U-neun nam-ja (2014) Reviews

• A very good crime drama with some explosive action sequences

  bbickley13-921-586642014-06-23

  The movie is about a hit man from America's mid-west who is of Korean decent. When he botches what was supposed to be his last job by killing an innocent kid, he is sent to Korea to fix what he screwed up by killing the kid's mother. It sounds a bit like a fish out of water story, but the movie only proves that the crime world is the crime world no matter what country you are from. Some of the criminals were speaking up to three different languages, but in the crime game there are only two languages in you really need to know …money and guns. The gun part was not as much as the money part but when the gun part was done it was violent, like Chow Yun Fat 80's style violent. The action sequences were stylish and bloody, just how I like it The money part is where all the crime Drama comes in as it's about a Korean gang uses a legit network to launder Triad money, The plot tries to be complex with the an everyone is not who they seem kind of situation. They film also tries to give some depth to the main character showing us why a harden hit man would allow an accidentally killing to melt his heart like it did. For me the story was not as complex as the action sequences. Some of the midsection could use more gun play, but overall it was a great seeing it.

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• Another enjoyable entry from the director of "The Man From Nowhere"

  youngster502014-07-06

  If you enjoyed "The Man From Nowhere", you will most likely enjoy this as well. It's not nearly as flawless as "The Man From Nowhere" which I will explain shortly. The reason I bring up the "The Man From Nowhere" is that "No Tears For the Dead" (or "Crying Man" in Korean) is a very similar movie but shot on an entirely different canvas. What I mean is you have the typical protagonist or anti-hero with a vague background that gets slowly revealed and starts developing a conscience after botching his last assignment when he accidentally kills an innocent child. He is then hired to go after the child's mother but can't bring himself to do it after he starts developing feelings for her and races to save her from his and her employers. "No Tears For the Dead" is in no way original and the story is almost forgettable since it's been done to death but the action sequences are what makes it stand apart. The bloody and brutal fight/shooting scenes gets your adrenaline going throughout the movie. The night shots of Los Angeles are especially gorgeous which reminded me of Michael Mann's signature visual shots of Los Angeles in his flawless crime thrillers, "Heat" and "Collateral". The lack of character development in "No Tears For the Dead" is what makes "The Man From Nowhere" so much better. In "The Man From Nowhere", you actually cared about the characters and what the protagonist goes through to save his neighbor's child. Here, it is almost nonexistent since the action sequences leave no time for them to get acquainted. However, both use the exact same format of revealing the protagonists' past that made them become who they were and it is also effectively done in "No Tears For the Dead". I came to care about the protagonist but there should've been more between the killer and mother. The ending was also disappointing since it wasn't clear what really happens to everyone. But the final scene was a good way to end the movie on a tragic note which pretty much explains the title of the movie. Overall, it's not as good as "The Man From Nowhere" in terms of plot and character development, but "No Tears for the Dead" is nevertheless another enjoyable entry from its director.

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• Yet Again Another Superb Korean film!!!!!

  baehr_adam2015-04-30

  Holy Smokes I just finished watching this movie and I absolutely loved it. I'm a huge fan of Korean films and they are my favorite films off all time. I will say that I haven't seen a ton of them but I'm working on it. I loved the setting and also the story plot while unoriginal kept the plot moving forward. The actors and actresses all did an Amazing job especially the main protagonist "Gon" played by Jang Dong-gun which was the first Korean movie I have seen him in and what a tremendous actor. I will move forward with the action and Man O Man was it Insane. The one thing Korean films do better then any other films from around the world are to choreograph wonderful firefight scenes and jaw dropping Brutal fight scenes. I have seen a ton of movies in my 25 years of existence lol and being from America I will also say that these films put to shame what America comes out with in terms of action. Well anyways this is a must watch movie and you will not regret it I guarantee you that and you will want to watch more Korean films afterwards but understand that if you can't or are to lazy to read subtitles you might not enjoy it as much but the action scenes might just alleviate that feeling.

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• Tragic drama meets blistering action

  Leofwine_draca2015-03-17

  NO TEARS FOR THE DEAD is yet another addition to an exemplary list of South Korean action thrillers made in the last decade; such titles include THE BERLIN FILE, THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, A BITTERSWEET LIFE, A COMPANY MAN, and THE SUSPECT. I was long excited for this film as soon as I found out it was a follow-up to the same director's THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, which is one of my all-time favourites. NO TEARS FOR THE DEAD isn't quite up there with the standard of the earlier film, but it has its moments. This is an exciting story that mixes superbly-shot, hard-hitting action sequences with a tragic human drama at the core. It's dark indeed, featuring heartfelt performances from the central actors who are inevitably playing broken characters, and it's fun to see how the tone shifts from adrenaline-pumping action to gut-wrenching emotion and back again. The storyline is predictable for the genre: an assassin screws up by failing to take out his intended victim, only to face the wrath of his former employers. The action is blistering, with lightning fast editing and gobbets of grisly violence. But the human drama also draws you in, building to a moving but expected ending. The South Koreans have come up trumps again with this one.

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• It looked better from the trailers

  KineticSeoul2014-10-02

  I was actually looking forward to this movie mainly because it's done by the director that directed "The Man From Nowhere", which is actually a pretty cool movie. However this one just lacked that flow of enticement. I just got quickly bored after the first action sequence. The director was probably trying to make a smart action movie, that involves hit men, gang and corrupt businessmen. But it just isn't combined all that well. In fact sometimes, the story seems to lose focus by going all over the place. I know this movie is sort of a adaptation from the "Crying Freeman" manga, but it's very subtle in that area. There was hardly even any bonding moment between the hit- man and the woman. When it comes to the core of this movie, it's basically a hit-man's conscience and redemption story. Overall, it's a alright watch but nothing really memorable and that includes the action sequences. I didn't even think the cinematography was all that good and it just sort of reminded me of the movie "A Company Man". 5.9/10

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