Moo-jeok-ja

One of my favorite movies i loved the action in it and how the brothers are standing for each other.

A BETTER TOMORROW is the South Korean remake of the classic John Woo '80s Hong Kong action flick. If I'm honest, I wasn't a huge fan of the Woo original to begin with - I think the sequel's a lot more lively and entertaining - but nonetheless, I had high hopes for this remake, which I hoped would continue in the trend of fantastic South Korean thrillers. Sadly, what I got was a badly-written, overly-complex movie that seems to go on forever whilst offering the viewer very little at the same time.

The scenario is needlessly complex, weaving back and forth through time with the tale of a pair of brothers and their friends who variously betray and end up on different sides of the law. There are brief sojourns to Thailand and North Korea, but it's all very confusing and I was trying to figure out who was who for most of the running time. It doesn't help that a lot of scenes, particularly in the second half, descend into dodgy melodrama.

So what of the action? At least the Woo film had that. Sadly, A BETTER TOMORROW is a disappointment in that respect too, as there's hardly any in it. There's a good assassination scene and a couple more shoot-outs, before an admittedly decent climax, but the action feels oddly limited given the length of the running time. I'm afraid that A BETTER TOMORROW is one remake they never should have bothered going ahead with.

I am a fan of Korean movies. Or so I thought after watching some of the legendary movies like the Vengeance Trilogy, Memories of Murder etc. However, it turns out, a lot of movies from Korea are just not for my taste as well.

Usually, I find that out pretty quickly, i.e. I don't bother watching love stories and comedies for teens. But this one looked like an action packed movie a la "The Good, The Bad and The Weird". Not quite.

It was a waste of a time. I wouldn't say it was amateurish in choreography or screenplay, I'd say it was terrible in terms of its script. Movie is so annoying, unbelievable. Like you know what stupid things one brother might do, and he ends up doing all of that. Also, script writing is so poor, that all these "gangsters" look more like high school gangsters than real life ones. Tears, crying, begging, pitying each other. A bunch of pathetic girlie gangsters => similarly pathetic movie.

4/10

This 2010 version of "A Better Tomorrow" is not a bad movie, but why it came into being is somewhat of a puzzle to me. Why take something that was so unique back in 1986 and then remake it in 2010? And to go even further, why go from Hong Kong to Korea? Perhaps these are questions not meant to be answered, but it does make for an alright action movie. Just don't put this Korean version up against the Cantonese version, because that is a bad mistake.

If you watch this 2010 version for a stand-alone action movie, then it is a great experience by itself. The story is driven by a good, solid storyline, though it had a tendency of being a bit jumpy and hard to keep track of who was who, unless you pay a very close attentive eye on the movie. And this is what the movie suffers under, it is a bit too skittish.

This version of the "A Better Tomorrow" storyline is driven by a heavy dramatic storyline that is focusing on brotherhood and loyalty, and that does work out quite well in favor for the movie.

Compared to the original trilogy, then the 2010 Korean version has less action and shootings in it, but it is obvious that they have focused more on the aspects of brotherhood and loyalty, rather than just hardboiled action and gunfights.

And the movie was well carried by the four actors in the lead roles; Jin-mo Ju (playing Kim Hyeok), Seung-heon Song (playing Yeong-choon), Kang-woo Kim (playing Kim Cheol) and Han Sun Jo (playing Tae Min). Thumbs up to these four guys for really adding dimension and character to the 2010 version of "A Better Tomorrow".

The 2010 Korean version of this 1986 Hong Kong classic is well worth a watch for fans of Asian action cinema. Just keep this version aside from the Hong Kong trilogy, and you'll be fine.

In Busan, South Korea, the powerful arms traffickers Kim Hyeok (Jin-mo Ju) and Yeong-choon (Seung-heon Song) are best friends. Hyeok has spent many months seeking out his younger brother Kim Cheol (Kang-woo Kim) that was left behind by Hyeok with their mother while escaping from North Korea. When Hyeok finally finds Cheol, his brother blames him for the death of their mother that was beaten to death in the prison and keeps distance from Hyeok.

When Hyeok travels with the gangster Tae Min (Han Sun Jo) to Thailand for a negotiation, he is betrayed by Tae Min and is arrested by the police. Meanwhile Cheol joins the police force to become a detective and Yeong-choon kills the gang that betrayed his friend. When Hyeok is finally released from the Thai prison and returns to Busan, he finds that his brother is a detective investigating Tae Min and Yeong-choon limped and in complete misery. But Hyeok promises that he would not return to life of outlaw. But he is haunted by his past and the need of protecting his estranged brother. .

"Moo-jeok-ja", a.k.a. "A Better Tomorrow", is an Asian crime film excessively melodramatic. The good storyline about brotherhood, friendship and loyalty discloses a plot confused in the beginning but also full of action. However the dramatic relationship between the two brothers becomes an annoying soap opera after the repetition of the same situation with Cheol rejecting his brother. Better off watching John Woo's "Ying hung boon sik" ("A Better Tomorrow" 1986) again. My vote is six.

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