Just a little more on THE THIEVES...the runtime in the opening hour really needed to be tightened up...if they had trimmed it by twenty minutes, then I would have felt comfortable in putting THE THIEVES in the category of average/watchable/entertaining. South Korea, in the modern era, has always borrowed liberally from other world cinemas, but what made them successful in doing so was that they would always add something to the experience that made the film distinctly Korean...at least some flavoring. With regard to THE THIEVES, I thought that aspect was totally lacking aka "why should I bother with this instead of just rewatching OCEAN'S ELEVEN". Except for that needed twenty minutes of trimming, is THE THIEVES a better contructed effort as compared to THE GRAND HEIST...yes...THE GRAND HEIST was not without its own share of flaws...but THE GRAND HEIST was consistently entertaining and had a somewhat unique flavor, whereas THE THIEVES was dullsville for too much of its runtime.


And, since I don't want to leave anyone who might be interested hanging, I have wrapped up the ten episode 2010 German crime TV series Im Angesicht Des Verbrechens (watched via English-friendly German DVD). I enjoyed it. It's a little uneven in style/tone...it feels more TV-ish like ENGRENAGES/SPIRAL in a directorial sense. The German show isn't the most eventful in terms of knocking down plot points per episode, and for episodes 3-6 it goes a bit slow in terms of plot developments and momentum. But the following episodes close the series on a strong note...especially liked episode 9 which contained the most action. On that note, the show isn't too violent in terms of a body count...or giving you a lot of action...but there is enough action to get you by. The storytelling does go off on tangents from time-to-time. Basically, the main points of the story focus on the Latvia/Jewish German cop and his somewhat roguish (former East German) partner as they get assigned to a special unit investigating a couple of different groups in the Russian mafia in Berlin (primarily illegal cigarette activity)...keep in mind it isn't anywhere nearly as involved or layered as something like THE WIRE. The lead cop does have a sister who is married to one of the Russian mafia kingpins. While another of the Russian kingpins is a strip club owner (among other things). While on that topic, they do work in quite a bit of sex/nudity...male and female...into the show...not near SPARTACUS levels but it is there in every episode except the last. Also, earlier I mentioned the opening scene with the Ukrainian girl swimming in the lake...well she is a regular in the show as her and a friend are tricked into coming to Berlin and then they are forced into being prostitutes. And I mention her "vision"...well that was an image of her future love...and yes that happens to be our lead cop...so you do have that destined to be lovers aspect to the show. There are too assorted Russian henchman, a German businessman working with the Russian mob, and of course a couple of dirty cops, among other characters. Also another main point of the story is our lead cop trying to find out who killed his younger wild child brother years earlier...naturally this ties in to the story. As I said the show is a little uneven...some of the repeated use of the same images to reflect our destined lovers grew tiresome (and they use it during each episode intro aka previous episode recap segment)...and too they utilize the same stock footage of a topless stripper in over half the episodes (every time they want to transition to the strip club setting). Some of the tangents don't quite work...like the dirty cop stuff...and some is just a little odd...for example our two lead cops are shown in a threesome with a recently divorced female colleague in the first episode...and in the show she comes across as being in a bit of an unstable situation in her life, and our two leads come off a little creepy in that regard and how they interact with her...not quite preying on her, but it just feels a little icky in how they interact with her. Also, during the middle section they do do a couple of those cliffhanger serial type endings to the episodes...BRAQUO did the same...didn't like it there, didn't like it here. Plus at the immediate end of each episode they kick off the end credits by showing a preview of the following episode (which of course totally spoils the cliffhanger and in general spoils the next episode)...so for anyone who might sample this show...just shut things down asap once the end credits start. So yeah, the show can be a little uneven, but for any moment that feels a little cheap or soapy, there is more than enough in each episode to make up for the lesser moments. Is there anything done here that is breaking new ground for cop shows...no, not really...but I found the German setting and Russian mafia/Eastern Europe aspects very interesting. I certainly preferred this German crime entry over France's ENGRENAGES/SPIRAL and BRAQUO...there is certainly no doubt in that regard. I don't think I'd give it as much of a mass recommendation as compared to something like FORBRYDELSEN, at the same time, I certainly feel that IM ANGESICHT DES VERBRECHENS would be worth a look to genre fans. It's too bad they did only one series for this show as I think they set up some interesting points in the series such that I would like to have seen a second series...should also say that this first series does feel like a complete viewing experience...yeah, they could have done another series...but the first series does stand alone nicely as it is (it feels like a complete story). Wow, that was a longwinded ramble...buy a paragraph would you please...hope it stayed coherent enough to be of use.

Just curious...I assume you have seen the original, yes? It's one of my favorite Japanese films. If you would have told me a guy sitting on a mat talking for 2+ hours would make for captivating entertainment, I'm not sure I would have believed you. But, it turned out to be very interesting.

I have not seen the remake (indeed, was not even aware there was a remake), and have no interest. But you indicated that the backstory took up too much of the film. Was that because it was not handled well in the remake? Or did you feel that way about the backstory in the original as well? Personally, I thought it was robust and fresh.

Hi divemaster, most definitely with regard to having viewed the original HARA-KIRI (I bought the Hong Kong Panorama DVD before it was even released via Criterion)...also a fan of the original 13 ASSASSINS (and the other two films in that "trilogy"). And like you, I'm a huge fan of HARA-KIRI...when it comes to the holy trinity of samurai films - HARA-KIRI, SAMURAI REBELLION, and SEVEN SAMURAI - while I realize a lot of folks go with SEVEN SAMURAI as their best/favorite, I lean more towards HARA-KIRI and SAMURAI REBELLION.

With regard to the backstory...the original is a perfect film...so I had no issues with any aspect of the original. I haven't watched the original in a long while though, but watching the remake makes me want to revisit the original to freshen my memory. The backstory in the remake just felt overdone to the point of near melodrama by the time you get to the latter stages. I don't recall how deeply they go into the backstory in the original, but I think it was expanded in the remake (not sure, but it felt that way)...and like I said they just show these really nice people and how misfortune upon misfortune rains down upon them, and while I at first appreciated the emotional appeal...towards the end it felt like information overload...aka enough already I get it now get back to the courtyard.

And again, while I don't recall the original clearly, I thought that once they do get back to the courtyard to close the film...the segment where he relates the story of the three "missing" samurai, in the remake it felt rushed and not as powerful as the original. Again, I don't recall the original clearly...just saying how it felt in the remake.


On a related note, if you haven't seen A BLOODY SPEAR ON MOUNT FUJI then do keep an eye out. It's another of my best/favorite samurai films...it is an interesting mix...it for the most part plays a lot like a film from Hiroshi Shimizu (aka the Criterion Eclipse set), while later it most definitely heads towards Masaki Kobayashi territory...a very powerful experience overall.


And back to Takashi Miike's two remakes, actually the most memorable point for me with regard to the remakes is an extra on the 13 ASSASSINS U.S. Blu-ray. It is an interview with Takashi Miike and he is being interviewed by a young female, general entertainment-type reporter, and I think she was commenting about how realistic a seppuku scene was and he is just totally giving her a hard time, and dryly says "have you actually ever witnessed seppuku in real-life"...and her reaction was just very funny...poor girl, just trying to do her job, and he was totally giving her a hard time...a very amusing job by Takashi Miike.

The seppuku scene in the HARA-KIRI remake was nicely done...lengthy, cruel, and excrutiating to watch.

Hey, thanks for your response. I've got a slew of films either in my Netflix queue or my YesAsia wishlist based on this thread. I don't post much and I don't keep up with new releases much, but rest assured your thoughts (and others' input as well) guide my Asian DVD viewing.

divemaster, I appreciate your taking the time, once again, to express your interest in following this thread...a gentleman you are indeed.


And now for the latest chapter in:
flixtime's ramblings - going broke, so you don't have to - since 2002!

Okay fine...I thought that amusing.

Cold War (2012 - Hong Kong) - it seems rather clear that the writing team behind this film took as their foundation the Gene Hackmann/Denzel Washington submarine thriller CRIMSON TIDE. That general dynamic being repositioned here for the Hong Kong crime genre. I'm a fan of CRIMSON TIDE...COLD WAR on the other hand...it was just barely tolerable enough I suppose, but not successful in any significant way. The story kicks off following the abduction of a patrol unit of five police officers...with the Police Commissioner abroad for a conference, the handling of the case becomes a point of contention between the two Deputy Police Commissioners (one the head of the Operations Group (having a close-cropped haircut), the other the head of the Management Group (Aaron Kwok with a super expensive haircut)). Anyway, the first forty minutes was like CRIMSON TIDE, with the two Deputy Commissioners going at each other to determine who really was running the show. Problem being, it felt false in a couple of ways. Most importantly, it felt like their (over) reaction to the abduction was way over-the-top...and it came across like the abduction was just an excuse for these two, Type-A personality, full-of-themselves Deputy Commissioners to get into a long-wished-for pissing match or strut around on a peacock parade...actually go at it like pitbulls is more like it...but the high intensity and sense of urgency just felt unearned...not too mention that office politics amongst a bunch of higher-up suits in police headquarters just isn't terribly exciting as compared to the set-up in CRIMSON TIDE. My second reason for claiming it to be artificial is that the cast in general never came alive as real characters...just living-the-good-life, pretty people actors plying their trade. Note to self: be a good lad and remember...paragraphs are a good thing.

So, after that opening forty minutes (a 102-minute runtime overall), things finally break out of the office and you get some solid Hong Kong action and thrills for about ten minutes. But then the movie sort of flatlines as it jumps back into the office intrigue stuff...chiefly with the introduction of a new character - an Internal Affairs type - conducting an investigation into the handling of the case. Also prominent is the search for a mole in the police department; the mole suspected of playing a role in the earlier abduction. But INFERNAL AFFAIRS this section is not...just a string of talky scenes one after another for thirty minutes plus.

Then at about the hour and twenty-three minute mark you get more solid action for five minutes. And then things finish off for nine minutes before the end credits roll. This last section of the movie closes thing out well enough (but again had me recalling CRIMSON TIDE).

On a positive note, aside from the nice action in the two aforementioned scenes, there is - sprinkled throughout the movie - some nice aerial cinematography of the Hong Kong skyline and landscape.

COLD WAR was not unwatchable, but it really is just a so-so effort at best.

I never even heard of BLOODY SPEAR ON MOUNT FUJI until reading this post. I just looked it up on IMDB and found what I read very interesting.

The big problem with Japanese films in the U.S. is that so relatively few of them are available legally on physical media (I'm old school--I prefer watching stuff on tape or disc to watching on-line). I go to Kinokuniya Books and Book Off to find releases I hadn't previously heard of and Amazon is good at alerting me to new releases in this line. Yet even with the dozens of titles I have in my collection on tape and disc, I know that it's only scratching the surface. I thought I was knowledgeable about Japanese film, but I keep finding things in Kinokuniya and Book Off that I'd never heard of before (e.g. THE LOYAL 47 RONIN, 1958 version, SAMURAI VENDETTA, SHINSENGUMI CHRONICLES: I WANT TO DIE A SAMURAI, and in the $2 bin at FYE, SWORDS OF VENGEANCE: THE FALL OF AKO CASTLE).

I'm now most interested in classic Yakuza films, the pre-Fukasaku ones with Ken Takakura, Koji Tsuruta or Bunta Sugawara. The ones that didn't deviate from Yakuza ritual/tradition the way the Fukasaku ones did (and most effectively, I might add) and the way the Nikkatsu ones did (somewhat less effectively, if you ask me--not a big fan of Suzuki). I just want to see more of the traditional Yakuza genre films and those are the hardest to find in the U.S. I found the first four films from the "Tales of Chivalrous Women" series (1969-71) starring Junko Fuji, on VHS in Book Off, in Japanese but with no subs. I bought them anyway. I watched the first two (with a helpful plot synopsis from the internet for the first one) and thought they were just breathtakingly beautiful films and very well transferred (color and widescreen). They cost me $3 apiece. Who can beat that? I want to see more like that, preferably with subs, but I'd still watch them without.

Howdy Ash Ketchum, just in case you are not familiar with it, you (and others too of course) should definitely keep an eye out for ICHIKAWA Raizo's DAISATSUJIN OROCHI aka THE BETRAYAL (1966). As an overall film, I don't recall it as being anything special. However, and this is a huge however...I'd rank the climactic fight between Ichikawa Raizo and, if I recall correctly, the triple-digit in number amount of opponents as the greatest swordfight scene in all (at least that I've seen) of samurai cinema. Ichikawa Raizo takes on wave upon wave of opponents as they come at him with ropes, ladders, poles, doors, and swords. Heck, forget about just limiting it to samurai cinema, it is one of the great fight scenes in all of cinema.

And while it isn't of the samurai/yakuza genre, as a fan of classic Japanese cinema then you might be receptive to 1979's (if you can call that "classic") THE MAN WHO STOLE THE SUN. And while we're in the 1970s, I'm also a fan of Director Masahiro Shinoda's period-horror UNDER THE BLOSSOMING CHERRY TREES (1975).



Why not, might as well keep typing...

THE SWORD IDENTITY (2011 - China) - low-budget, indie-feeling movie that, well, I suppose the main thrust is to give a friendly ribbing to martial arts/swordplay philosophy. Two former Chinese soldiers enter a town seeking to best the four martial arts schools/houses, thus allowing them to open their own school in the town. One is captured, while the other escapes and seeks refuge on a small floating barge/hut on the river that borders the town. Rumor spreads that the two are Japanese pirates...this being based on their weapon of choice...an elongated version of a samurai sword. The masters of the martial arts schools know different...that the men are indeed soldiers of a former renowned general who defeated the Japanese in the past. But to eliminate the threat of a new school, they play along with the Japanese pirate theory and send their town constable lapdog - among others - to tangle with the at-large "pirate"...the constable is thrilled of course because, in these times of peace, it is a way for him to earn glory.

Now, given the title and the above description, everyone might be tempted to jump in on this. Just hold on a sec. In tone, this is all handled more so than not in a comic fashion. The residents of the floating barge are "Persian" dancing girls and they are too contemporary in feel for a period-entry such as this...plus they are kind of grating as characters. The town constable too is played for comic effect. As I said, this film is more a gentle ribbing of martial arts/swordplay philosophy...in the sense that martial arts is all well and good enough...but perhaps not actually of practical use in actual battle. As an example, the at-large "pirate" slips away from the barge to rescue his comrade...of course he needs to have the martial arts masters and their men outside the barge believing that he is still there...so he quickly teaches the Persian dancing girl a few techniques in weaponry and she, while out of vision and fighting behind the curtain door to the barge, the dancing girl quickly dispatches all the opponents who try to enter.

The movie isn't rich enough in theme, or skilled enough in craft, to rise to the level of arthouse cinema. And too, it isn't of any note in terms of action/swordplay/martial arts to satisfy those interested in that arena. Also, it is actually more lightly comedic and playful in overall feel, and martial arts fans, while intrigued, well, perhaps sensitive types might feel disappointed at the gentle ribbing that martial arts receives in this movie. From my viewpoint, I had a decent enough time with THE SWORD IDENTITY...it was interesting and unique and perhaps too aspired to being something more substantial than the slight work it turned out to be.

A point of interest as it relates to THE SWORD IDENTITY is that the writer/director next took on the assignment of being a member of the writing team for WONG Kar-wai's THE GRANDMASTER.

On a technical note, I thought the framing of the movie felt a little off at times...as if the aspect ratio should have been 2.35:1 but instead the DVD was zoomed to 1.78:1...not saying that is in fact fact but the framing felt a little off at times...but maybe that can be attributed to the inexperience of the filmmakers.

Actually, writing about THE SWORD IDENTITY reminded me of an amusing bit from ZOMBIE 108...as the group of protagonists in that movie is starting to dwindle and as they are running out of bullets to use against the zombies...one of the more gung-ho members proclaims "we still have our fists!!"...okay so that isn't really funny as related by me, but in the goofy context of the movie...I thought it amusing...I think the director/writer were poking a little fun at Chinese martial arts.

A thought wormed its way into my head this morning...Ash Ketchum (and toddly if this happens to catch your eye)...have you guys ever met...I think you two would get along fabulously in-person...you can meet halfway in Midtown and make a day of hitting all the ethnic video stores in and around Manhattan...or maybe toddly can head up to Ash's and you both work your way south or vice-versa...or maybe just meet up and catch a movie/meal together. You both seem to frequent NYC video shops every so often...you both are fans of animated films/TV shows so that is instant common ground.

Anyway, why I'm not minding my own business and why I'm trying to play movie buddy matchmaker I don't quite know...but in terms of the small world of cinephiles, it just seems to me like you guys are almost like family.

Wild 7 (2011 - Japan) - Live-action, feature-film version of what was a long-running manga back in the day (apparently there was also a short-lived TV series around that time, and more recently an anime television series). The Wild 7 are a group of motorcycle-riding, ex-criminals recruited to work as killers for an elite Japanese police agency. This isn't a crime film but more an escapist, popcorn, action film. WILD 7 - despite a few talky (or romance-building), momentum-stopping scenes - was a quickly-paced viewing experience. The main problem with this film though is that from a storytelling perspective it felt like they were covering just too much ground in too short a period of time. It fails at developing anything beyond the superficial. Again, they just covered too much ground as if the movie was constructed as a series of bullet point-type scenes which jumped forward from one basic plot requirement to the next aka trying to cover as many key points as necessary in as short a time as necessary. I've often noted in this thread that so-and-so movie was "just too long", well here is the rare entry that actually should have expanded its runtime significantly...without end credits it ran for 104-minutes...I think this film could easily have supported another 25-minutes added to the runtime. Perhaps then it would have felt like a properly formulated screenplay instead of collection of vital individual scenes.

As to the action aspect, there is quite a bit...and it is effective I guess on a sort of sensory level. But the action is entirely unrealistic...our Wild 7 heroes standing out in the open and never at-risk from enemy firepower...it is cartoon action in that sense.

Also, it is the type of movie where a mysterious biker appears early on and the Wild 7 are wondering who "he" is and the very second they say "he" I knew for sure that the mysterious rider was not a "he" but a "she". Again WILD 7 is the type of movie intended for the masses aka popcorn fare.

While the movie was reasonably diverting and a harmless viewing thanks to its relatively fast pace, WILD 7 would grade out as only fair aka below-average. It's a shame they didn't try to flesh it out...it could have been a more interesting effort.



And to follow on my comments regarding the action scenes in WILD 7, knucklehead that I am, I recently subjected myself to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES aka the appeal of anything post-MEMENTO from Christopher Nolan is entirely a mystery to me. This was more tolerable than THE DARK KNIGHT...I suppose...or maybe that was aided by my non-expectations with regard to this movie. To say something nice, from a writing standpoint, they at least did a nice job in marrying the two sort of at-odds worlds established in the previous two films. So, I was actually doing okay with this latest entry (despite the puffed up runtime) but then we get to the final act "under siege" portion and I just couldn't take it seriously. I seem to recall that the siege went on for three months...now, if that is actually correct (and maybe I misunderstood things), but if that is correct then, given the conditions, characters such as the one played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt stayed remarkably well-groomed during that period. And the parts with the good guys tracking the vehicles around the entirely deserted streets...how silly...as if they are going to be noticed...the same small group always being out on the streets when there isn't another single soul wandering around. And the police force in their situation...they too stayed remarkably well-groomed and clean-cut...among other issues I had with that scenario. And lastly, the battle scene...now that was super silly...yeah, let's all go marching up one street to attack the bad guys. And did any of them actually fashion any sort of weapons, clubs, rocks, etc. to use...maybe they did and I didn't notice. And when the groups engage...well it was nice of them to pair off as if they were ballroom dancing. And very gentlemanly of them all to sort of engage in fisticuffs as if following the Marquess of Queensberry rules...seriously with so much riding on the outcome of the battle it should have been far more savage...even something as inconsequential as a sports brawl leads to a massive pile-up of bodies...in this movie after the intial clash, it looked like everyone squared off one-on-one with a nice even amount of space (like ballroom dancing) between each pair in conflict. I think I even noticed a cop and bad guy fighting and the bad guy had his machine gun hanging strapped to his back...hmm...even if out of bullets I think it might come in handy as a club. Heck, even boys will be boys saloon brawls in old Westerns were more intense than the battle here. And the cops seemed to be in good shape after their three month ordeal...but maybe they kept up with mass aerobic exercise sessions. To their credit I salute the police of Gotham for doing their duty (at least they didn't head for the hills like New Orleans police aka didn't like thirty percent of them run away pre-Katrina). Now if my ears played a trick on me and it wasn't three months then okay I take back some of what I've said...though the battle scene was still pretty stupid in execution. Speaking of my ears, I certainly was relieved upon the movie ending so I didn't have to listen to that garbled dialogue coming out of Bane and Batman's voice...why...actually maybe I need to get my hearing checked because it seems to be a not entirely rare occurence where I find dialogue in Hollywood films to be somewhat unintelligible at times. And the "ice route to exile"...impossible as it may have been, how about someone trying a little different technique aka weight distribution. And after sitting through three films, I really have no feel for who this character of Batman is. Christopher Nolan...great director of our times...phooey. And bravo to Zack Snyder for WATCHMEN.

Flixtime, did I ever tell you that your taste in film is a mystery? You are hard to figure out!

If most of the Asian or Indian films you watched were actually Hollywood films with Hollywood actors speaking English, would you be enjoying them still?

I won't answer for flixtime, but I will answer for myself.

In general, no, I would probably not enjoy them as much. To put it another way...I'll forgive a lot more in a Korean or HK film than I would in a Hollywood production.**

Mainly, it's because the cultural perspective is new (to me, anyway.) I've seen a hundred Hollywood car chases and shoot-outs, but a HK chase brings a different perspective (it usually ends up with someone getting pummeled and then kung-fu'd). HK residents might be sick to death of that. But I'm not. Same with the dramas and such. I have little to no interest in Hollywood melodramas, but I eat that shit up from Korea.

A disturbing trend is for Korean films to be "Hollywood-ized." For example, Tube. That movie took everything that is trite and stale with Hollywood and applied it to a Korean action movie.


**Although this has waned quite a bit. I've seen so many Korean / HK films that what was new to me is now getting tedious. The first 10 times I see gangster leaders slapping henchmen on the back of the head--ha ha ha. The second 10 times--ho, hum. The next 10 times--geeze, find something new already!

To preface, for those that might not follow things too closely, toddly's comment likely arises from the fact that I wasn't especially fond of THE RAID, BARFI, DJANGO UNCHAINED (explained why in the Indian thread), TAI CHI ZERO, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, and numerous other movies over the years that he (and most others have liked very much), but me far less so. And "yes" toddly, I still follow with interest your musings wherever they might be posted.

Well, with all the longwindedness, I do try to explain why I feel the way I feel (and I do try to offer alternative viewing options). Por ejemplo, I didn't much care for THE RAID because I thought it lacked for story/characters, took maybe a third of the runtime to spring to life, and the action didn't come across to me as particularly noteworthy. In some ways, that is similar to how I felt about THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD (that one also having the added issue of being too long). And to try and introduce your second comment (which I'm a little uncertain about (see below)), from my perspective, I wonder...if THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE WEIRD (and I recall you didn't like it either) were a Hollywood film would everyone have gone so ga-ga over it...or would they actually have made note of the issues I had with it (or maybe not given the lack of company I have with regard to my issues with DJANGO UNCHAINED, PROMETHEUS (an enchanting opening scene leaves one spellbound and generates so much good will...and then far too late you realize it is a big-budget, Sci-Fi channel or 1980's ALIEN-sploitation movie), DARK KNIGHT RISES, etc.). And, as I've said, I thought both ATTACK THE BLOCK and LA HORDE were better efforts from perhaps an arena in some ways related to THE RAID (I also preferred NUIT BLANCHE in certain respects (though not based on action) versus THE RAID).

I'm a little unclear on this part...so if you point me in the right direction I'll share my thoughts/explanation. I really haven't been giving out many recommended ratings with regard to recent Asian/Indian films.

Am I more thorough with say Hong Kong crime films as compared to Hollywood crime films...yes, in the sense that the number is much smaller per year...I'd certainly like to explore more deeply all the direct-to-video type action/crime movies that come out of Hollywood but I sense the number is too great, the cast is a tough sell to me (wrestlers, Cuba Gooding, Val Kilmer, etc.), and it is tough to identify which might be the most worthy (and I expect that assessment is subject to a high degree of, umm, subjectivity). I did recently pick up THE COURIER, and that has got pretty poor reviews, but I'm interested because it is from the director of PARADISE NOW and because I liked Jeffrey Dean Morgan in MAGIC CITY.

I recently watched the recent version of THE THREE MUSKETEERS (Paul W.S. Anderson) and despite some issues I found it quite entertaining...and I thought the flying ships were a creative touch. It's disposable fluff, but if I had to rewatch either that or THE DARK KNIGHT RISES, I'd take THE THREE MUSKETEERS every time. And if Hong Kong had done TAI CHI ZERO to the level of THE THREE MUSKETEERS...I certainly would have appreciated that.

Basically, in the old days, I used to say, "I love Hong Kong films, Japanese films, or Bollywood films." I realized I was attached to the habit of telling myself that I loved these films which made it easier to forgive the faults found in those films from those countries. It took many years to not feel excited over the exotic factor anymore, so basically I can be more selective and just like good films from all countries with a film industry.


I'm not dissing you at all of course Flixtime - I was reading your Dark Knight Rises review and I was just imagining you would have loved the film if it was with an Indian director, Indian screenwriter, and Indian actors!

But yeah, your taste is still hard to figure out (meaning, sometimes I have no idea what to recommend to you sometimes) - which is a good thing I guess!

yup, my forgiving days are over!

And damn, don't remind me about Tube! I have no problem with any industry copying Hollywood, but Tube was simply awful.

And regarding annoying trends, I dream someday to not see a main villain standing in front of a posse of 100 sweaty, hairy body-odor-looking goons in an Indian movie. It's just a dream!

Never took it that way, not even for a second. I realize it was just your roundabout way of telling me that you hold a special place in your heart just for little old me. And don't be mean and shatter that illusion.

Well, I didn't like ENDHIRAN either...and while we're at it...you're the one who liked DRONA.


I'm of the same mind (or at the same stage) as both you and divemaster. I've seen more than enough now...that I'd like to think I judge things on a fairly level playing field. And as I said, I've been pretty hard on Asian/Indian cinema these last couple of years.

Now might I hold back on being a curmudgeon and muzzle some of my acidity/venom when it comes to lower-budget or indie films...yeah, I might do that. At the same time, there is often some additional basis such as...maybe the film isn't good but it might offer something particularly interesting that at least engages me for brief moments...sometimes that is relief enough from the same-old same-old.

With regard to this Asian thread...and as divemaster has commented...too much lately - coming from Hong Kong and South Korea especially - seems like a simple and not-as-good rehashing of everything that has come before. Okay fine, people love THE RAID (and yeah I know it is not from HK or Korea)...I just don't see it...speaking for myself if I wanted Asian action (in terms of rewatching), I'm picking SHA PO LANG over THE RAID every time...even films such as EXILED, INVISIBLE TARGET, CONNECTED, etc. would be my selections before I'd be interested in THE RAID again. And if you ask me if anything lately from Hong Kong or South Korea has gotten me really excited lately...like not so long ago efforts such as HERO, HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS, CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER, THE BANQUET, EXILED, ELECTION 1 & 2, LOVE BATTLEFIELD, ONE NITE IN MONGKOK, OLDBOY, SAVE THE GREEN PLANET, DIRTY CARNIVAL, WINDSTRUCK, and numerous others, then I'd be challenged to name any...as I've said REVENGE A LOVE STORY, POETRY...some Japanese entries...but yeah like divemaster said with regard to the headslappings and such...been there done that.

To revisit what you said about THE DARK KNIGHT RISES...would I have received it differently if it were from India...well, I think I still would've taken issue with the stuff I mentioned, but at the same time I might have been less grumpy perhaps because judging it against its Indian peers it would stand as a more impressive accomplishment as compared to how THE DARK KNIGHT RISES compares (in my book) against other American superhero movies (a genre I readily admit to being only a casual fan of). It's like baseball...if the Pirates win 82 games this year it'd be reason to celebrate because they haven't had a winning record in like forever. So my not being as venomous towards the Thai masked hero flick RED EAGLE as I was towards THE DARK KNIGHT RISES might be like that. In this case, THE DARK KNIGHT RISES is like the New York Yankees...you're going to grumpy if they win only 82 games. And to note, while RED EAGLE had many problems as I noted...speaking purely from an entertainment perspective I found it a consistent experience...as compared to THE DARK KNIGHT RISES which lost me during that final act.

And, because my windbag is approaching empty, I will again say - and I think most who've read the Indian and this thread recently would agree - I've been pretty darned "generous" when it comes to sounding off with regard to the current state of Asian/Indian cinema...though to be fair, Hindi cinema - by their standards - is at least attempting to push things in some other directions.


Note: Not that I think any of these issues are necessarily exclusive to just Asian cinema. And I realize that if you trace back through film history, these sort of cycles repeat themselves on a regular basis. For example, a number of French action/crime/suspense/thrillers lately are basically Hollywood movies done in another language...and like I've whined about with regard to Asian movies...though I've found most of them to be average/watchable/entertaining....they too are rather indistinguishable in my memory. Actually, I think I'm measurably more reserved in my assessment of foreign films (and films in general) when compared to other reviews from review sites and such...so I hardly think I'm the one being charmed by the "exotic" factor.

Hmm...I was sort of multi-tasking while typing all of the above, so I'm pretty sure my train of thought went in numerous directions what with interruptions and all...hopefully what resulted was somewhat coherent and complete.

flixtime, well said!

...and regarding Bollywood, if the movie doesn't star Akshay Kumar, I'll like the film. Drona was good because Kumar wasn't in the film.

There are times in my life when all I want to watch are Japanese films/TV shows from the 1960s to early '80s--live-action or animated--on VHS with no subs. Some of the most satisfying viewing experiences I've ever had fit that category.

And we now return you to your regularly scheduled programming...


A Company Man (2012 - South Korea) - A third tier version of something such as A BITTERSWEET LIFE with one major - and likely dealbreaking - caveat. Instead of the traditional crime boss, sub-boss, right-hand hitman, assorted underlings all based in a big mansion or such setting...A COMPANY MAN tries something different...reflected in the title everything is transposed to a white collar office environment...so they all have the same roles but this criminal outfit springs from an office setting. On the one hand, I do give the filmmakers some credit for thinking out of the box and trying to approach generic (aka tired) material from a fresh perspective...they do try to have some fun with things due to the regular corporate job type of environment. On the other hand, it doesn't really succeed on any measurable level. So while I respect their good intentions...well, if I'm looking for a burger and fries don't give me a burger and string beans. Ultimately, the selected approach works against the film and prevents it from being a more satisfying experience for genre fans. Things do get played a little more straight - though within the same office environment framework - during the final half-hour (of the 96-minute runtime)...again if you have seen A BITTERSWEET LIFE or any films of that ilk you know where things are headed. The ten-minute action finale though comes up short on the technical end of things as compared to a couple of smaller action sequences earlier in the film. In general, the budget/technicals were more on the level of a B-movie. I really am sort of mixed with regard to what the writer/director tried to do...he tried something a little different but it wasn't done nearly well enough. If he had played it straight it just would have been one of a million other hitman trying to exit the profession type of movies...and even then this film would not have been crafted well enough to register in any way...I mean maybe as a genre fan I might have been a little more satisfied, though on the other hand it might have left me with the cold feeling of why do a lame, uninspired, so-so version of a film that has been done to death already. So, I guess the unsuccessful corporate approach was at least memorable/interesting if nothing else...and maybe that will leave some sort of lasting impression...whereas a more generic handling would have been more satisfying in the short term but would have evaporated entirely from memory not long after. Ultimately, it doesn't really matter I suppose...THE COMPANY MAN rates only as fair-to-average.

i don't stop by here often any more, but flixtime's reviews are really useful.

tend to find online reviewers for asian stuff are a little too likely to be fairly fresh to what they're watching, caught up in the exotic feel of watching a foreign film, a little too determined to look visibly interested or convinced / in tune with characteristics of what they're watching, rather than relaxing into accepting they're interested and just getting on with finding what suits them best... and i've a feeling it's commonplace within the buying viewers market too, to such an extent that they kind of feed each other and keep things heading towards a point where lots of folk will drop their interest because it's becoming gradually stale. flixtime keeps it varied and relatively objective yet covers lots of stuff the crowds are heading towards.

i've often regarded fashions as being intentionally taken-up and worn-out in order to avoid the long-term effort and exponentially-growing knowledge that's suggested by sticking around and having been there. personally, although i've watched some korean films over the last decade, lots of HK stuff over 25 years and masses of J films over the last 13 years, i like lots of stuff but can never quite be sure how to juggle between all the stuff that collectively gets released to buy and i now often end up just looking back at what's made it out rather than frustrating myself at what's coming that probably won't make it.

tried to get a grasp of japan but have come to the conclusion that it's so productive (and largely unseen in the west) that it's better to just be prepared to go in any direction you can (or care to) and that nobody has the appetite or time to really go everywhere even if they do speak the language. almost as though i'm trying to wind things down or slow it to a snail's pace - give myself a chance to look through the backlog of stuff i haven't watched that i've bought.

logboy, my warm thanks for the kind words. I'm glad to learn of your interest.

A number of you old-timers have been generous in expressing similar sentiments these past months, and I do sincerely appreciate it.


To follow on logboy's comments regarding contemporary Japanese cinema. I too wish I could sample more of it...and without the time lag that exists too. That's what's good about Hong Kong and Hindi cinema...virtually everything in terms of DVDs is English-friendly and comes quite quickly after the domestic theatrical releases. Japanese DVDs are also tough because of the high prices. I am thankful for the Japanese films that do see release via Hong Kong and U.K. (Third Window Films, etc.) DVDs. I believe the U.S. is a little lacking in comparison when it comes to releasing contemporary Japanese cinema.


The Bullet Vanishes (2012 - China/Hong Kong) - Period mystery concerning the goings-on at a munitions factory. This is an entirely unconcealed entry into the arena occupied by the recent Robert Downey Jr. SHERLOCK HOLMES movies (didn't much care for them myself). Perhaps too - in the one side story - you get maybe a more benevolent borrowing of the Luther/Alice dynamic from the U.K. series LUTHER.

This Chinese movie is much more scaled-down as compared to its U.S. predecessors...most of it takes place in a small number of locations all in proximity of each other. As in not uncommon with a mystery movie, the pace is mostly relaxed and measured. Also too, I must say I found it a little flat and not especially engaging or interesting...it was just sort of meh-to-okay/average. From what I recall, though I didn't care for them, the SHERLOCK HOLMES films at least had sparks of action/suspense/thrills to liven things up a bit...but THE BULLET VANISHES is more firmly planted in the genre of mystery. There are bits of action here and there but it doesn't really have the effect of adding much vibrance to the pacing or overall experience. As per recent discussion, it all just feels like a generic Hollywood-type mystery. There is nothing especially involving about the case (whereas in the Danish series FORBRYDELSEN, I thought the first season had a strong emotional pull with regard to the murder investigation). Additionally, for whatever reason, I just continue to find performances in Hong Kong/China movies to be rather bland...and I'm not seeing characters...just actors playing roles.

My lack of enthusiasm for THE BULLET VANISHES can be exemplified by one bit in the film...we have our two lead Holmes-ish detectives investigation the case and they have a junior sidekick assisting them...early on they want to test the sidekick's aptitude so they drop a chopstick in a wine bottle and challenge him to get it out without touching/breaking the bottle...and almost at the instant they pose the question to him, I know that the answer is to pour water in the bottle so the chopstick floats up so you can grab it. Well, in this movie, they cut out of the scene after posing the question to him...and it is left hanging until much later in the movie when the sidekick offers up the correct answer.

Also in terms of plot/story structure, it did feel like the movie came to a natural conclusion at maybe the 88-minute mark, but I knew it had to run on for maybe another 15 minutes...so I was kind of wondering what they had planned to fill that remaining time. Naturally, they do takes everything a bit further on...not really sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing...it sort of perked my interest but at the same time I'm not sure if it was my preferred option overall.

To wrap up, THE BULLET VANISHES is clearly cut from the cloth of SHERLOCK HOLMES...but at the same time it is decidedly grounded in the genre of mystery...whereas the HOLMES entries leaned more action/suspense/thriller. Therefore too, THE BULLET VANISHES is a much drier (maybe less of a fun factor) effort than some recent Asian entries such as DETECTIVE DEE, WU XIA, etc. A few years back, South Korea also did a movie somewhat similar to the THE BULLET VANISHES...that was PRIVATE EYE...and from what little I recall I do sense that I had a more entertaining time with that movie as compared to THE BULLET VANISHES. I'd grade out THE BULLET VANISHES as average-at-best, and I'm not especially enthusiastic about that rating.

Spy (2012 - South Korea) - For what it's worth, the on-screen title if I remember right is THE SPIES...both titles seem reasonably valid. Four North Korean spies...or more accurately - long-embedded (and inactive) sleeper agents - have their comfortably-acclimated, average-joe/jane, just-trying-to-get-by lifestyles disturbed when a gung-ho senior North Korean agent comes to South Korea and "activates" them to assist him in carrying out a hit on a high-ranking North Korean defector.

Most important to note is that this movie is more light/comic than anything else...it follows the not unusual template in Asian films where it starts as a comedy before drifting into something a little more serious in the second half...but it is more light, commercial in style as it again closes out on a lighter note. What was rather surprising to me was how much - in terms of structure - this felt like THE THIEVES. Both films even build to an "action" sequence at around the same runtime - just past the hour mark. And both have an action climax (effective in SPY, though I was bothered by the jittery camerawork), which is then followed by maybe ten minutes or so which again closes things out on a little lighter note. Of course too, both films feature a group of individuals with a "mission", and even a sequence in SPY showing the group of protagonists walking altogether on the street felt like something out of THE THIEVES. It really was rather interesting how similar these movies felt (though of course SPY is much smaller-scaled in terms of "spectacle").

I actually rather enjoyed SPY. Featuring a smaller group of four protagonists (as compared to THE THIEVES), I felt more drawn to the characters here and more involved and interested in the situation in which they were caught up. As a comedy, I did find one bit especially funny. When ordered by the senior North Korean agent to have their guns ready, one - the main protagonist - of our four has to recall where his gun actually is and he recalls that he buried it on a mountain many years back...when he goes to the mountain...it is gone (meaning the entire friggin' mountain (along with the gun too of course))...and replaced by high-rise apartments...okay yeah I suck at relating comedy...but in the movie it was very funny. That's another thing I preferred in SPY...it felt more Korean than THE THIEVES...there was also a bit in SPY about one of the four protagonists being involved in protest-type activities...primarily something to do with beef...so he is against the import of U.S. beef. So while I might not have grasped it all, I suspect there was a fair bit of social/economic/political type commentary going on too...not enough to make it especially meaningful perhaps but it was mixed in there.

SPY is from the same director/actor pair who brought us MAN OF VENDETTA a couple years back...from what I recall that movie was rather decent. SPY too was quite decent...light commercial entertainment...that I found to be a pleasant and winning experience.

Just a bit more on SPY. Our protagonists are "sleeper" agents, not in the traditional sense, instead it is that they have been rendered obsolete/dormant/irrelevant by the passage of time coupled with the advancements in technology brought about by the information age...aka everything they used to do in terms of information gathering and such, well, it can now simply be found on the Internet...so that is a bit of the humor/commentary found in this movie.

And related to that passage of time, when they ask the senior North Korean agent why he didn't bring guns for them...he chastises them and says because he came in by plane (meaning a commercial flight). After he gets up and leaves, our group bemoans how times have changed and how when they first infiltrated South Korea they had to sneak in by boat...and then among our group of four is one senior citizen type and he gets his "when I was your age, I had to walk five miles to school...in the snow" moment when he relates something along the lines of...coming by boat is nothing, I had to swim!!!

So the humor is rather reserved in general, but amusing in a handful of instances...and thankfully avoids the low-brow type of comedy that was in THE GRAND HEIST.

The Berlin File (2013 - South Korea) - Spy games in Berlin (is there any country not shooting a movie in Berlin as of late)...this film is in U.S. theaters right now...though you'd better be quick if interested as I suspect tomorrow - Thursday - could be the last day to catch it in many places.

You want the glass half-full, or half-empty? Let it not be said I don't at least try to please...I'll offer up both.

Director RYOO Seung-wan serves up a serviceable spy thriller...it is perfectly fine for a genre fix...and is, I suppose, a more acceptable effort from him when compared to what he has done lately - THE UNJUST, DACHIMAWA LEE, CITY OF VIOLENCE. So that's the optimistic spin.

The first half-plus (guessing as I didn't have my watch) plays as cold, subdued, generic, bland, and lifeless...run-of-the-mill spy intrigue between North Korean, South Korean, and other assorted spy-types. It gets a little more zesty as you enter the latter stages with the switch to more of an action/thriller. Unsurprisingly aka as expected, the action scenes from RYOO Seung-wan are nicely done for sure.

The main issue I have is that everything in this movie - and I do mean everything - is something you've all seen countless - and I do mean countless - times before in every other spy/action/suspense/thriller movie/TV-show in recent memory. Sometimes that type of film manages to take on a life or find an identity of its own, but not here. There must have been a dozen or more times all throughout the movie where I was watching a scene...and it was nagging at me because the scene seemed so familiar...the kind of thing where you disengage with the movie and start trying to remember what recent movie the scene was copied from...but I suppose it isn't an issue of being copied, but more a simple case that everything in this movie is just so damned off-the-shelf generic.

Would you be surprised to learn that RYOO Seung-wan has a comfortable familiarity with contemporary world cinema in terms of the action/thriller/suspense genre...of course you wouldn't...and here he presents all that in a completely formulaic or cookie-cutter or cliched manner. I know he has a history of mining genre territory, so perhaps I shouldn't expect creativity or imagination from his films.

THE BERLIN FILE is unquestionably a competent genre entry...that should prove satisfying enough to some...at the same time, for me, I can't help but feel a general sense of disappointment...this movie never became a memorable experience of its own...sure it's at least average if not better-than-average...the thing is...that doesn't impress me much.

something odd happened to american releases of japanese films within the last five years. there will always be exceptions, and i think it's maybe telling that in this respect it tends to be that we still get the odd classic j film, but on the whole i'd say there wasn't just a financial collapse with losses in the american dvd market, there was an abandoning of the effort it takes to find or sell stuff that both has a decent sized audience and a decent level of expectation of it's audience. i often remind myself that if something looks easy to appreciate, it's probably worth keeping in mind more than it's worth prioritising; i'd rather spend time and effort to find more than to just get a variation on the familiar.

never found it easy to understand, but there's a huge contingent of film fans anywhere - maybe particularly stateside? - that has an intentional like for crap films. personally, i don't mind if they're thought of as crap, i prefer it if that's clearly just one perspective and i can see more to it. hence, i suppose, companies went for cheap and easily-digested films. odd effect of dvd was that we went from needing to always make an effort to find stuff (well, for the most part) to a certain amount of that disappearing - you can now be a fan of contemporary popular entertainment much more easily, and countries like hk and korea subbing their domestic releases goes a long way towards allowing people to just buy what's likely to not have been chosen if it was much more of a challenge for a company to find and release it theatrically somewhere else in compensation.

i like third window, but i've perhaps withdrawn from a little in my interest for it in the last few years. things seem to be quite predictable if you know what's out there in japan in terms of recent / upcoming stuff, and there's a habit of selecting the new film from a particular director. also, adam's very good at connecting with and maintaining a fanbase, and i can no longer rely upon reviews as it's as though it's being prejudged on a scale that always makes the releases worthwhile to some extent and can't really face saying if something feels like a true misfire. prices have also risen and they don't look that reasonable any more.

oh, and japan's output is on a downturn these past few years. there's always great stuff within the output, just thanks to how much is made, but, on the whole, the 'crap factor' has risen and it often feels - especially if you look back at stuff from a few years back - there's a little bit of it's soul that's been lost sight of, for now.