Rough Cut

Billed as an action movie by trailers, and occasionally funny, Rough Cut is a complex drama playing out underneath an amusing premise.

The two leads share great chemistry and rivalry but manage to avoid a lot of the stereotypes and clichés for buddy action/comedies. The actor must negotiate a deteriorating private and public life while learning how to be less of an ass; the gangster's journey is perhaps more enigmatic and very thought provoking. His trajectory isn't what you'd expect from Hollywood cinema.

The two characters have their own distinct lives, which are interwoven mostly through their commitment to the film, which punctuates the ending with what may be the only major full action scene. (and it's plenty visceral to behold) This movie is easy to get into, but deep enough to truly reflect on. It's a little gem of entertainment.

I started watching this movie, expecting a standard gangster action movie. And that's what I got.

But goddamn dude, the acting in this movie from the gangster guy was just so mesmerizing, that 2 hours went by like nothing. And to me the acting in this movie in general plus the interesting premise has elevated this to, like more than your typical gangster action movie.

sorry first review

anyhow this is a pretty good movie. It succeeds as a gangster action, but its like, more than that and you should watch it, cuz you could be pleasantly surprised

soo....8/10

watch it

and again I apologize, I know, it's a shitty review

This is a fantastic Korean film that deserves the widest audience possible. Not an action flick, but more a gangster movie crossed with a showbiz black comedy topped off with that special kind of pathos that only Asian films know how to do. I wouldn't be surprised at all to see Hollywood remake this with people like Christian Bale and Mark Wahlberg or something like that. You owe it to yourself to check this out as soon as you have the means to do so. A colossal jerk of a movie star named Soo-ta can't get anyone to act opposite him in his latest movie because he beat the crap out of the last two actors and the media is having a field day with it. Plus, he has a girlfriend who he refuses to take out in public and has sex with her in a van down by the river. His agent is fed up with him and a scandal is bound to rear its ugly head any day now. Enter Kang-pae, a vicious gangster who loves movies. After an awkward run-in at a club with both their entourages in tow, Soo-ta gets the bright idea to cast him as the other actor. He agrees and everyone is so desperate to shoot, they go along with it. The only problem is that Kang-pae fights for real. That means Soo-ta needs to get tough quick if he's to win the final fight hes scripted to win - but now he has to do it for real! There's a lot more to the movie than that and its a joy to go along for the ride. It was refreshing and had me laughing and smiling while caring about the characters all the way through. Highly recommended!

Gang-pae, played by So Ji-sub, is a local organized crime leader who still wishes he could be in movies. Su-ta, played by Kang Ji-hwan, is a haughty actor who is easy to provoke. Within his latest film, where he plays a gangster, he gets into the role too much and sends one of the stuntmen to the hospital. The two men meet by chance at a room salon and Su-ta enlists Gang-pae to join the production. But this real life gangster will only join the production if the fights are real. The two main characters continue to try and one-up the other every chance they get (plot).

Rough Cut's interesting premise delves into parallel stories involving Gang-pae's gangster life, the filming of the movie within a movie, and Su-ta's shallow personal life, if the story seems convoluted don't worry, it is linear and doesn't bother to delve more than skin deep examining those issues, the film's focus is rather on two men and their violent confrontations on screen. Ji-seob So becomes an incredibly charismatic figure, using his calm, cool demeanor that houses a monsoon of emotions underneath, Ji-seob So quickly takes over the film until it is literally his movie. His counterpart Ji-hwan Kang, performs satisfactorily as "Su-ta," but there is a mile difference between their screen presence. Rough Cut has what it takes to win you over with ease.

Watch it, it has all of the elements of a good JPF movies film—which is hard to come by, and yes Dangerous you will like the choreography of the fights scenes in this film, I recommend this film to every one like some drama or crime drama with a few decent fight scenes thrown in.

5/5

First, I have to admit that the reason I see this movie is my eye candies : Kang Ji-hwan and So Ji-sub. Yes, they are very handsome but that won't prevent me from judging this movie in the most honest way.

This is absolutely a beautiful movie. It has everything: action, romance, and a little bit humour just where needed. "Rough Cut" (or the translated Korean name "Movie is Movie") must be really lucky to have a cast full of famous actors with fabulous acting.

I find a summary of the plot very redundant here so I will go straight into comment about what I like most in this movie. It is full of moral lessons and I keep smiling all the time. At first, I thought this would be some kind of "rivals turning into buddies" movie (which I am really into) but I'm just half correct. The 2 lead characters have a great but confusing relationship. Not friends, not enemies. They talk to each other, they fight, they help each other, they curse each other. Complicated yet entertaining.

Although it's not THAT perfect but I was forced to give this movie a 10 due to the perfect acting of both main actors (and the main actress who plays the role of Mi-na, too) I believe most of you won't find those 113 mins a waste of time.