Beanbioca
As Good As It Gets
Catherina
If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.
Francene Odetta
It's simply great fun, a winsome film and an occasionally over-the-top luxury fantasy that never flags.
Hari Kansal
A modern Korean take on "The Godfather" and "The Departed", this film beautifully explores the nuances of Korean culture through near flawless character development, script, cinematography, and pulse (the cycling of high and low points throughout the film that keep the audience fully engaged), though is not for the haemophobic (those who fear blood). Lee Jung-jae is absolutely phenomenal in his role; easily one of the best performances I've seen of any actor, ever. I would say the same about the character development in this film as well, which is extremely difficult to pull off in a film with such a heavy flow of "events". The only noticeable flaw is that the elevator scene towards the end is unrealistic (you'll see when you get to it).Easily in the top 3 Korean films of all time.
X Boy
At time, 'New World' would seem just another movie. With elements borrowed from many past famous movies. But still it has that fresh taste thanks to that brilliant cinematography and editing. We have seen many movies with an undercover cop who wants to get out of the life (Infernal Affair & The Departed) and we have seen movies where left and right hands fight to reach to the throne. It is a mix of both of those types with addition of brutality and emotions.An undercover cop, who becomes part of the biggest mob family as his clan merges with others to form an organization. A decade has passed since he is in the job and now wants to get out. But his boss is constantly breaking his promise to pull him out and keeps on blackmailing him to stay put. Finally he embraces his fate and burns all the boats.On important part of movie is him relation with closest friend who protects him till the end and in fact is the one who advises him to choose for himself instead of being a pawn and living in shadows.The use of young boys as mobsters fighting with other mobsters of same age group is a new thing. Another visual treat is that all the men are dressed in formal suits. Very well acted, powerfully written a strong story of kind heart cop turned into cold blooded Don.
zaffyk
Hi. I've been quietly watching oriental films for some time now and thought perhaps i can begin to benefit others by reviewing. This is my first review and i hope it is beneficial.Script: The film has a solid script. From a distance its about an undercover cop infiltrating the crime world. As the story deepens you begin to see the human element, sometimes causing dilemmas for both the police and gangsters. This film touches on dynamics of the different types of peopleActing: This was outstanding. You begin to develop a close relationship with a couple of the key players, at a point where you can completely empathise with them. I have to say, i was taken back by the characters of 2 rival gang leaders - 1 Seong- Woong Park and 2 Jeong-min Hwang - outstanding performances. Even though we as viewers are well aware of their cruel behaviour, as the story develops we begin to like them and somehow hope things don't go wrong for themI love Choi Min Sik, however i was a little disappointed in his role, i think his he didn't have enough spotlight and because of this we couldn't really connect with him so muchDirecting - The directing was very well done. Everything fitted in well, there are a couple of scenes where you are left wandering 'what has just happened'. But overall there aren't many jigsaw pieces that you are required to fit in yourself. I highly recommend this film, not only is it well scripted, acted and well directed, it connects with the audience in ways which other films have failed to do so. If you are going to watch this film hoping to get an Oscar performance from choi min sik then you will be very disappointed. But if you are going to watch this film film to see amazing talent then you will see this in the shape of those 2 rival gang leaders that i mentioned earlier.
simonize850
I was initially confused by the relationship between the two principal leads, introduced early in the film. Their personalities were so different as to be conflicting. Then with the introduction of a third male lead, one considerably older, just as abrasive but considerably less well groomed things started to fall into place. The two young men- JANG, stiff and seemingly humourless - appears pitted against JEONG -loud, obnoxious and yet with some charm. They are both members of Korean crime syndicate, that has managed to go legitimate. The third man - Section Chief KANG - is pulling any number of strings to bring down the syndicate before it becomes too powerful to stop. As such fans and devotees of both INFERNAL AFFAIRS and Martin SCORCESE's remake THE DEPARTED may find parallels in the actors TONY LEUNG; ANDY LAU, and ANTHONY WONG. I don't think the comparison between NEW WORLD; INTERNAL AFFAIRS, and THE DEPARTED far fetched - there is even a young woman comparable to the psychiatrist in INFERNAL AFFAIRS. This woman plays chess with JANG, though their meetings serve another purpose. NEW WORLD is a reminder of how we were introduced to contemporary Korean cinema. Heroes and villains separated by the finest of lines; violence ever present and visceral, with hands, knives and assorted other weapons other than guns meting out terrible damage (it's stunning how much one key player survives). I am giving the film only 7/10 because once I reflected on the key characters and their possible relationships, the story held few surprises for me. Furthermore the length of the film -135 minutes - works against its overall momentum. That said, NEW WORLD is professionally executed and a nice addition to Korean filmmaking. PS: I was taken aback at how much swearing and coarse language the film contains. Is this a sign of the times in Korean film, or a concession to international markets?
