Fuerza Bruta

After months of waiting got to see the sequel to my all time favorite action thriller, The Outlaws. Just like a million other reviews I have only good things to say about the Round Up and yes it thrilled me to bits. Unlike the first movie Deputy Ma has softened up and he is seen laughing and having fun. I liked the earlier version of Ma, he was damn serious and made everyone who watched him laugh..the Venom-Jang Isu compromise scene for example. The Round Up also has a flamboyant musical score, projecting Ma as 'the beast cop', very cliched. The Outlaws on the other hand had a subdued score which came alive ferociously only at the right time. The title scene and Ma and boys approaching the Venom thugs gave me goosebumps. MOWG..what a composer. In the Round Up the supporting cast gets a lot of screen time, Jang Isu, The rookies,Dong-gyun all gets to do some rollicking action.

Of course the icing on cake is Sukku Son, brutal and fits the role to the t. The final confrontation should go to some action hall of fame. Ju Seong-rims' camera and Kim Sun-mins' cuts are top notch.

With all due respect to Sang Yong Lee, kindly bring back Yoon Seon Kang as director and Mowg as composer for the franchise. Please..

I would like to note that I've been up on Don Lee for a minute. Ever snice I saw Champion (quite literally a Korean adaption of Over the Top), and before he did the Eternals, which unfortunately, was not the movie to introduce the Train to Busan star to American audiences.

My man is going for a Slyvester Stallone style here. For me as an American it's very much a though back to 80s and 90s action movies, before the Kenau Reeves era. He's so tough, that he's got a bad ass guitar riff score he enters all his coolest scenes to.

The action is raw and brutal, like we kind of expect from a Korean film. These guys don't shy away from the violence. Plus, it's a good and gritty police drama at its core. I had so much fun seeing it in theatres man!

Plus, I discovered it's a Sequel to another movie! I got to see that now!!

Gilgamesh, I mean Ma Dong-seok, and his incomparable vigor is the star of this devilishly entertaining action-thriller-comedy. The plot might tad shaky in its focus, but the film never strays in delivering its ravishing thrills.

I thought we would never see the beast cop again after the Outlaws, and this cop is still giving criminals beat downs even worse than first film, the movie had a lot of good comedic moments as well as exciting fight scenes, I am a huge fan of Don Lee, I thought Unstoppable was another good action film he starred in, he continues to get better with each film, the Roundup didn't need fancy special effects or gadgets to entertain an audience, this was that throwback action cop flick, that's filled with excitement and laughs. I hope we see cop Ma again in the future, criminals take note, this dude is handing out a** whooping of various types, thumbs up, one of the better action films this year.

Just as fun and involving as expected. Ma Dong-seok kicks ass once again!

In comparison to The Outlaws, this was an even better mix of action and humor. It upends the first film not only in quantity of well-choreographed fight scenes, but in extending them into bigger, more full-fledged set-pieces as well. Case in point: a terrific car chase that manages to maneuver into street brawling before getting back on the road chasing. Much as I find this film solid in terms of generally everything (acting, plot, production...), it's the action that kept me glued to the screen, and dammit, it delivered in spades.

If there's one thing I'd call a setback, it's the overall feel of inevitability in how it all pans out. In other words, nothing is really unexpected or original storywise. But that's something you learn to accept and swallow with many films if you're an avid watcher, let alone when it's regarding an action thriller with its goals primarily being that of adrenaline spiking. And laughing at some really well-delivered jokes.

In short, it's another bruising vehicle for Don Lee's persona, as well as a thrilling showcase for comedic action done right. Meaning you should watch it ASAP.