Once Upon a Time in High School

Once Upon a Time in High School Photos

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Cast & Crew

Lee Jeong-hyeok
Jong-hun

Kwon Sang-Woo
Hyeon-su

Jeong-jin Lee
Woo-shik

Ga-in Han
Eun-ju

Hyo-jun Park
Hamburger

Won-kwon Kim
Jiksae

Dong-won Seo
Seong-hun

Byeong-chun Kim

Ha Yu
Director

Ha Yu
Screenwriter

Seoung-Jae Cha
Executive Producer

Jong-yun No
Producer

Jun-seok Kim
Original Music

Hyeon-gi Choi
Cinematographer

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Critic Reviews for Once Upon a Time in High School

Audience Reviews for Once Upon a Time in High School

• Sep 11, 2012

  This movie, quite frankly, bored the hell out of me. The problem is that the film's central character is about as uninteresting as a main character can get. This might be one of the most uninteresting main characters I've seen since The Forbidden Kingdom. They both sucked the life out of what could've been a good movie. The guy in this movie is incredibly dull for the majority of the film, the movie only really gets interesting during the last 20 minutes or so by which point it is simply too late for the film to be good. I simply can't overstate how boring this guy actually was, to the point where it's a complete detriment to the entire film. I don't see a problem with a character having a sensitive side, but when the entire movie is him looking sad or crying it makes it torture to keep on watching. Not to mention the "romance" that develops between the leads is also very bland. I understand this is supposed to be a coming-of-age film, but I have no idea what the story was supposed to be about. Sure, the main character came out of his shell...so what? How is he more mature because of it? The story sucks a lot. I have no idea why a lot of the stuff was in the movie quite frankly. The pacing of the movie is also pretty horrendous. This is mostly due to the main character being the whiniest character I've seen in a while. He's simply no fun to watch and the movie ends up feeling considerably longer than it actually is. The movie isn't funny, nor is it all that introspective about how hard it must've been for this guy to "survive" high school. Really, as you can see I did not like this movie at all, I'd even go as far as to say it was bad, not just boring. As mentioned, the movie did get more interesting but that is like going from dead to barely breathing. Although I did find the end to be pretty cool, the movie was too far gone to be saved. I'd say avoid this film at all costs, quite frankly. It has very little redeeming qualities.
  Jesse O Super Reviewer
• May 11, 2009

  An overlooked gem which manages to be impressive without falling into trite sentimentalism and I actually loved the incidents near the ending & the ending itself, Imo they were pretty realistic & that's the main reason I'm giving this such a high rating
  Arash X Super Reviewer
• Apr 15, 2009

  A honest and well told coming-of-age story, with beliavable written characters and situations. No cheap sentimental bullshit or any other stuff like that. Even when the movie takes some huge risks in the final act it keeps itself very well grounded. Some predictable plot devices never feel forced either thanks to the solid script. Sad that this one went under the radar of many. Love doesn't "conquer all", sometimes it just screws you, but it can also help you mature in ways you wouldn't expect. Note: This is NOT a martial arts movie, it's part of the theme of the film, but it's not a movie of that genre.
  Tsubaki S Super Reviewer
• May 29, 2008

  Despite the title and posters/DVD covers advertising this to the contrary, it certainly isn't a martial arts movie. This is more Stand By Me than Bruce Lee. It's a coming of age drama about friendship, honour, respect and just trying to save face in an inner city school. It's wonderfully filmed with a sense of gentle honesty you find in coming of age dramas. When martial arts does appear it seems real, being scruffier than the perfectly choreographed dances Jackie Chan performs.
  Luke B Super Reviewer

Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do (Maljukgeori janhoksa) Quotes

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