Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time

Loyalty, deception, greed, arrogance, corruption, integrity, well it just holds too many elements in storytelling of being an epic gangster movie with some comical. You'll find a fascinating tale of how one small custom officer rose to the top of Busan's underworld and then fell back down.

South Korea declared war on organized crime in 1990. Thousands of people were arrested, from bodyguards to kingpins. Nameless Criminal: Rules of the Time begins in 1990 with the arrest of Choi Ik-Hyun (Choi Min-Sik), a leading gangster in Busan. He claims to be a civil servant, but who would believe a reputed gangster? He finds a significant amount of drugs while working and sells it to the mob. That specific mob is run by Choi Hyung-Bae (Ha Jung-Woo), a distant cousin of Ik-Hyun. And so begins Ik-Hyun's entrance into the shabby underworld. It's a classic case of muscle and intellect. Ik-hyun is a businessman who recognizes that the world they live in is ruled by corruption and greed. He pursued politicians and prosecutors, while Hyung-bae ruthlessly eliminated competing gangs in order to expand their territory. Over the course of a decade, they evolve to become the city's two most prominent criminal lords. However, in a gangster film, a beautiful climb is followed by a self-inflicted fall. Ik-hyun and Hyun-bae had already turned on each other by the time the authorities commence their assault on organized crime.

This smartly written drama revolves around the two leads' difficult interplay, despite consistently devoted performances. Female roles are rare in organized crime films, but Kim Hye-eun stands out as a cold-blooded nightclub queen.

Ha Jung Woo and Choi Min Sik are two of Korea's most versatile actors, and their performances in 'I Saw the Devil' and 'Oldboy' prove that they are equally capable of bringing a new level of realism to the film. Great job!

This movie is kind of like Goodfellas, a classic from Martin Scorsese. Both movies did establish a tense presenting an underground character's long shot career in order to generate both our sympathy and revulsion towards them.

You should give it a shot if you're seeking for a well-written tale of the underworld of gangs.

There is quite a bit of similar aspects to this movie to "Goodfellas" except "Goodfellas" is a way better movie. This just has constant cursing and random beatings thrown in to the point it loses it's flare and quickly becomes formulaic and repetitive. Now Min-sik Choi is a good actor but he has been playing these similar character type roles for a while. Who is the epitome of a blood sucking leech that manipulates and use people for his own benefit. Now the real world maybe like this as well but his character Choi Ik-Hyun takes it to a whole another level. There is elements to the gangster world that keeps it interesting, like certain codes and hierarchy. But Choi Ik-Hyun is not a gangster but a wannabe gangster and he is very far from being a law abiding citizen. A guy that tries to weasel his way out of anything. Everything about this character is dis-likable so there is a high chance no audience member will have any sympathy for this character. Except that he is sort of a family person. Now the second main character is Choi Hyung-Bae(Ha Jung-Woo) who is a gangster and does have gangster codes. But he isn't really likable gangster either or all that cool per say. He does have charisma but lacks the likable gangster aspect but I guess that is so it can go in a more realistic direction. And for the most part this movie is realistic but it's jumbled with random curse words and beatings that isn't effective nor does it entertain all that much. Their is isn't a single likable character in this movie you can side with. And the ending makes the movie even worse, maybe the director wanted to show elements of the real world. But it just gives off crappy morals and ethics, well there is none in this movie. Overall it's a alright movie that tries to show how some people do business in the underworld of Busan during the 80's. But everything just seemed a bit formulaic and it just didn't have enough scenes that makes this movie memorable or stand out.

6.8/10

Lasting well over 2 hours and it was fascinating to watch from beginning till the end. It's sort of a South Korean version of "Goodfellas"...

The story: a powerful civil servant, with lots of powerful government connections, gets involved in organized crime in South Korea.

These South Korean mobsters dont use guns by the way, only baseball bats and knives. They beat or stick each other, till their enemies are face down bleeding on the ground, but they do not kill each other with guns. Remarkable! These South Korean gangs do still have certain rules which everyone has to abide to...

The good: suspenseful true to life story, which was based on actual events that took place in South Korea at the beginning of the nineties, in which there was a political power change and consequentially lots of organized crime gangs were taken down heavy handedly by the new government. This movie shows us the rise and fall of these old fashioned Korean mobsters.

Recommended watch for anyone who is into organized crime movies. This is a rock solid one!

Stellar Korean Gangster Movie , even Roger Ebert said it's was great and an article . Loved every minute . The acting , the cinematography, the music , the director .Amazeing ! 10 easy

This is a movie about a wannabe gangster who is a survivor. He repeatedly wriggles out of tight spots without knowing how he got there, or how he got out. He is a civil servant at the docks of Busan, So. Korea, who stumbles upon a robbery, chases off the robbers, and discovers they were after several pounds of heroin. His co-worker is 'connected' and knows a big-time dealer. One thing leads to another (see the above review), and he becomes a kingpin - a neophyte in the drug trade.

The film was interesting, but a few things worked against further appreciation of the film. I couldn't grasp the significance of the importance of family relationships and how this could save him from death numerous times. This was very crucial to one's understanding of the story, because in an American gangster movie, he would have been toast quickly, and this would have been a film short.

Over and above that, he is beaten up several times and emerges with nary a scratch. In addition, he (Choi) is a rumpled and unattractive man who lacks a moral compass; as a result, I was unable to generate any sympathy or rooting interest, and the supporting cast fell into the same category. I also think there was an occasional continuity lapse. For instance, in one scene, one of the major drug dealers is stabbed in the abdomen and bleeds profusely. In the next scene, he is his old, menacing self, as if nothing happened to him. Many meetings and dinners take place seemingly without relevance or time frame; who are these people, and why are they there? And where are they?

I did the best I could to keep up and there were several violent scenes with fights and beatings and apparently no one in Korea uses guns, which would have ended some of those fight scenes pretty quickly. Sound was amplified for the fights and beatings - having seen many gangster pictures, the slaps and blows are never that loud.

I rated it a six - perhaps I would have appreciated it more if I had a better understanding of Korean customs and culture. Or maybe if I were given a reason to root for the protagonist.