Rick Groen
Rick Groen
Globe and Mail

As repellent and repellently opportunistic a piece of work as the various shock-horror provocations that helped to launch [Ki-Duk's] worrisome career.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
04/28/05
Scott Foundas
Scott Foundas
L.A. Weekly
 
 
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