Reviews

Before I write my review, I have to say something about the plot. I love the plot to bits, it's the kind of love story that appeals to me. That being said, I would have wished they would have put it in a drama instead of a movie. It seemed a little rushed at times, and some scenes were (obviously) cut out, so at times you had to guess what actually happened. Luckily it wasn't too hard to guess.



This movie is just great. The actors are really good and make the story believable. I love Young Won's younger brother. He is silly yet protective and just plain awesome. I was really surprised to see Jang Geun Suk doing such a good job in this. Don't get me wrong, he's a great actor, but his performance in Mary Stayed Out All Night as a rocker had me doubting what this movie would be like. Two roles that seemed too similar, so I was afraid I wouldn't see any variation. (Just so that people don't think I'm stupid - I know this was made before Mary, but I watched Mary first.) My worries were groundless - To think that two rocker roles can be that different is unexpected, yet he pulls it off. That being said, I'd like to get a better explanation to what happened between Young Won and Hee Won in the past. This is the reason I give it an 8 and not a 9 or 10.



All in all, it was a great movie. I truly enjoyed it, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Leggi di Più

How do i go about describing this movie. Well the first reason why i started watching it was because it was about soccer and unfortunately there aren't many soccer movies or dramas out there. What i got in return was a package deal. This movie has both drama and soccer in it. Now the story isn't the best but it did make me laugh, and it did make me cry. The cast was pretty good(and hey, it has a bunch of East Timorian kids in it!). The music wasn't anything special, but it served it's purpose. As for rewatch value, not much in my opinion. Overall though, this is a decent soccer and drama flick that'll make you laugh and cry at points of the movie.

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So, this beautiful story will take you into the world of hearing impaired people. And its amazing!

The best thing about the movie is, that its not over dramatic, or too sad, depressing and so. The story is actually very simple, cute and optimistic - just a little untraditional love story about two young people who just met each other :)

There is not much speaking in the movie, they mostly use the sign language. Thats why someone could say that it will be boring, but thats absolutely not true. The way they use sign language is so interesting, that it catches your eyes and make it more interesting.

If you are looking for a movie, that is positive, nice and optimistic, this is for you. It a good way to spend your time whenever you are depressed :)

(sorry for my english)

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This movie tells the story as old as all humankind and at the same time as fresh to every person who falls in love. This story is about first love. We all know that sometimes it can be disappointing, sometimes unforgettable, sometimes like a breeze - just passing by leaving warm feeling. Here we can see a bittersweet story of first love which is not shown as fairy tale (happily living together till death do us part) but how it happens usually in real modern life. It shows how relationship develops and the way men's and women's minds are set up. I recommend to watch it when you are in the mood of watching something which will live a nice warm feeling but without any critical points.

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Two reviews, two comparisons.

The movie made me think of Luc Besson's "Leon", one of my favourite films ever. The feel is the same, and so is the awkward yet deeply touching relationship between Tae-shik and So-mee.



Won Bin's performance is superb, his misery and loneliness enphasized by the constant darkness of the setting and the few sharp lines he is asked to deliver. But just as brilliant is the kid's acting and that of the two schizoid criminals with their dark humour, one lamenting the blood on his Dolce & Gabbana's shirt, the other toying with eyeballs.



Stay away from it if you are easily disturbed by blood. This movie is violent and pretty graphic, and the ethic underneath the blood shoking and insufferable. The Korean police are doing what they always are in Korean films: nothing. Except being activated to a frenzy by the only hero of the story.

At times, one wishes one could enter the screen ad shake some sense into the police force. I can only hope this is a dramatic device, more than a window on reality.



The action scenes are brilliantly enacted, with enough close cut shots to make them believable and felt.

Overall a superb movie, not to be watched while eating, though.

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I didn't have great expectations for this movie to begin with - and still it managed to really disappoint me.

First of all, I couldn't like the main characters, and that is always a problem. I just couldn't relate to their lives or problems at all. In my eyes, Ha-Young was just irritating, spoiled little girl screaming, making faces and throwing tantrums all the time. Hyung-Joon wasn't any better, he was definitely arrogant (as the movie's name suggests), mean and self-centered. I could have still forgiven these flaws of theirs if they had had any good and amiable side in their personalities but I just couldn't find enough good in them to make me like them.

Secondly, the whole setting of the story was just too weird and twisted to my liking. I'm normally okay with dramas or movies that have all sorts of marriage/sibling/dating/cohabitation agreements in order to provide the main characters enough interaction so that they can fall in love with each other. However, this "Enslavement Agreement" was too much for me. My dislike for this agreement was further strengthened by the fact that the girl was still underage and the boy in college (call me prudish if you like). Had they had a pure, equal relationship, then it might have been okay, but in this case, the setting was just too weird.

Thirdly, I wasn't convinced that the characters really fell in love with each other. I acknowledge the obvious time limitations of a movie compared to a drama but still, there just was something missing. Fourthly, I really didn't get the humour in this movie. Even the numerous day-dreaming scenes of the main heroine didn't really work or weren't that funny. I was actually really surprised to notice that Ha Ji Won played in this movie. I liked her in "Secret Garden" so I'm tending to believe that this movie wasn't so bad because of the acting but because of the storyline.

For those who now think that I seriously underrated this movie, please feel free to give it a better review. I am no longer teenager, nor am I Korean, so maybe there were just some things I didn't get, but personally, I wouldn't recommend this movie to anyone. You'll just feel stupid afterwards for wasting your time on it.

Leggi di Più

So, in case you can't tell from the scores, I recommend this. If that's all you needed to know to watch this movie, do so... NOW. For the rest of you read the in depth and then go watch this.



I really enjoyed this story. When I read the synopsis, I sort of thought this was going to be one of those terrible over-the-top comedic asian dramas that I can't stand. DON'T LET THE SYNOPSIS SCARE YOU. This Punch Lady is literally going to fight her abusive husband and there is nothing funny about the turmoil she is going through. Not to say that there is no comedic relief, but the main character is a battered woman, not merely a disgruntled one.



The acting was good, no particularly huge stand out performances, but everything was watchable. I definitely felt what the characters were suppose to feel. I laughed, I cried, I liked it. However, don't look for total groundbreaking.



Music- did its job, nothing memorable to me but nothing obnoxious either.



Definitely would see this again with a friend who liked it or hasn't seen it. I might watch it on my own, but most likely not. But such an experience would not be unenjoyable XD



Overall, if you haven't seen it, watch it. It's not a 20 episode long drama, just a movie. You have no excuse.

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I'm not an expert on Korean movies but I'd say that this wasn't bad at all. Obviously, a two-hour movie cannot have the same depth of character development as a 16- or 20-hour drama series but since the main focus was on the main characters, I think you had enough time to get attached to them. I even shed a few tears at the end of the film (or then I'm just too soft... :P)

This movie isn't full of drama but it is not a light one either since it touches upon themes like violence, alcoholism and depression. However, all these themes are illustrated in a warm-hearted manner, not too realistically, and hope is definitely present all the time. This is certainly not too serious a movie, and that is largely because of the more or less twisted and dark humour that spices the story up and makes you laugh.

The overall plot goes onwards at a good pace and has some interesting twists that I was unable to predict, especially at the end. Shin Hyeon-Jun portraits in a very endearing way the professional killer Hyun-Jun who is a serious, warm hearted and troubled man questioning his profession and quietly looking for someone he could talk to. Kang Hye-Jeong's Jin-Young is a bit crazy, not an ordinary woman, but very adorable.

This movie has some very endearing and funny scenes and that is why I liked it so much. The main characters are very likeable as well. If you have two hours to spare, go and watch it, it isn't a waste of your time.

Leggi di Più

I'm a huge fan of Wong Kar-Wai. He's not a simple story teller, but a director capable of using the cinematographic media to its fullest. His movies are estetically beautiful, their silences as poignant and thought-provoking as the often minimal lines.



Hong Kong Express is no exception. The acting is, not surprisingly, brilliant. Tony Leung in particular delivers his nonchalant, ironical and obsessed cop to perfection. To Kaneshiro the honour of the best line in the movie.

The director often uses a tecnique called step-framing, in which a character is frozen in time while the world around him or her moves at incredible speed. The viewer is therefore often deceived as to the real chronology of events.



So, this is a movie about love, but it's most of all a story of solitude, like those frozen characters, who are as lonely in a metropole as little ants in a moltitude of insects.



I gave it a 8 because I need to spare the 10 for "In the Mood for Love", possibly Kar-Wai's masterpiece so far.

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