The Con Artists (2014)

As I do with a lot of dramas and movies, I generally only start watching something if they either have a good story line or have actors I'm familiar with in them. The Con Artists had both. I'm familiar with Go Chang Seok as he played a role in Kill Me, Heal Me, and Kim Woo Bin is very popular so I thought this would be a good way to start watching his works. And of course, the summary of the movie is also excellent.

Although the story of the movie is exciting and a good watch, it's nothing new. I've seen movies previously with similar story lines, and have all been a good watch. However, what made The Con Artists so good was that it didn't have a single boring moment. Every scene had a reason behind it, and if any of it was cut out, some parts of the story would have been left unexplained. If you need a good action movie to watch, this movie is just perfect for you!

When it comes to actors, you have absolutely nothing to worry about. Kim Woo Bin isn't just popular for his good looks and stunning personality, he is, of course, a brilliant actor as well. His perception of Ji Hyuk was awesome, and his scenes in particular were my favourite. As for every other actor (Go Chang Seok, Lee Hyun Woo, Jo Yoon Hee, etc), their scenes were greatly acted out and I couldn't find a single flaw.

As I am writing this review, it's only been about an hour since I watched the movie. I know that in the movie, the soundtrack was superb, however, I don't really remember any of the tracks. The music is great, but none of the tracks are particularly memorable.

There is no way I would pass up a chance to watch this again. It's been a great film to watch, and I would so gladly go watch it again right now.

Overall, besides the soundtrack not being all that memorable and the story line not being very original, it's a splendid movie to watch, and I can guarantee that any fangirls who love heartthrob actors will enjoy this very much as Kim Woo Bin takes your heart away in a mere few seconds.

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Personally, I really like watching the kind of movies that are on the point of view of the bad guys, in this movie, Lee Jihyuk's. These kinds of movies lets us see a new version of the world in the fucked up misconceptions of a criminals mind. Sadly, though, The Con Artists wasn't that deep. Although the schemes were amazingly elaborate and well-thought of, it only surrounded on Lee Jihyuk's plan for revenge, and not much about his understanding of the world and why and how it affected his actions. Despite that, this movie is still a great watch. My expectations about these kinds of movies weren't met, but overall, it's still quite refreshing to watch. And here's why:

STORY:
Well, it's pretty obvious that the storyline wasn't the most original. It has a pattern that is easily spotted in every crime movies(even books and series) like this. Backstabbing and double crossing is like a requirement in these kinds of movies that I was already expecting someone's was eventually going to double cross someone at the end. If you've watched the movie, it would already be obvious who's going to double cross who. There were also a lot of scenes that would give you hints about double crossing as well. BUT, what makes this still interesting is finding out the answers to the questions "How did he/she double cross him/her?" "How did he/she device and succeed such a master plan?" "Why would he/she double cross him/her?" "How did he/she deviate attention from him so he could commence his/her plan?" and other questions that would delve into the details of the movie. Of course every crime movie would have different details and answers to those questions. The timing as to when these questions were answered and the suspense you feel before they are answered is what kept me and will keep you gripping till the end (in terms only of the story line of course[other factors will be evident later in this review]). In short, the story was predictable but not at the same time.

ACTING/CAST:
To be honest, I'm only familiar with main cast and their works, so I'd only get to focus on them. First is Kim Woobin. whooo! what a breather from all those rebel/delinquent roles he had before, don't you think? It was so refreshing to see him act a role that is at least close to his age range. He portrayed Lee Jihyuk, rather quite convincing. Maybe the character was supposed to be intelligent and confident, but not condescending, then he portrayed it quite well. Or maybe I'm just biased because he's so attractive and hot and his legs go on forever(oh those full body scenes!! and that short shower scene!!), then he acted really really good! As for Go Changseok, he looks adorable as always! haha idk, he just looks like a stuffed toy to me, so it is quite pleasing for me to look at him. His character also adds a bit of light comedy and just good vibes for the movie. Also, he portrayed the 'doubting' character really well that as a viewer, you'd also doubt the decisions the characters are making. As for Lee Hyunwoo, hmm, maybe it's the face but he looked like a flowerboy hacker in the movie. Maybe he was meant to look like that in the first place, but most of the hacker characters I know don't really look as fresh as he is. But his acting was quite good, I guess. Maybe lacked that 'smug look' for a 'traitor hacker' character, but he can pass.

MUSIC:
I actually don't remember any of the songs that played in the movie. Although I don't think this only constitutes OSTs but also the BGMs for each scenes. I watched this movie yesterday, so I don't really remember exact OSTs. But what I do remember are the feelings I get whenever the BGMs of each scenes come to play wherein they just heightened the suspense/excitement/sadness/happiness/relief that I felt all throughout the movie. But, I also remember that I had thought once during the movie that I'd listen to one of those OSTs later on, so maybe that song was good. lol I'm not really good with capturing music into my head unless I've listened to them a number of times. I only remember the feeling and ideas I have while listening to it.

REWATCH VALUE:
I'd say I'd rewatch this movie, but only for the sake of looking the Kim Woobin's scenes. He is a great incentive to watch and rewatch, to be honest. But ignoring that I'd rewatch it for Woobin alone, maybe just to understand some concepts, maybe I'd rewatch this. On the one hand, it is quite interesting to rewatch a movie and get to watch it at a whole new perspective since you already know the story. But on the other hand, if you already know the story and you feel no admiration for the characters or the storyline itself, then maybe you'd be quite bored if you rewatch it three more times.

Overall, it's an eight, simply because I don't feel like it's at the level of a seven. Seven is already a low score for me, so...

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