The Man From Nowhere
Action films have always been a staple for me. From the 80’s bullet riddled films of Stallone and Arnold, to the more martial arts themed one of JCVD and Seagal, to the heroic bloodshed sub genre of Hong Kong films, and now the recent South Korean films.
The Man from Nowhere brings to mind Leon: The Professional with its plot. Which is fine, it isn’t the fist time they’ve plundered from past films (another action films from South Korea, The Villainess is itself based off La Femme Nikita).
We have the obligatory loner (Won Bin as Cha Tae Shik) who prefers to be alone and mysterious. He runs a pawnshop. He is befriended by a little girl who has a drug addicted mother who gets mixed up on the wrong side of the mob. Her daughter gets kidnapped, and the mysterious stranger doings into action.
The plot is pretty standard. But even for standard stuff, it still manages to have some heart. And the action scenes are what we come for anyways. *
And they don’t disappoint. It has all the elements of a “heroic bloodshed” film, made famous by John Woo. Right down to the bittersweet ending. Lots of blood, lots of bullets, and plenty of fight scenes. At times the scenes are a little too hectic, and the camera seems to be too shaky at points. Some of the action can be hard to follow. But those are minor quibbles. This is a good action film, that perhaps goes on a little too long but still manages to deliver its promise.
Good pick! Like Ed, I too have become a fan of SK cinema, having enjoyed Park Chan-Wooks Veangence Trilogy, and Parasite from a year ago. This latest addition, although not quite on the same level, is no different.
Action films have always been a staple for me. From the 80’s bullet riddled films of Stallone and Arnold, to the more martial arts themed one of JCVD and Seagal, to the heroic bloodshed sub genre of Hong Kong films, and now the recent South Korean films.
The Man from Nowhere brings to mind Leon: The Professional with its plot. Which is fine, it isn’t the fist time they’ve plundered from past films (another action films from South Korea, The Villainess is itself based off La Femme Nikita).
We have the obligatory loner (Won Bin as Cha Tae Shik) who prefers to be alone and mysterious. He runs a pawnshop. He is befriended by a little girl who has a drug addicted mother who gets mixed up on the wrong side of the mob. Her daughter gets kidnapped, and the mysterious stranger doings into action.
The plot is pretty standard. But even for standard stuff, it still manages to have some heart. And the action scenes are what we come for anyways. *
And they don’t disappoint. It has all the elements of a “heroic bloodshed” film, made famous by John Woo. Right down to the bittersweet ending. Lots of blood, lots of bullets, and plenty of fight scenes. At times the scenes are a little too hectic, and the camera seems to be too shaky at points. Some of the action can be hard to follow. But those are minor quibbles. This is a good action film, that perhaps goes on a little too long but still manages to deliver its promise.
Good pick! Like Ed, I too have become a fan of SK cinema, having enjoyed Park Chan-Wooks Veangence Trilogy, and Parasite from a year ago. This latest addition, although not quite on the same level, is no different.