"Too Many Ways To Be No. 1" offers a lot of low-budget style, but it also weighs in with a witty, inventive screenplay which allows the film's film-school pyrotechnics to enhance, rather than smother, the story. Low camera shots and fisheye lenses give the film a particular style which works perfectly. The cinematography, like the screenplay, is meant to be in your face.

The film is frequently funny, frequently bloody--you know, a Hong Kong action film! A really, really GOOD Hong Kong action film.

Recommended!
 

The films share similar themes about loss, memory, longing and forgetting. Both films' "European sensibilities" can in part be explained when you know that both directors trained in Poland. "Nabi" influenced "Flower Island's" director, Song Il-Gon. They can be watched as companion pieces, in fact.

The acting throughout is superb. It is one of those films that you can watch without knowing anything about it. It is a film you experience. Sad, beautiful, and thought-provoking.

Like "Nabi", this film will stay with you long after viewing it.

Without hesititation, I recommend buying both this and "Nabi"...while they are in print.

Very highly recommended!
 

Eiji Funakoshi plays the lead role of Private Tamura, who we are told early on is suffering from TB. His afflication is not serious enough to have him admitted to a (struggling) field hospital, yet he is told he can't return to his regiment as he will be a burdon on the already low rations.

Private Tamura has no option but to leave, and fend for himself. Therein begins the soldier's journey into the heart of darkness.

This is a powerful, though-provoking film, unflinching in its depiction of the evil that men do in times of war and desperation. Eiji Funakoshi's performance left me scratching my head. Was it brilliant, or "special"? Either way, it is a film and performance which will stay with you long after the film ends.

Recommended.
 

Like "Warm Water...", Imamura has created memorable characters, and a film which begs repeated viewing.

Highly recommended!
 

I watched it, and forgot it immediately.
 

This is one of those films you read about, and just have to seek out. At 74 minutes long, it's a striking black & white road movie, about two friends on the opposite side of the law heading to a funeral. It is a road movie in every sense, with plenty of memorable dialogue, and a striking ending to top it off.

Recommended for lovers of Asian crime comedies, which of course means you will encounter bloodshed!

Recommended!
 

This is a slow, involving character, with a beautifully understated performance from the lead actress.

Recommended for viewers who are happy for a film to take its time to reveal the inner workings of its protagonist.
 

Enjoyable, ultimately forgettable, fun.
 

It is set in the future in Korea, where a virus erases memories. The main character, Anna, returns to Korea, hoping to erase her past. The Korean director trained under Kieslowski, and this is a very European film, in many ways. It is one of those rare films you don't watch, but experience. There is one, extended scene towards the end of the film which is one of the most extraordinary moments I have witnessed in cinema. I won't explain it. It will stay with you long after watching the film.

A profound, beautiful film.

A masterpiece.
 

The story is about Cha, or Mantis, who is no. 2 in a criminal organization. When she finds her long-lost sister, who is dying, and who's dying wish is for Mantis to get marry. Her underlings have the task of finding a prospective husband. The fun begins. This is one of the very best Korean comedies. The fun never lets up, and there is plenty of action between the comic set pieces. The scenes with the beautician are a hoot!

Highly recommended!
 

I'm a glowing fan, but that's OK.

Highest recommendation.
 

From the opening scene, you know that this is a special experience. The cinematography is breathtaking. (The 3-disc Korean edition even has an audio track featuring only music and foley...basically everything but the dialogue.) The story may not be the most complex, but really, this is an aural and visual experience. I found myself wanting to rewind scenes, but then not wanting to halt the experience. Costumes, colours, rhythm.....this is the ultimate visual film experience. The soundtrack is superb, and adds another layer to every scene.

Buy an edition with DTS, plug in a subwoofer, hold on and enjoy the ride.

Recommended. If you like it, you will be planning a revisit soon.
 

Park Joong-Hoon creates a wonderfully eccentric character, with a shuffling gait Columbo would be proud of. The film is worth watching for his performance alone, but there is so much more to enjoy. Wonderful cinematography, a style that mixes things up, and is never, ever dull. Lastly, the opening scene is fantastic. A great way to introduce the main character.

After watching this film there will be Nowhere To Hide.......your joy!
 

A fun, and sometimes violent, film about assassins. Sort of. Yes, they kill, but they also argue, bicker, and sit around watching TV. You also get a little tug of the heartstrings, and some social commentary. Korean cinema is vibrant, and can be an acquired taste. Korean action/comedy/romance hybrids are like no ther. See My Wife is a Gangster as an example. The soundtrack for Guns and Talks is entertaining, also.

Recommended for those willing to suspend belief, and open up to new possibilites in filmmaking. Also, the finale set in a theatre is wonderful.