The Gifted Hands (2013)

Psychometry: The ability through touch, to experience what someone has seen, witnessed in the past; ergo the title of this movie, The Gifted Hands. Rewatch?!! You betcha! A kind friend made this available for me temporary to watch and let me tell you, without English subs, this is one FANTASTIC movie! From beginning to end, I was enthralled and spell-bound by what was happening. Kim Bum, to me is the best of the F4 when it comes to acting. I have yet to see him in a role that he does not shine! And in this as Kim Joon is no exception. I cannot imagine being a person with this ability and being able to function on a daily basis. And as Kim Joon, he showed us how tortured his existence is. Kim Kang Woo as Yang Choon Dong was GREAT! He also brought to life the detective on the case. But let me tell you, even though the scenes are not graphic, I must warn you there is some seriously, twisted cruelty to animal scenes so Animal lovers, beware! Hopefully at the end of the movie, there is a notice that no animals were hurt during the filming. But let me take a moment and talk about our little consummate actress, Kim Yoo Bin who plays the last little girl kidnapped. She is now on my kids to watch list. She is so good in this and if you don't cry during some of her later scenes, you're made of stone! Do I plan on watching this again? Absolutely!!

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I just wanted to clarify a few things for the people who are considering this movie.

If you want a quick, general review, go down to the bottom.

This movie was ok. When I read the synopsis, I felt like it was my type of movie-- I was expecting a movie that was action-packed, melodramatic, something that would take my breath away.

Was I disappointed? I was and I wasn't.

It did not go the way that I expected it to. However, it wasn't necessarily BAD either. Where it lacked action, it made up with suspense. Where it lacked romance, it made up with bromance. You can tell the producers tried to bring out the sibling-like bond between the two main characters, and it worked (for the most part). It started out with two complete strangers, later blossoming into a very realistic brotherly bond.

I liked the cast. They all fit into their character role, and I was pretty convinced, but to be honest, I could imagine it with different cast members. (Which is funny, considering I watched it partly for Kim Bum).

Story. Well. It was interesting, and I like the idea of psychometry. Not many korean dramas incorporate the supernatural aspect into their dramas, and those who do either mess it up completely or do it perfectly. Psychometry itself is a creative and original concept to use in korean dramas, but the storyline itself-- a detective working together with a person who has certain special characteristics that are advantageous in finding criminals-- has been done before (quite a few times actually). Furthermore, this might be just me, but by reading only the synopsis, I predicted the entire story. While watching it, I already had an idea about how it was going to end, which sort of spoiled it for me. There were also a few funny moments too, for those who are curious.

Kim Bum. Let me just say that I loved his eyes when he used his power. And it also scared me when he used his power. I'm used to watching guys get beat up and shot, but when watching Kim Bum like that... it just made me feel uncomfortable and squirmy.

General Review:
The beginning did hook me in, but only for the few moments that Kim Bum appeared. In fact, I almost dropped it in the later few minutes. But that all changed when Kim Bum was actually introduced. Wow does he change the atmosphere. The moment he appeared, you could feel the element of mystery and amazement. Compared to his scenes, the other scenes (i.e. at the police department) just seemed so mundane. The beginning started off great, but after that, the storyline fluctuated to extremes-- there were moments where I almost fell asleep because nothing was happening, and there were also moments where I had to rewind because too many things happened too quickly. Instead of a gradual smooth curve to the climax, it was like a serrated edge. The ending was meh. I didn't really expect anything else, but after the climax, it was like digging through boxes within boxes and finally, after you open the last box, you find only tissue paper. The events leading up to the climax were eye-widening, suspenseful, and action-packed, but the follow through was like a deflated balloon. But I'm used to it now, and it's not like the ending was completely messed up or anything.

It's considered a fantasy, mystery, and thriller. It isn't the kind of fantasy that makes you gasp and dream about beautiful supernatural creatures. It isn't the kind of mystery that leaves you cluelessly wandering in the wrong direction, then surprising you with the conclusion. It isn't the type of thriller that leaves you gripping onto the edge of your seat. While it does fulfill all the requirements, there are better fantasy movies, better mystery movies, and better thriller movies. In other words, it's not the best of any genre, but a good mix of all three.

It's a great movie to watch when you have nothing else to do on a Friday night. Grab a bucket of popcorn, some pillows, and sit back and enjoy Kim Bum's emotional performance.

P.S. For those of you who are action nerds like me and are not sure if there is enough action or not, go check out the trailer. It pretty much includes all the action scenes in the film.

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