Review: People are limited by their environment but also by their own inner being. And yet they try to reach out into the world, into someone else's existence and make a meaningful contact in their own very peculiar way. In Kim Ki-Duk's films this contact is never verbal; never could the debased words establish a real communion between souls. The method can be violence (BAD GUY); it can be eroticism (SAMARIA); it can be sado-masochism (THE ISLE); it can be even silence (THE BOW) – but never, never words. This director distrusts words more than any other I can think of; and whatever they do, his characters almost never talk to one another. It is not because they have nothing to say. On the contrary, it is precisely that they have too much on their minds, things too important to convey for them to be dragged down in words. In a world in which every soap opera or 'Reality TV' person is ''madly in love'', in which feelings are all too easily labeled, Kim Ki-Duk's protagonists cherish their private world too much to even try to verbalize it. Words like ''love'', ''hate'', ''passion'', ''revenge'', and the like do not even BEGIN to describe the essence standing behind their motivations (often mysterious to themselves as well).

Such is the case with 3-IRON, Kim Ki-Duk's best work so far. It is best because here he manages to capture the elusive essence of complex emotions in such a pure, unadulterated manner that by the end of the film his characters become more ethereal, more mysterious than they were in the beginning. The two outcasts, outsiders in a world governed by money, power and violence, ''live'' their solitary lives of Kafkean detachment verging on non-existence: Sun-Hwa broods, silently rejecting her husband's brutishness (undiminished – or, one could argue, even augmented by his wealth and social status), while Tae-Suk leads a vicarious existence assuming, at least temporarely, other people's lives. Both of them are trying to diminish themselves – to hide from the outside world, to be too small to be noticeable – to become no one, to be nothing. These are the same sentiments that made Gregor Samsa metamorphose into a bug. But in contrast with Kafka's universe, in Kim Ki-Duk's there is also love. Often strange, unspeakable, indescribable, beyond the grasp of external observers – but none the less powerful or life-changing for that.

So, the two outcasts meet, and immediately form a microcosm of two. It is through silences that they speak, it is through looks that they touch, it is through music (the stunning, elegiac Oriental mood piece by Slvain repeated several times in the film) that they make love. Never has Kim Ki-Duk been so adept in using silence, or music, or sparse sounds from the outside world. Never has he been so lucky with actors as in this film: Hyun-kyoon Lee practically carries the film through his body language and his looks, making Tae-Suk an astonishing character – one of the most likable (while, at the same time mysterious) in recent cinema. He's immensely helped by Seung-yeon Lee's portrayal of an abused but undefeated wife who is brought to life through the contact with her own silent partner. Together they are alone against the others, and with the newly-found power of love they dissolve from this world.

3-IRON is pure poetry in film: a visual, aural and atmospheric treat unlike anything you've ever seen, a great existential love affair painted with subtlety (and occasional burst of violence) by one of the greatest masters of world cinema working today. Absolutely recommended for all those who do not mind their entertainment heady, sentimental, ambiguous and a bit slow-paced. If, however, your idea of entertainment is mostly fast-paced action, suspense/gore-filled horror or laugh-riot comedy, be warned that the 'entertainment' score for this film would probably be 3,5 or 4. But I guess that no one comes to a Kim Ki-Duk expecting the usual fun. For the lovers of the unusual, the score is certainly 5.

As a young homeless drifter, Tae Suk spends his days breaking into other people's homes when they are away, living in them, before moving on to the next. Always treating their homes with respect, he moves from place to place hand washing the unwitting owner's laundry and doing odd jobs before he leaves.

This simple life is forced to change when he chooses the apparently empty home of an affluent businessman, only to be disturbed in the night by the diminutive, physically abused wife he left behind (touchingly portrayed by Lee Seung-yoon). Tae Suk flees the house but later revisits to rescue her from the abusive husband upon his return. What follows is a touching tale of companionship and love in which these two new friends continue Tae Suk's simple, yet unusual, way of life without ever needing to speak a word.

In recent years, Korean cinema has continued to push its way into the consciousness of international movie audiences with its strong mix of drama, horror and action. The feeling of freshness experienced by watching contemporary Korean film is reminiscent of the way Hong Kong cinema captured my imagination many years ago.

Numerous times whilst watching '3 Iron', I could not help but think how this film would not be made in the West, at least not with the intention of releasing it to a mainstream DVD and Cinema audience. Yet, the restrictions placed upon American filmmakers by the focus groups and expectations of powerful studios do not apply so prominently in the East. As a result, if you want something genuinely original and touching, one has to look to Asia, and thankfully, more people than ever are doing so.

In conclusion, if you expect your Asian films to be a fast moving action bonanza, then this is clearly not for you. However, if you want to experience a beautiful, touching drama with a dreamlike atmosphere, then '3 Iron' comes highly recommended.

The story revolves around a guy who breaks into homes of people who are out of town. He lives there for the night, eats some of the food, watches some TV, fixes various broken things and cleans up in the morning before leaving to head to the next house. Meanwhile the only things he takes from the homes are photos of himself with his digital camera. One day he enters a home that he believes to be empty only to find a battered wife still inside. He leaves quickly, only to stop and think about it before returning. When the abusive husband returns, the young guy beats him (by hitting golf balls into him with a 3 Iron) and leaves with the wife. From there, they continue the habit of breaking into homes, only now there are two of them. When they stumble upon a home of an old man who had died, they run into trouble. That's when it gets really strange.

3 Iron is far less graphic (that is to say, not graphic at all) than Kim Ki-Duk's other films. All of his films I've seen, thus far, have had some sort of crime committed or taboo touched on (child prostitution in Samaria, animal cruelty and murder in The Isle, murder in Spring, Summer, etc.), not so with 3 Iron. This film is a simple love story, with people doing strange things (like becoming virtually invisible in the middle of a room). It's a terrifically enjoyable film that anyone can and everyone should watch.