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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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81 - 95 (sorted by date)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Kim Ki-duk's touching and improbable love story is pleasingly mysterious without being too difficult and a little gimmicky but not annoyingly so.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/28/05
A.O. Scott
A.O. Scott
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Quiet, mysterious, sometimes violent, ultimately close to sublime.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
04/28/05
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

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

A subversive and boldly creative Korean film about a silent young man who travels light, falls in love, and turns into a liberator.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
04/28/05
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

...something close to a fairy tale, without the pessimism or irony that pervades much of Kim’s other work.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles CityBeat | comment Comment
04/28/05
Andy Klein
Andy Klein
Los Angeles CityBeat

"3-Iron" mesmerizes.

Full Review Source: About.com | comment Comment
04/26/05
Marcy Dermansky
Marcy Dermansky
About.com

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

An unusual romance with minimal dialogue.

Full Review Source: Compuserve | comment Comment
04/24/05
Harvey S. Karten
Harvey S. Karten
Compuserve

Captures raw realities about modern life while telling a genuinely touching romance using virtually no dialog.

Full Review Source: Shadows on the Wall | comment Comment
04/18/05
Rich Cline
Rich Cline
Shadows on the Wall

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

Kim Ki-duk's happily unhinged drama comfortably occupies the middle ground between his baroque thriller The Isle and his meditative Spring, Summer....

Full Review Source: Groucho Reviews | comment Comment
04/10/05
Peter Canavese
Peter Canavese
Groucho Reviews

Finally touching in its simplicity.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
03/26/05
Derek Elley
Derek Elley
Variety

It’s a love story without all the verbal hooey and it hits harder than most.

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
02/26/05
Eric Campos
Eric Campos
Film Threat

Very cool, very original, and very recommendable for people into off-beat romances.

Full Review Source: Planet Sick-Boy | comment Comment
02/26/05
Jon Popick
Jon Popick
Planet Sick-Boy

An oddly funny love story about dispossessed soul-mates who ultimately unlock each other's hearts.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
02/26/05
Kevin Courrier
Kevin Courrier
Boxoffice Magazine
 
 
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