Age of Shadows (15.)
Directed by Jee-won Kim.
Starring Song Kang-ho, Gong Yoo, Han Ji-min, Shingo Tsurumi, Um Tae-goo and Lee Byung-hun. Korean with subtitles. 140 mins.
The opening of this Korean film features a rooftop chase by moonlight reminiscent of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, or the Rowan Atkinson Snickers advert if you prefer, but its story of resistance groups working undercover to defeat Japanese occupation in Shanghai is closer to another Ang Lee film, Lust, Caution. It's the 1920s and a group led by Gong Yoo, (Train to Busan) is trying to get explosives from Shanghai to Seoul, under the noses of the cruel Japanese police and Korean collaborator Song Kang-ho (Thirst.)
It's a preposterous tale, blown up from true events. Events displayed in the film did happen but you can be damn sure it was nothing like this. Which is fine, but the film can't deliver on its own fantasy. It looks good, apart from some too obviously CGI city scene backgrounds, and the cast is a roll call of Korea's finest and at times you will find yourself being won over by its preposterous high style, but then it will take a misstep and undo all the good work.
A lot of dynamite is lets loose in this film and most of it seems to have been used to blow holes in the plot. Director Jee-won Kim is something of a Korean De Palma in as much as his films are made up of numerous euphorically executed set pieces with little concern for the logic of how they are connected to each other.
He is also one of those Korean directors who has a tendency to go a little bit crazy with the violence. It needs to be established how cruel the Japanese were, and how extreme their torture methods were, but do we really need to see someone pull off their own toe after it has been hit by a bullet? Yeah, I know, you like the crazy violent Koreans, you slavering degenerates, but what motivates it? Korea is one of the most invaded counties in world history (sandwiched between Japan and China is not a seat number you want handed to you) so maybe at some level their excuse is that these films are demonstrations that the nation is still trying to act out and work through the violence that was inflicted on them.
Directed by Jee-won Kim.
Starring Song Kang-ho, Gong Yoo, Han Ji-min, Shingo Tsurumi, Um Tae-goo and Lee Byung-hun. Korean with subtitles. 140 mins.
The opening of this Korean film features a rooftop chase by moonlight reminiscent of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, or the Rowan Atkinson Snickers advert if you prefer, but its story of resistance groups working undercover to defeat Japanese occupation in Shanghai is closer to another Ang Lee film, Lust, Caution. It's the 1920s and a group led by Gong Yoo, (Train to Busan) is trying to get explosives from Shanghai to Seoul, under the noses of the cruel Japanese police and Korean collaborator Song Kang-ho (Thirst.)
It's a preposterous tale, blown up from true events. Events displayed in the film did happen but you can be damn sure it was nothing like this. Which is fine, but the film can't deliver on its own fantasy. It looks good, apart from some too obviously CGI city scene backgrounds, and the cast is a roll call of Korea's finest and at times you will find yourself being won over by its preposterous high style, but then it will take a misstep and undo all the good work.
A lot of dynamite is lets loose in this film and most of it seems to have been used to blow holes in the plot. Director Jee-won Kim is something of a Korean De Palma in as much as his films are made up of numerous euphorically executed set pieces with little concern for the logic of how they are connected to each other.
He is also one of those Korean directors who has a tendency to go a little bit crazy with the violence. It needs to be established how cruel the Japanese were, and how extreme their torture methods were, but do we really need to see someone pull off their own toe after it has been hit by a bullet? Yeah, I know, you like the crazy violent Koreans, you slavering degenerates, but what motivates it? Korea is one of the most invaded counties in world history (sandwiched between Japan and China is not a seat number you want handed to you) so maybe at some level their excuse is that these films are demonstrations that the nation is still trying to act out and work through the violence that was inflicted on them.
