Viewer Comments:The City Of Violence
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An action movie with a twist. One more reason why Korean action movies are gettting better than the ones from Hong Kong.
This does not lack in cool fights, and that's what a martial ats flick is all about.
-Johnnie Freeze (see my profile)
Like a double hypodermic shot of adrenaline through both corneas straight into the bloodlust epicenter of the brain. This is the film that "Shoot 'Em Up" wanted to and failed to be. Further proof, if you needed it, that Hollywood is dead. Want action? Go east, young man!
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| Y | I agree this is a 5 star film it's a great revenge story- but I disagree on 1 thing I don't think Shoot Em Up tried to be this flick. If you like this director's work check out No Blood, No Tears or Arahan. | JV47842 |
This movie was just too violent. I know the director tried to give his interpretation of what it looks like from the inside of violence, but I wanted to see action with style like every other good martial arts film. In my opinion, this movie was meant to satify the thirst of European moviegoers and not so much that of the American ones. So if you are American and you like European style filmmaking, well then this is the movie for you.
-Rater for the young generation (see my profile)
http://www.myspace.com/urmomagottoloveme
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| N | I didn't think this movie was suppose to satisfy European moviegoers or fans of Euro films. The director Seung-wan Ryoo is highly influenced by American films. The film shows a lot of American film references. I didn't find this film too violent ither | JV47842 |
| N | Too violent? I think you might be confused about the nature of the movies that you watch. | Bastard Ronin |
| I'm glad to see a lot of good reviews for this flick because it does kick so much ass that the asses that don't get kicked still live in fear. This review is for those of you who have not bothered to check this out yet. You're missing out. It's a well balanced blend of "old school" and "new school" sensibilities with influences ranging from classic samurai films to westerns to contemporary noir.
"City of Violence" is at its core a really tight revenge flick that plays out kind of like "Four Brothers" meets "Kill Bill" with, of course, a fairly standard twist. The martial arts aspect of the film is first class with Tae Kwon Do being showcased as an all purpose weapon that is clearly more vicious and functional amoung the people who originated it. The fights had true grit and a rawness that was mixed well with plenty of flash that gave them a distinct flavor. As for the end fight finale--it will knock your wobblies around. Wall to wall style and substance with a good story told in a good way using good talent. If at this point you are still not interested in giving this movie a chance then fine but please move to the back of the bus and don't say shit when we pass your stop. Thanks for reading and remember nothing says "happy Easter" more than strippers and crack. I gotta go, the warden's coming. |
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| Y | you took the words right out of my mouth this film rocks. | kung fu kid |
Cool movie. Great fights. Beautifully shot on a relatively low budget.
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| Y | I agree with you on this- it's a great pic. | JV47842 |
I love this movie! A bloody roar of revenge in Korea. It's an amazing movie about two men who want answers to there friend's death. It takes them on a wild journey filled with insane characters, from gangsters to teenage sports players. "City of Violence" has great direction and an awesome soundtrack, with likeable main characters and an amazing last action scene. The fights are simply amazing.
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| Y | cant agree with you more this film is excellent well worth you're time. | kung fu kid |
| Y | Oh, yeah. | Bastard Ronin |
This is an action-packed Korean movie. It's a typical plot where a group of kids grow up and one of their own dies and two must find out the truth to their friend's death. Not suprisingly, one of the friends is found responsible for the death and all hell breaks loose for revenge. There isnt a whole lot of character development, but I guess thats not really necessary for a movie like this. I will say that it's got some nice shots and the end finale has remnants of "Kill Bill" to it, but with a different edge. Despite a lot of hard-hitting action, it's not one of those movies I'll be watching over and over again. Definitely worth a rental though.
Spoilers - just to be safe.
I salute this excellent film for three things: it is very well written; the acting is generally of high quality; and the ending is not sweetened to satisfy the supposed public taste for happy endings. If people like those presented in this film faced the situation here, this is what would happen. Bravo!
What has traditionally been best in both Hong Kong and Japanese action cinema can now most often be found in South Korean film. The general quality of recent HK film has declined, and that of Japanese film has declined appallingly. Let's see how long South Korea can maintain this streak.
-Jeffrey Frawley (see my profile)
Saw this as a trailer and thought might be worth a look? Was it? Yes, very much so. This is one of the [top] films of the year. It has everything you need. It is "Kill Bill" crossed with "Oldboy" crossed with a bit of "Fist Of Fury"/"Game Of Death". It has fights, action, over the top stunts/fights. I'm not one to tell what it's all about, because that sometimes gives the wrong impression, but if you think the trailer looks good, the film is!
-AKA Fatbob (see my profile)
http://myspace.com/silentfatbob
"City Of Violence" had everything you could wish for and more. If you want to get a bit picky, you could say it imatates "Kill Bill" in some ways. But Tarantino himself stole the ideas for "Kill Bill" from this sort of film like the old Shaw Brothers. The fight scenes are hyper but brutul and realistic--unlike the Crazy 88 fight in "Kill Bill", which is good but way over the top. If you have seen the director's other films you will enjoy this. It seems that this is the kind of film he set out to make previously. The best thing about this moive is that it throws everthing into the mix: freindship, corruption, murder, plot twists, but most of all some of the best old school kung fu I have seen since "Prodigal Son" and "The Eight Diagram Pole Fighter". A must for the real movie lovers out there.
Many people say that this is the weakest film by Ryu Seung-wan. It is actually one of the best. The film grabs you from the beginning to the end. It is a nice tale about betrayal among a group of friends, and revenge. The fights were lavish, yet gritty. Audiences will get that old school brawler when watching this. Buy it, it's really good!
| AGREE? | READER COMMENTS | AUTHOR |
| Y | I totally agree with your assessment. This film is very good and the fights were very cool. Definitely a film worth buying. | William Giordanella |
Very stylish action film with a serviceable story.
Film has good fight scenes, but as a whole seems 'empty'. There is no chemistry between the two main leads, so story-wise you don't get involved in the film as much. Action wise, it contains some solid scenes, with the street-breakdancing-brawl a highlight, as well as the end fight scene. For this reason the film scores a 4 [out of 5] for me.
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