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No consensus yet.
All Critics (6) | Top Critics (2) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (0) | DVD (1)
Helmer Lee Jeong-beom shows a flair for action sequences, squeezing tension out of every fight scene choregraphed by Park Jung-ryul.
Yet more proof of the astonishing vigour and inventiveness of current Korean genre cinema.
The Man From Nowhere is relatively solid throughout and despite its general lack of originality it is an entertaining and gripping film with assured direction and excellent central performances.
South Korea may just be the most exciting place on the planet these days when it comes to stylish and violent thrillers.
The man might be from nowhere but this film could only come from Korea, the land of a million stories of revenge.
... in the realm of humorless South Korean action conventions it's well constructed, suitably dark and dangerous and filled with well-honed, visceral scenes.
The Man from Nowhere supplies more than enough drama and bloody-good action to make for a compelling film but what really drives it home is its riveting direction. The film is able to display the emotional, vivacious and authentic storytelling that is a clear developing sign of Korean cinema. 4/5
Super Reviewer
Korean cinema does it again. We've seen lots of vengeance, man on a mission movies like this, with the awful Taken and the brilliant Man On Fire springing to mind. Man From Nowhere falls with the latter as an unforgettable tour de force. Bin Won stars as a man without a past who owns a pawnshop. He strikes up a friendship with the little girl nextdoor and when she is kidnapped the people behind it get more than they bargained for. The action scenes are incredible in both their execution and their realism. Bin Won is a relentless assassin, and in one knife fight he is slicing armpits and wrists rather than going for easy stabbings. You really get a sense of what is at stake here, and it's just as much a story of redemption as it is a story of revenge. There's also some social commentary on how children from 'lower' families are looked down upon but should have just as much of a future as anyone else. Fantastic.
Easily one of the best films to have come out of Asia in the last few years. Makes "Taken" look like a kids movie. Action, blood, guns and a great storyline.
Jeong-beom Lee's The Man from Nowhere goes somewhere and turns out to be one solid Korean crime thriller.
Granted the plot's lack of originality, but that doesn't mean that this film is no good. The pace is slow at times and the initial setup is quite long, which in turn contributes to a total run time that approaches two hours, but the film's final 40 minutes delivers with thrills and satisfaction.
The action isn't highly stylized, although it does get better and more enjoyable as the film progresses; thus leading to a finale that contains some high grade activity. When it comes to the violence, it is bloody and sufficient enough for an R rating.
Won Bin has a monotonous character; however, and while this still drags the film down a bit, it fits in with how he is written into the plot. The young Sae-ron Kim is a joy to watch, especially when in the presence of Won Bin.
The Man from Nowhere succeeds in what it sets out to be; a solid picture out of Korea.
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