mpm74
03-07-2011, 01:13 AM
Due to a horrific event in the past, an ex-special agent named Cha Tae-sik (Won Bin) is now a depressed recluse. He makes a living by running a small pawn shop in his apartment building. His only friend is a little girl named So-mee (Kim Sae-ron), who also supports his business.
Cha Tae-sik’s quiet lifestyle takes a sudden turn when he finds himself mixed up between So-mee’s mom, Hyo-jeong, a heroin addict; and a drug trafficking organization, whom she rips off. Now that So-mee and her mother are in captivity, Cha Tae-sik must dust off his killing-abilities and save them both.
When I heard it was Korea’s highest grossing film of 2010, I was hesitant to check it out. Maybe I was thinking about typical money-makers in Hollywood where shit like “Twilight,” “Michael Bay,” “Will Smith’s son” and “Avatar” pop into my mind. I keep on forgetting that the majority of the American movie-going public are ball-less, soulless, spiritless little fucking puppets… (R.I.P. Bill Hicks).
“The Man from Nowhere” is violent, very violent. Every sound (and visual, for the most part) of someone getting killed lurked out of my speakers: Snap, crackle, pop, bang, slice, drip, gargle, stomp, rip… you name it. It’s bloody, explicit and it pulls no punches. Someone like Len Wiseman (“Live Free or Die Hard”) couldn’t cook up a similar effect if Kate Beckinsale’s ass depended on it.
The action scenes are razor sharp and shot with utmost care and creativity. We get a sweet balance of it all: hand to hand combat, gunfire and even some knife play. Much of the brutality is over the top, but stays within acceptable boundaries, without going into "Takashi Miike" land.
I wouldn’t say that “The Man from Nowhere” an action-filled extravaganza, but like most good movies, there’s a nice pace to it. There’s breathing room so we get to know and understand the characters and why they’ve become who they are. There’s plot, there’s background, there’s dialogue…
For all you cry babies out there who get bored after 20 minutes of non-action scenes, maybe you should stay away from movies with depth, and stick to your Collector’s Edition of “Transformers” with Digital Copy; That way, you can load it on your Iphone just in case you get stuck in a room where something like “The Godfather” is playing.
“The Man from Nowhere” has been cited for borrowing elements from films like “First Blood” (1982), “Leon: The Professional” (1994), and “Man on Fire” (2004). I guess I can somewhat agree, but let's get real: If you want to talk about originality, you better get off the subject of cinema completely, because there hasn’t been an original film since 1888. What? Is it against the law to make another movie revolving around a guy with a gun and a little girl? And since he’s classified as a killing machine, he’s all of the sudden a knock-off of Rambo?
With only one other film under his belt ("Cruel Winter Blues"), writer/director Lee Jeong-beom is definitely on the right track. Won Bin's ("Guns and Talks") portrayal of the tormented, but ultra-cool, Cha Tae-sik, brings his talents to the next level. I haven't seen enough of Kim Sae-ron's ("A Brand New Life") work to refer her to as Korea's "Dakota Fanning," but she is that good.
Highly recommended.
http://www.cityonfire.com/man-from-nowhere-the-2010/
Cha Tae-sik’s quiet lifestyle takes a sudden turn when he finds himself mixed up between So-mee’s mom, Hyo-jeong, a heroin addict; and a drug trafficking organization, whom she rips off. Now that So-mee and her mother are in captivity, Cha Tae-sik must dust off his killing-abilities and save them both.
When I heard it was Korea’s highest grossing film of 2010, I was hesitant to check it out. Maybe I was thinking about typical money-makers in Hollywood where shit like “Twilight,” “Michael Bay,” “Will Smith’s son” and “Avatar” pop into my mind. I keep on forgetting that the majority of the American movie-going public are ball-less, soulless, spiritless little fucking puppets… (R.I.P. Bill Hicks).
“The Man from Nowhere” is violent, very violent. Every sound (and visual, for the most part) of someone getting killed lurked out of my speakers: Snap, crackle, pop, bang, slice, drip, gargle, stomp, rip… you name it. It’s bloody, explicit and it pulls no punches. Someone like Len Wiseman (“Live Free or Die Hard”) couldn’t cook up a similar effect if Kate Beckinsale’s ass depended on it.
The action scenes are razor sharp and shot with utmost care and creativity. We get a sweet balance of it all: hand to hand combat, gunfire and even some knife play. Much of the brutality is over the top, but stays within acceptable boundaries, without going into "Takashi Miike" land.
I wouldn’t say that “The Man from Nowhere” an action-filled extravaganza, but like most good movies, there’s a nice pace to it. There’s breathing room so we get to know and understand the characters and why they’ve become who they are. There’s plot, there’s background, there’s dialogue…
For all you cry babies out there who get bored after 20 minutes of non-action scenes, maybe you should stay away from movies with depth, and stick to your Collector’s Edition of “Transformers” with Digital Copy; That way, you can load it on your Iphone just in case you get stuck in a room where something like “The Godfather” is playing.
“The Man from Nowhere” has been cited for borrowing elements from films like “First Blood” (1982), “Leon: The Professional” (1994), and “Man on Fire” (2004). I guess I can somewhat agree, but let's get real: If you want to talk about originality, you better get off the subject of cinema completely, because there hasn’t been an original film since 1888. What? Is it against the law to make another movie revolving around a guy with a gun and a little girl? And since he’s classified as a killing machine, he’s all of the sudden a knock-off of Rambo?
With only one other film under his belt ("Cruel Winter Blues"), writer/director Lee Jeong-beom is definitely on the right track. Won Bin's ("Guns and Talks") portrayal of the tormented, but ultra-cool, Cha Tae-sik, brings his talents to the next level. I haven't seen enough of Kim Sae-ron's ("A Brand New Life") work to refer her to as Korea's "Dakota Fanning," but she is that good.
Highly recommended.
http://www.cityonfire.com/man-from-nowhere-the-2010/