The City of Violence

[Daisho2004]

I don't remember seeing a review of this movie but it looks really good, and lately most of the best fighting movies have been released by Korean film makers.

Here is a preview from Dragon Dynasty: dragondynasty.com/ (http://dragondynasty.com/)

Synopsis:
Returning home for his old pal Wang-jae's (Kil-Kang Ahn) funeral, police Detective Tae-su (Doo-hong Jung) reunites with former friends Pil-ho (Beom-su Lee), Dong-hwan (Seok-yong Jeong) and Seok-hwan (Seung-wan Ryoo). But when Tae-su begins to suspect there's something fishy about the death, he launches an informal investigation. He soon finds himself pitted against Pil-ho, whose shady business dealings may have played a role in Wang-jae's demise.

[The Amazing Psychoper]

I saw this one at Fantasia in Montreal this summer. I have read a lot of bad critics on this movie but I thought it was really good. It's by far the best martial arts movie to come out of Korea in recent years if not ever.

I can't really put my finger on what really prevent it from being really great, but something was missing... I don't know if it's the overall acting or the directing, but the first hour or so suffers a bit from a lack of spark. Maybe Tod Brown from Twitchfilm.net as the better explaination when he says there seems to be a lack of chemestry between the characters who are suppose to be buddies, and that the script could have afforded to tightened a little bit.

But as far as the fighting goes it's great. Usually I find martial arts sequences in Korean movies are badly shot
with to many close up, making it hard to figure out what is happening. City of violence is an improvement in that department, not perfect but a big improvement.

Of course what makes this one a winner is the final last man standing showdown :eek . I won't spoil it but believe me it's worth the hype and the admission ticket and puts Kill Bill's tea house brawl to shame...

lately most of the best fighting movies have been released by Korean film makers.

What movies are you refering to? I've seen a couple and in the fighting department they were all bad...

The Amazing Psycho Per :evil

[GwaiLoMoFo]

I really liked this one, and will be picking up the DD disc this weekend for sure. The action is good and the story is above average for this type of film (imo). There was a TON of hype for this movie prior to its release, which is why I believe it received luke warm reviews. But I dug it! And yes the climax of this one is a ripper.

[Daisho2004]

The Amazing Psychoper,

To answer your question, here is a couple that I liked:
Musa aka: The Warrior (2001)
Fighter in the Wind
Arahan
Sword in the Moon
There are a few more I'll try to add a new topic with some of them on it.

[saberdjedi]

The movie itself is decent at best, but it's the fights that make this film.

Jung Doo-hong needs to get a lot more recognition, because he's easily one of the best choreographer and star around these days.

The fights in CoV are shot close up and use lots of fast editing, but don't let that deter you. You can see everything that you need to still, and the fights have amazing intensity. Jung Doo-hong will really impress you with his kicking skills, but director Ryu Seung-wan also does quite good as well. If you liked SPL and Flashpoint, then you should probably like the fights in CoV. The only problem is that there isn't enough fighting in the movie (most of it's at the end of the film).

If you want to see other good Korean martial arts films I highly suggest Ryu Seung-wan's previous films, Arahan, Crying Fist and No Blood, No Tears. Fighter in the Wind is also good too, and also features Jung Doo Hong in a small role as well.

[theportlykicker]

What the hell are you doing here, Derek? :D

But yeah, I agree with everything you said.

[saberdjedi]

I dunno, I never post here, and I rarely even visit, but I am aware of it.

[Beat TG]

you should visit here often, just to keep us and the board alive.:b

[Yi Long]

I watched the movie last month orso. It was an enjoyable but forgettable flick.

To me, the fightscenes didnt do much. I didnt care much for it. It was better then what I've seen in other Korean movies (which admittedly isnt much), but it's nowhere near as good as HK choreography, or as good as Tony Jaa's stuff.
It's 2 guys taking on lots of guys, wild wide-open punches and kicks, jumping and swinging...
Dont expect long combinations or exchanges.

I'd rate it a 3 outta 5. Story and acting was all just ok-ish. Fighting was nice, but never outstanding.

[The Amazing Psychoper]

I guess it's all a matter of taste because Sword in the moon and Fighter in the wind were two of the movies I had in mind talking about bad fighting korean movies... Not that that the movies themselves are that bad, it's just the way the fights are filmed that sucks... Wich tends to be a trend in korean movies (and american).

The Amazing Psycho Per :evil

[Daisho2004]

OK I finally got a chance to watch this movie and it was a good movie, not great but it was enjoyable the fight scenes were the best part of the movie. It did have a good storyline, so I would recommend watching this movie. I also would give it (3 out of 5 stars).

[skulldugrey]

I saw this about a year ago, mistakingly paying about 30 bucks for the Korean dvd hoping for a good film. unfortunately, I was dissapointed. it's very true that the movie lacks a spark, indeed it's quite boring. and the fights are also edited pretty fast. for some reason, I believe yesasia.com listed it as having a CAT III rating in Hong Kong, but I could never figure out why. except for one brief scene, it wasn't very violent, and as far as I remember there wasn't anything else that could warrant such a rating, so maybe that was a misprint.

[oldeschool17]

this film was mediocre. Some beautiful shots, lots of non-stop action, but virtually no character depth/development. This movie didnt really provoke any emotion for the viewer or create a connection to the characters. Its worth a rental though

[FIST OF DEATH]

I agree. This film was not really very interesting or even entertaining. I bought it and watch and will probably end up selling my copy someday. It's really nothing I can see watching over and over again.

[Aeksis8742]

I actually thought this movie was very well done. Although it didn't live up to all the hype surrounding it, it was still a good all around MA flick. The last scene where they are walking through the doors with the western music playing was especially good. My only real gripe with it is that could've spent a little more time on the end fight with the four fighters.

[bolofan]

I would have to agree with the majority on this one and say that this film was good at best. Nothing really stood out but it was well done.

[almaric]

I had a great time with this one, but not nearly as much as some of my friends. While not a great ganster film, some of those fights were pretty damn wild. Sure, we've seen more brutal, or more acrobatic, but for me it was the perfect blend of both.

[Solid Ronin]

Its as many people here already said, there is nothing really amazing about this movie. But its just so solid that it makes up for that.

Good movie. Pick it up.

[WuxiaFan]

I thought the fight scenes were awesome. Really enjoyed the movie.

[MLee]

A decent movie. Action had some nice moments but the editing and quick angle changes were annoying. Especially during the fight when both the male leads were facing 2 expert kickers each. Kept switching between both of them fighting even before any moves connected which was confusing to keep up with! Hated the soft sound effects with the fights. I suppose for a korean martial arts movie made recently it's better than most.

[BaronK]

"Hated the soft sound effects with the fights"

It's what they do now a days(like CTHD). They want more realism in their foley. It hurts pictures imo. People throwing as hard as they can, spinning, bashing, growling, bleeding and the sound is a light, poof. Wtf!? Rather than really get into what I'm seeing, I'm taken aback by the light in the ass soundfx. Wackness.

[MLee]

Yeah I agree with you BaronK! Really makes the fights look kind of weak!

[Milkyway]

The movie was decent at best but I liked what I saw action-wise (minus the huge gang fight, looked too out of place and overdramatized).

[Mark of the Dragon]

JDH's fight choreography was incredible in the film, and the camera work was solid. Of course, the premise was somewhat shallow, and the overall scale of some fights was downright ridiculous.

Still highly enjoyable.

[Violent Newtype]

I agree this movie was a good watch