luke-35 Reviews

Lightereul kyeora (2002)

Totally contemporary Korean !!

[8/10 · 28 December 2005]

Director has well adapted and synthesized the possible hilariousness of contemporary Korean spoofs, and its structure is following the die-hardish and under-siegingly action packed route. However, nobody is harmed nor killed in this action movie because what is intended is a small illustration of local dude's being a hero under an extreme condition.

The Achilles tendon is the script: too many Korean slangs and cheesy words are used. For Koreans, this movie is a cutting-edge comedy and one of the most brilliant wordy hilariousness; however, foreign audiences are not aware of their context and all rhythmical jokes will be lost out of language barrier.

Nevertherless, considering an output of a débutant director, the cinematography and layout of scenes are truly superb as much as can be picked one of the most joyful and tight-structured comedy within the category of action-packed flicks. Another version of English subtitle with finessed touch should be equipped in order for foreign watchers to better catch the lines.

Downfall (1997)

Mikio Naruse also might have made this!!

[9/10 · 11 December 2005]

The life of woman is an eternal issue both in the feminism and the macho camps, but this movie is not dealing with it as an issue but as a discourse. Why a trajectory of one normal prostitute's life can powerfully demonstrate the social milieu of the Korean past; and to what extent her life can be paralleled to the normal life in the same context?

These two questions are cast throughout this movie and no answer is sought. Only the process of its exploration and contemplation is intended and the Great Director Kwon-taek I'm concurrently maintains the suitable distance from the actual events in order to render the depth of objectivity.

His cinematography hyperboling the huge mountain cliff alludes to the great obstacle for a woman who comes to live a tattered life, and this is also one of the most important elements on the Korean traditional painting. The Korean traditional aesthetics become symbolically transferred into the traditional restraint of Korean society for a woman who had no choice but to take the path of a prostitute, and this metaphor becomes a brilliantly shining explanatory tool in the movie without any detailed lines.

A masterpiece of the maestro who has now come in front of a mirror in order to reflect the rear side of the contemporary society of Korea. If Mikio Naruse is still alive, he will definitely cast a jealousy on this work.

Yeoseonsaeng vs yeojeja (2004)

Mindful comedy which fools the minds!

[6/10 · 11 December 2005]

"Women can't make friends each other"- whether this statement is true or not, it is partly proved by this hilarious movie. Director Jang was critically acclaimed by his previous school teacher comedy- Teacher Mr.Bong-du Kim-, but his piquant message now became dull when it comes to the rivalry between a female teacher and a student.

What leaves much desired in this movie is that the interactions among characters are so deterministic and so unidimensional as not to be assimilated with the participants of normal everyday school life. The female teacher is unbalanced and crippled with her soleness over the age while the student suffers from the alienation from the local community. Their common resolution is their own one-sided affection toward a young and handsome bachelor teacher. How far this nonsense can make a duel between an aged adult teacher and a sentimental young female student? The plot is reiterating that of Mr. Bong-du Kim, and the result is almost the same- Teacher and student can be tied with heart. I don't understand why a simple result cannot but be from the unrealistic setting like this?

Mr. Housewife (2005)

Deja-Vue somewhere in Holly Wood!!

[6/10 · 11 December 2005]

Mild comedy about family unity and love. A self-esteemed male-housekeeper wants to prove himself as an acknowledged profession in the modern Korean society.

How-ever!! Even if Robin Williams' "Mrs. Doubtfire" should erase his/her make-up and live in Korea, we can expect almost same contextual result and very cold response of audiences. What rescues this mundane comedy from the group of total busts is veteran actor Suk-kyu Han's seasoned and balanced performance.

A voice for the collapse of traditional family code in Korea is abruptly mitigated at the end and failed in transmitting its own message originally intended. No originality of themes is responsible for no plausibility of social issues in a soft-toned komedie(Korean screwball comedy which is still trendy and popular among many Asian nations now).

Waikiki Brothers (2001)

A meditation of the being lost.

[9/10 · 11 December 2005]

Waikiki has been often regarded as one of most worth visiting places among traditional Korean folks who experienced the rapid Americanization of society since the end of the Korean War. Now, time has changed and any word associated with "Waikiki" is regarded as a symbol of the unenlightened because of its strong nuance for the generation of old timers. The movie focuses on the everyday life of an itinerant vocal band named "Waikiki Brothers" which reminds of the residue of retarded, cheap musicians.

The collapse of Waikiki brothers is well-anticipated at the first scene of the movie, and the plot is about how each member of the band compromises with the modernized realm of the contemporary Korean society. The basic emotion of this film is the nostalgia and its approach is an archaeological review of ancient cultural icons which are rarely witnessed now. The message that the nostalgia of the past can serve as a powerful resource for preparing the future is hovering around this movie, and the attitude toward reincarnating the relics of youth is the major motto this film demonstrates.

Quite a contemplative text on the lost glory and hope of the Korean past which are calmly absorbed in the spirit of loneliness and alienation of modern Korean society. Must be one of standing ovation-able works that will shine year after year.

Joheun saram isseumyeon sogae shikeojwo (2002)

A cuteness!!

[8/10 · 11 December 2005]

Korean romantic comedy is characterized by the diversity of its motivation, especially the variety of opportunities for man and woman to meet each other.

This comedy is a cute one, a very understandable and a stabilized small masterpiece which can be hailed even outside Korea. Every line and action of characters are appropriately invigorated, and the harmonized, well-tempo-ed structure is coherent throughout the sequence.

Some visually comic cuts and heart-warming soundtrack also polish this sequence. Especially the scene of social events between bachelors and young ladies who openly seek for their soul mates is breathtakingly sympathetic and meticulously positioned in the whole sequence.

Must be a favorite weekend flick that can be shared among sincere youngsters who know the "mechanism" of the occurrence of love.

Welcome to Dongmakgol (2005)

Why so naive on the North/South Korean relationship?

[4/10 · 11 December 2005]

If we give up the realism on the movie, this title shines. Three North Korean soldiers and two South Korean soldiers join the care-free villagers whose life is totally out of concern about the war and politics. The message of this movie, in my opinion, seems to be the recovery of humanity via companionship based on the naturalism.

Some scenes are very brilliant and mesmerizing in the middle of the cruelty of war. However, what lacks in this meticulously carved anti-war flick is the actualities of war, and the director purposefully neglected it in sole order to provide the third opinion on the war- companionship between enemies against the dichotomy of winner/sinner and/or victory/defeat.

But why on earth should we seek for the companionship that is hard to imagine between enemies during the war? The movie adumbrate a cynic message that the Korean War is not declared by Korean folks, but by any other external races, represented by UN troops in the movie. Too naive perspective on the "enemy turns friend" issue spoils its own value as a report on the actualities of the Korean War, and it is really hard to dispute that the image of war and peace in this movie is totally based on the populism toward the North Korea which gains currency in South Korea now.

You Are My Sunshine (2005)

Too divulging to be sympathized.

[4/10 · 11 December 2005]

The story is based on a real gossip some years ago in Korea, and focusing on the eternal, condition-less love between a naive peasant and a bereft ex-prostitute whose past is somewhere under the body of many male CLIENTs. Every love has its own silver line and every lover has his/her own attitude; But, the love between this couple is too candid to be understood but to be appreciated. As no scientific paradigm cannot define THE LOVE, this movie just illustrates what love gotta be even under extreme background.

Nevertheless, the emotion of love affair and the instinct of affection should be separated. This movie, regrettably, fails in the depiction of love itself but concentrates on the struggle for keeping his/her aficionado toward each other against all social rules and interference. Love will shine when it's against all odds. However, these odds are too exaggerated in the movie to be overcome by love itself, otherwise making the love tattered with uncompromising and painful memories.

Director's endeavor to gather every piece of elegiac elements is too evident, and the performances of two actor/actress are very easy going, enough to make audiences lost in the clearly "schematized" sadness.

The Twins (2005)

Twins will make a comedy double-messed!!

[2/10 · 8 December 2005]

The movie title is another semantic joke using Korean homonym words. Yeokjeon means either "reversal" or "frontyard of railway station" while myeongsu either "master" or one of most common male name in Korea. Thus the title literally demonstrates "the maestro of fortune-reversing" but in fact, its actual title should be "A man called Myrongsu who survives on the tough street near railway station".

The hero, Myeongsu, is a lunch-delivery boy at the station of small Korean town where various low-life figures such as prostitutes and gangsters are fooling around. His twin brother, Hyeonsu, is a well-educated, high-paid lawyer who has a moral problem under the highly competitive plutocracy of Korea. The plot is like this: Hyeonsu's victim, his ex-girl friend, utilizes Myeongsu as his body-double and takes revenge for the collapse of her family by Hyeonsu's subpoena. It is on the duel between twin brothers and on the misdemeanors of high-class society in Korea. In sum, its setting is no more than a comic dough of Cronenberg's dead ringer without any seriousness.

However, let it be a comedy dealing with the nonsense made by twin brothers, what lacks in this movie is just one- the motivation of heroes' behaviors. Why Myeongsu took a low-life job and join the plan of screwing his twin brother? Why Hyeonsu became wicked and made his girl-friend so revengeful? Should a comedy neglect any acknowledgeable plot just in order to make the audiences burst into a cheap and stupid laugh? I don't think so. Total abuse of good talents both of actors and of the director. A must-to-garbage can!!

North Korean Guys (2003)

Another story of mocking the country bumpkins!

[4/10 · 8 December 2005]

In the movie, the cultural difference between urban and rural life is usually depicted through the perspective of people in modernized city. Korean movies are now taking some serious actions toward their counterpart and blood-tied brothers- the northerners. Because of political sentimentalism, most northerner movies are composed of various historical/ethnic metaphor; but this one totally dispense with any nuance of political separatism/unification since its fundamental structure is centering on the cultural alienation and drive-me-crazy situation experienced by two elite North Korean Navy members.

As far as comedy is intended, this movie is the first trial to stage the northerner on the set of hyper-typified South Korean society. But its pitfall is that except for their northern accent, two heroes are not at all the very figures of North Korea but as much dumb as normal bumpkins from South Korean countryside. If this movie intended a sort of allegory for South Korean society, then it need not be scripted into a hilarious comedy; however, if intended for normal comedy, it need not employ two main characters from North Korea. As a result, this movie neither demonstrates the serious issues on the problem of Southern/Northern cultural hiatus, nor amuses the audiences with awkward slapsticks of two bumpkins.

Lee Dae-ro, jook-eul soon eobs-da (2005)

Cliché-Patched!!!!

[5/10 · 8 December 2005]

I don't want to tell negative on this movie but one thing- total package of various narratives and clichés!! The name of the hero, a street-wise detective- Lee Dae-Ro- is a semantic joke in Korean which means "like this". So the title has dual meaning: Det. Lee can't die and/or I cannot die like this.

As this title implicates, the hero Det. Lee is trying to die with his pocket full in order to inherit his daughter some posthumous fortune. However, things go crazy and his every effort to be "dead good" turns "good deed" for law enforcement. According to this basic plot, the movie itself appears honky-tonk comedy while some melodramatic elements and tragic cliché embroider the periphery of its plot.

Unsympathetic setting of story is just tattered with an unorganized mixture of five emotional elements: Joy, Sorrow, Rage, Happiness, and Love. In overall, this movie made serious mistake to turn the whole sequence of plot upside-down at the final moment. After watching this movie, nobody will remember what was going on with Det. Lee, and how his endeavor to die with money was progressed. Totally a time-killing kaleidoscope of human emotional extravaganza for one and half hour.

Superstar Gam Sa-Yong (2004)

Well-balanced example of Korean movie

[7/10 · 7 December 2005]

Too many Korean movies are currently emulating the stereotyped genre production of Holly Wood and HK cinema. However, this title shines among them because of its uniqueness and well-pacedness.

The plot is based on a real story and the hero is a real figure who is currently commanding a minor college squad. The structure and interactions among characters are nothing new, already experienced by many sport movies elsewhere. However, this movie preserves the austerity of exposing emotional fluctuation, and succeeds in drawing a shared opinion toward a commoner who struggles against and negotiates with highly competitive professional sport capitalism.

Nobody is winner or loser in this film and nothing is accomplished or discarded. Just everything is observed and experienced as the state it should and may be; and that is how this movie can have its own value and why this movie is praised by many local audiences and critics for its unheralded achievements.

A Century's End (1999)

Apocalyptic viewpoint not welcomed by care-free public

[6/10 · 7 December 2005]

Segimal is a bold statement and an autopsy of modern Korean society at the dawn of the new millennium.

After critical success of No. 3, the director Song now sharpens the edge of divulging the extremities of social disorder and moral hazard prevalent in contemporary urban Korean life. Every piece of characters' views of value is dismantled as the result of the development of technocracy in Korean daily life while some positive prospect on the new era is made after the critical retrospect of the last millennium.

An evaluative text that must be come across, but too pessimistic tenet has hindered its conveyance of real messages and resulted in a bust in box office. A good example for the loss of focus due to too frenetic demonstration of associated events without fixed context.

Marrying the Mafia 2: Enemy-in-Law (2005)

Hey, gangster! Are you still there? DO you mind perishing?

[5/10 · 6 December 2005]

Why the Korean movie circle is still beating the dead horse? The gangster comedy which is a unique genre in Korean cinema is always hovering and resurrecting whenever audiences are tired and bored of copy-catted old flicks.

This movie, at one glance, is outrageous and hilarious but lacks the breakthrough for the evolution of stalled genre. Too many visual gags and cinematographic jokes spoil the consistency of characters. Besides, no universal laugh is expected but only small portion of human kind will take this as a Comedy: unnecessary assortment of awkward situations and unrealistic background of Korean gangster family and law enforcement.

Some native Korean movie-goers will not feel sorry for paying tickets but there hardly is a theater-sitter who is willing to be amused by watching the surrealistic relationship between a gangster boss and a female prosecutor. Time has passed in Korea when the gangster used to collect the protection fee from naive movie-goers!! Now it's time they were only remembered as one of past favorite cinema characters. No more gangsters in Korean movie, please!

Jungle Juice (2002)

Yangachi? Is it worth watching?

[5/10 · 25 May 2002]

In order to understand every piece of this movie, one concept of Korean underground culture needs to be remembered- a Yangachi/Yang-ah-chi/. Yangachi is a hard-to-define persona, but can be said to include various outcasts in school, in social group, or in all kinds of modern people's entity made by usual interactions. Yangachi is intentionally declining to assimilate to major trend, and strictly following their own ways. They will make a sleazy crime like blackmarketting, drug packaging, extracting from small business owner, protecting whores from 'naughty clients', even meddling with local gangster('Jopok' in Korea) business. Most Korean youngsters have some fantasy toward yangachi, but totally banned from becoming by school, or by parents.

Jungle Juice is a bravado movie of two natural-born yangachis in Korea. Two yangachi friends show every possible stupid action, and every imaginable extremity in order to boost up the viewer's laugh. They try to draw viewer's attention as possible, and manage to act like their behavior is not far from normal way of life. However, the laugh is not for what the yangachi do, but the colored characters they assume. They are yangachi of yangachi, a marginal mutant rather than original yangachi itself, and this mediocre characterization produce some kind of 'alienation' between screen and viewers in order to produce awkward laughs.

Another crazy genre of comedy simply focusing on the colored dialogue and slap-stick action which are nothing new now. Very hard to grasp for foreigners who lack the knowledge on the underground culture of Korea.

Volcano High (2001)

A nostalgia of Wuxia readers full of brilliant ideas.

[22 May 2002]

Whasango is a definitely stylistic movie. No special story exists (no actual story at all!!), and all fill the screen are hurrahs and wows of physical contacts made by finely orchestrated kungfu actions, especially of legendary internal force (Qi or Neigong) rather than of modern kungfu concepts.

The traditional elements of Wuxia (MuHyup in Korean, which means an odyssey of righteous chivalry among fighters) are all transformed and merged into unspecified tempo-spatial setting. All we know about is that it takes place in certain highschool, somewhere in Korea, sometime in near future. The graphic dialogue and pompous tone of characters are exactly those of traditional old-time kungfu flicks, and the storyline is entirely following the typified self-evident plot of a struggle between the good and the evil.

According to its stereotypical features, most viewers might think this is nothing new but an action-packed stuff for kids. However, Whasango succeeded in crating some eerie experience which old-timers used to have when they read the Wuxia fictions or watched King Hu's and Chang Cheh's old kungfu movies. If you are oldies having some memory of the Wuxia era, and you are still charming the old-styled oriental fantasy, this movie will be a highly pleasant momentum to resurrect the old passion, otherwise totally abuse of modern cinematographic technology without any point. Not a movie that should be watched, but a panorama that should be felt and touched by your sixth sense. A kind of cult phenom among extremely limited viewers!!

My Boss, My Hero (2001)

Jopok=Yakuza=Mafia=(God)Father=Teacher?

[6/10 · 22 May 2002]

Another fun flick about Korean gangster's fictitious actions. "Jopok" is a Korean neologism, literally meaning "Organized gangster group". It used to be "Gondal" or "Hyupgaek" for self-esteem, sometimes, however, called "Ggangpae" for despisal. Jopok is now identical to Yakuza of Japan and Triad of China. They do as all other gangsters do- brawl for territory, manage some adult business, and administer all kinds of under-table money. However, other than these two different asian organized gangster group, Jopok is more loosely based on blood-tie and has more naive code of honor, at least in movies.

This movie has added one special thing to this everyday life of Jopoks - a mandatory requirement of an educational certificate. One promising head of Jopok family has succeeded in acquiring a nugget of profitable territory, but his crew members cast a jealousy on his achievement with a good excuse of his uneducatedness. His senior boss orders him to enlist in a secondary school and all hilariousness begins here.

Director did try to reveal some serious problems in education system of Korea- corrupt principal, extracting and torturing among students, sexual harassment, employment of minors in adult business, even abuse of teachers by students and their parents. Our hero just tried to stay calm to get a certificate, but he finally uses his own skills to solve these rooted problems.

The totally untolerable in this movie is that the method of solving problem is another upgraded version of the same problem. Jopok's way of life is not taught in school, but an acquired modus vivendi, extremely far from the moral code of traditional education. Taking a metaphor that Jopok boss equals teacher equals father is totally nonsense!! However, the main point of this movie is not a matter of sensibility but that of non-sense, and it is why this movie is regarded as one of most successful comedies of current trendy genre of Korean gangster.

Silver Stallion (1991)

A report on the enemies

[7/10 · 22 May 2002]

Based on the novel of renowned Korean writer, the plot is good enough to be released on silver screen. This is a simple biography of a Korean woman who reluctantly drives herself into the turmoil of war-torn village during the Korean War.

The political or martial perspective is entirely out of issue in this movie. Instead, it is dealing with a gradual change of life from a common housekeeper to a military base whore for deploying GIs in the village. The GIs are neither friend nor enemy for her, but CLIENT. They sometimes offer her a better tomorrow but ultimately leave a bereft life.

The plot is intermingled with a myth of the village- the saga of a legendary general on a silver horse. There has been an old story among villagers that when the village is in danger, a holy general will come on the back of a silver horse to save the village and strike off the evils. This mythical feature has been worshiped since the ancestral villagers, and especially more sought during the war time. When the GIs come to the village, they thought they were virtual evangelical saviors without silver horse but silver face.

This is another apocalyptic message of GIs' image in Korea in the future. It conveys cynical depicts of GI criminals, and with low tone, it says GIs are not savior, not friend but another enemy within. The title "Eunma nun Ojiannunda" means "No silver horse will come".

Afrika (2002)

Thelma and Louise, and what else?

[21 May 2002]

Director Shin is a relatively and unexpectedly long-lasting film maker among highly competitive film market of S. Korea. He has always devoted to off-beat comedy combined with some tone of social message.

Downside is that he usually picks some low-level performers, and unscripted scenario. The result is always mediocre and the viewer's reaction is nothing but lukewarm. Afrika is none out of this stereotype. Four girls have their own personal story, and different motivation to grab guns. They settle their feuds, resolve old paybacks toward masculine society.

However, what is the real story? Did he intend to launch a simple stupid laugh for highly-calibered sophomoric Korean filmviewers? No thanks, and no more like this!!

Take Care of My Cat (2001)

Four ways from girl to woman in Korea

[21 May 2002]

"Take care of my cat"(TCMC) is another brilliant low-budgetted movie in Korea. It highlights most popular culture among Korean teenaged girls - cellular message transfer -, and purposedly evades most talked issue - sex. Several meaningful messages are transferred and shared among characters by visual way of cellular messages, and a young pussycat is also moved from one to another. The possession of cat signifies the change of woman's position in Korean society.

Once it belongs to Ji-young, a poor and bereaved girl who defies every condition of what she is and has. She gave the cat to her best friend Hye-ju, a negotiative and self-confident but ambitious OL. Hye-ju accepts it for a while, but returns to Ji-young. Ji-young is later sentenced legal detention due to collapse of her house and abrupt death of her grandparents. The cat is now sent to Tae-hi who is very heartful, inquisitive and day-dreaming family business helper. She suffers from the oppression of masculine-oriented family, and hopes to go far away to seek for her own life. Finally, Tae-hi picks up Ji-young out of detention house and trips with her to somewhere in Australia. The already half-grown cat is sent to twin sisters, Eun-jo and Bi-ryu, who are both care-free and have no interest in complex matters.

All characters have their own problems, and these problems neither can be shared nor cured by friendship itself. The destiny of pussycat is shifting from the place of defiance and silence of Ji-young, to negotiation and assimilation of Hye-ju, to curiosity and reservedness of Tae-hi, finally to indifference and ignorance of twin sisters. This route is a epitome of the trajectory of woman's attitude toward Korean major society. As the cat grows, its position also changes according to the growth of woman's recognition of the real world in Korea.

TCMC is quite a remarkable allegory of modern Korean society, and well-directed integration of short episodes that dialectically dissolves into a optimal but unsatisfactory finale. A must see for serious story watchers with open mind, but a bust for simple movie-goers.

Failan (2001)

The renaissance of Koran realism

[21 May 2002]

In Korea, so many masterpieces have been missed and passed among a bunch of trendy movies since early 1970s. They did not witness some jewels dumped with many anti-communist and Christianity movies in 70s. They cannot but toss over several THINGS mixed with pointless semi-pornographic STUFFS in 80s. They did not keep the tradition due to trial of many experimentals in 90s. Now, time gave a room for contemplation to feel for their basics that have not been grasped for long time - Korean realism.

Failan is on the prolonged line of Korean realism initiated by Dae-Jin Kang, Hyun-mok Yu, maintained by Kil-jong Ha, Kwon-taek Im. It has its own perspectives on contemporary Korean society, and they were well laid out by a foreign woman's life in Korea - Failan. It catches every glimpse of Korean underworld not only in urban society but also in rural life. Below the touching story, there is a sharp edge to cut a crosssection of Korean modern society that reveals multi-layered social conglomerate of utterly bereft individuals represented by a Korean dude - Kangjae.

Among trendy Korean gangster movies now, Failan is still taking its own unique position, and furnishing good worth watching as far as Korean realistic society can be experienced.

Three Friends (1996)

mesmerizing!!

[4 April 1999]

It is quite an incidence that Takeshi Kitano's 'Kids Return(1996)' has all the same plot to this film and the same releasing date. Both films investigate the serious problem(extremely competitive college entrance and stereotyped curriclum regardless of student's talent and interest) of second-level educational system in Japan and Korea with the perspectives of juvenile delinquencies. 'Sechinku' is focusing on the obsession of military draft which is common amongst the Korean youngster,s while 'Kids Return' is just narrating the casual lives of several different characters who do not have nothing particular upon their graduation of second-level school. 'Sechinku' does not cast any promising message on the future of derelict youth whilst 'Kids Return' could be regarded as a kind of enlightening films rather than critical text. Just in tems of film itself, 'Sechinku' has more succeeded in delineating the realistically personal cross-section of educational problem, however, 'Kids Return' would be superior in the sketch of wandering youths'

RoboCop (1987)

Verhoeven's Meticulous Fulfillment.

[24 February 1999]

Most of guys who did not see Verhoeven's previous Dutch films, could not say anything but action-packed or allegory of modern capitalism from RoboCop. His personal career- Doctoral degree of Science from Leiden, Seaman of Royal Dutch Navy, and radicalist in Dutch National Broadcasting Station- is flourished by his second work in the States. He has been continuously criticizing the absurdity of modern capitalism, world subordination theory, and partially the weird feeling of sexual oppression which everybody could experience in front of his/her personal encounter of momentum in his life history. Actually, the RoboCop is to satisfy the most simple audience who could not be fed up with violence and scientific mirage. However, that is just a matter of drawing full support from major studio (whether from the Orion or not). He depicted every tenet he eagerly wanted through his early Dutch works, and he succeeded!! Now that he succeeded in expressing what he wanted to, there is no reason for him to stick to the stinky sequels. That is why he refused the RoboCop 2

The Deer Hunter (1978)

Once upon a time in Vietnam.

[24 February 1999]

It is quite a matter of personal view whether 'Deer Hunter(DH)' is a real masterpiece or not. However, it can shed a comparative light on another masterpiece-'Once upon a time in America(OTA)'- which indulged in the autopsy of American history. Both are directed by Italino-American directors who have an alienated view of American society. There is a setting of friendship and its collapse all through the common sequences of both films. De Niro has taken the role of narrator, observer, and outsider in DH and OTA, respectively. They are exposing the most painful episodes of the United States- the Prohibition and the Vietnam War. And most significantly, they commonly end with the hymn ' God Bless America'!! Sergio Leone and Michael Cimino are concurrently asking "God really bless America?" throughout their hallmarking works. Meanwhile, Leone has succeeded in answering the question by OTA, however, Cimino has just cast a more sarcastic version of that question thrrough DH, only to have failed in answering the real question through the next film- 'Heaven's Gate"

Hero (1997)

Neo-classic epic of Shaw Brothers!

[12 December 1998]

If anybody remembers the Shaw Bros., this revived version of early 70's classic movie, originally heroed by Kwan-Tai Chan, would suffice their expectation. Except for the absence of Chan's legendary charisma in old version (I never could have found it from Kaneshiro), this movie is full of satisfactory style and high-stunt action which are originated from Chang Cheh's works in Shaw Bros. in early 60's. Very stylish and meticuliously taken in main China, taking full consideration of old fans' taste for Biao Yuen's fantastic agility and John Woo's blood-spirting gunny action. Plot and performance are just so-so, but the music and art design are very luxurious. As an old fan, I would prefer the old one since no young-generated star like Kaneshiro could not fit for the character of Ma Wingjing,nowadays. However, as a standpoint of the renaissance of Shaw Bros.' golden age in 70's, this movie shed a confident light on their future industry, not in Hong Kong any more but in mainland China.