Hoi-sa-won

An impressive movie. More than just a crime-thriller/action flick, this film takes a hard look at the Korean/Asian work-ethic, underlining the dangerously soulless nature of 'Corporate Family'. That's what The Company featured in this film is, beyond it's cover as metal-traders and its hidden, darker nature. The young field employees all see their Boss as a father-figure, "I love you, boss." the literal mantra of their interactions with him, something they say with such casual ease as to suggest this is, in fact, a relatively common way to greet your boss in South Korea. The lieutenant of the Boss, who doles out and reviews 'assignments', is like the jealous older brother; his position assured by the hierarchy, but his self-worth frequently challenged by the skills of his underlings, for which he punishes them frequently, and for which they desperately apologize. The protagonist is immersed in this family, seeing it as his life entire. He truly does love his boss, and his devotion to The Company borders on the absolute. As he leaves youth behind however, crisis of conscience begin to afflict him. He begins to question the worth of his own assignments, the value of the lives he's taking, and more and more he comes to feel that living should mean something more, and his love and devotion to a Company so callous and cruel has been gravely, woefully misplaced.

It's rare to find this kind of social commentary hovering over an action/thriller film, and I found it to be treat. It gives one a window into a way of living that one otherwise might only hear about, and explores the emotional anxieties surrounding that way of living in a gripping, often very heartfelt way. There's plenty of blood, violence and gun-play to keep the viewer entertained, but the deeper themes running through it provoke real sympathy and hard thought in those receptive to such things. The catharsis of the film, the 'redemption' of the protagonist, comes in the simple form of a conscious decision to smile; to seek happiness over professionalism. It's an odd moment, hard to place in time and setting, but a potent and highly uplifting one.

South Korean filmmakers are top of the field when it comes to pumping out incredibly intense, superbly directed action-thrillers with breakneck stunts and action sequences enlivened by super-fast editing and gritty realism. Such films are clearly inspired by the BOURNE movies directed by Paul Greengrass, yet they're very much the equal of those movies.

A COMPANY MAN is another instalment in this particular sub-genre and a film whose plot bears more than a passing resemblance to the Korean classic, A BITTERSWEET LIFE. There's plenty of room for social commentary as the main character plays a guy caught in a corporate world, unable to quit the job he's grown tired of and forced to work under his despicable superiors. The twist? That he's a hit-man.

What transpires during the film's running time is easily guessable and yet at the same time it's eminently watchable. Ji-seob So does a great job as the gaunt and tired lead you get behind, and the film features a sequence of top-class action sequences to keep it bubbling merrily along. It's a slow builder, this one, leading up to a taut, frenetic and mayhem-filled climax which truly doesn't disappoint. If only all movies could be this entertaining.

South Korea has really carved out a place for themselves by releasing some pretty awesome dramatic thrillers. This is one of those movies. A professional hit man working for a group who use a metal company as a front for their illegal enterprise, begins to rethink his career choice. After been given the task to eliminate a young and expendable coworker, he meets his co worker's mother, a former musician who he admired as a teen, and starts to develop feelings for her. This makes him want to leave all the more but how do you leave such a dangerous position unscathed?

I enjoyed the subtle drama used to build our characters and story in this film. There is an air of romance to this but it is really focused more on the relationship between the hitman and company. This was filmed and acted well and the action choreography was good. There's not much to complain about other than a bit of tweaking the story and adding a bit more to the end to tie up a few loose strings. This is a movie that I would recommend to a friend. Check it out.

Its a shame when a film of this artistic beauty doesn't have the proper rating. Maybe everyone is fed up with 'the common drama' and expect something unexpectable, it could be various reasons, it could be anything, but this drama stands out as a solid one. Its Korean drama in a nutshell, and shows how far the korean scene is from its counterparts (the rest of the world). It feels like this film takes a lot of influences from other korean dramas, I immediately thought of 'A bittersweet life', mainly because of the personality and situation of the protagonist. Personally, I cant get enough of this type of drama, ofc. you could have a more developed story and dialogues, strive for better overall quality, but you could say that about anything.

For your sake, ignore the rating and see this wonderful film.

This is actually a entertaining flick that combines different movie elements into one and pull it off for the most part. It seemed like it combined movies like "A Bittersweet Life", "Wanted", "RED" and maybe even a bit from the film "Fight Club". Never the less despite how wacky and silly this movie gets(intentional or unintentional) it's still a entertaining flick. It just not a very memorable flick but a decent way to pass the time. Although many things in this movie has been done before it's still a decent rehash I guess because I just wasn't really bored with this movie. So Ji-Sub really drives this movie as this charismatic and cool killer that works for a company full of assassins with special sets of skills. So Ji-Sub's style of fighting is not only entertaining but slick and cool. Also the the duel with him and a knife wielding office chick is one of the highlight of this flick. Although there are some areas where they could have gone more ahead with and some aspects of this film seemed rushed and underdeveloped. It's still a watchable flick, even just the climax itself makes it worth a watch. If you like this movie check out "A Bittersweet Life" which is a more gritty and realistic film that has some similar elements as this one.

6.9/10