U-neun nam-ja

The first half of this movie is rough to get through, with the exception of the initial scene, which sinks its hooks into you as any first scene of a movie should. But then it drags, painfully, and hits you with waves of cliches, the helpless damsel in distress being the most tiring for me. The action scenes are brutal and well filmed though, which in addition to the great acting saves this from damnation. The emotional ending I also have to applaud, and the climactic scene that precedes it.

Holy Smokes I just finished watching this movie and I absolutely loved it. I'm a huge fan of Korean films and they are my favorite films off all time. I will say that I haven't seen a ton of them but I'm working on it. I loved the setting and also the story plot while unoriginal kept the plot moving forward. The actors and actresses all did an Amazing job especially the main protagonist "Gon" played by Jang Dong-gun which was the first Korean movie I have seen him in and what a tremendous actor. I will move forward with the action and Man O Man was it Insane. The one thing Korean films do better then any other films from around the world are to choreograph wonderful firefight scenes and jaw dropping Brutal fight scenes. I have seen a ton of movies in my 25 years of existence lol and being from America I will also say that these films put to shame what America comes out with in terms of action. Well anyways this is a must watch movie and you will not regret it I guarantee you that and you will want to watch more Korean films afterwards but understand that if you can't or are to lazy to read subtitles you might not enjoy it as much but the action scenes might just alleviate that feeling.

Another great action thriller from South Korea!

For an action film, the first half might be considered slow, but this is an effective depiction of guilt and we get a very clear idea of the emotions our hero Gon (Dong-Gun Jang) is going through. The film is also a good study of how simple events lead to a scenario of being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Dong-Gun Jang is good as a hitman overcome by guilt, and is every bit believable during the intense action scenes and the emotional scenes. The second half of the film is full-on action in a cat and mouse game as the protagonist outwit the antagonists. The action scenes are brutal, fast-paced, and thrilling!

As with most Korean films, this one is also very unpredictable.

This wasn't nearly as tightly written as Jeong-beom Lee's hit The Man from Nowhere 2010, as it was riddled with convoluted scenes and plot holes. The entire almost two-hour runtime didn't flow smoothly, even with the somewhat decent pacing. There was much clarity missing in many scenes, of which some of those could've been omitted. The narrative wasn't as engaging as it should've been. There were also many shake-your-head moments that were either too overdramatic, and/or unbelievable nonsense. It did have amazing action and gore scenes, with enough blood to make even the audience slip on it. The casting and performances were decent - although some cliched. The cinematography and score were on point. Nevertheless, it's not as bad as the critics say, and it's a fun one-time watch. Just don't expect this to be as great as Lee's 2010 gem of a film.

NO TEARS FOR THE DEAD is yet another addition to an exemplary list of South Korean action thrillers made in the last decade; such titles include THE BERLIN FILE, THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, A BITTERSWEET LIFE, A COMPANY MAN, and THE SUSPECT. I was long excited for this film as soon as I found out it was a follow-up to the same director's THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, which is one of my all-time favourites.

NO TEARS FOR THE DEAD isn't quite up there with the standard of the earlier film, but it has its moments. This is an exciting story that mixes superbly-shot, hard-hitting action sequences with a tragic human drama at the core. It's dark indeed, featuring heartfelt performances from the central actors who are inevitably playing broken characters, and it's fun to see how the tone shifts from adrenaline-pumping action to gut-wrenching emotion and back again.

The storyline is predictable for the genre: an assassin screws up by failing to take out his intended victim, only to face the wrath of his former employers. The action is blistering, with lightning fast editing and gobbets of grisly violence. But the human drama also draws you in, building to a moving but expected ending. The South Koreans have come up trumps again with this one.