Derailed

Another Don Lee film that isn't that bad but it doesn't really focus as much on Lee as it does on the young runaway characters that his character tries to help and therefore is more their film than a Lee film, so he just supports. I couldn't really justify liking these youths as they do some shady stuff and at times deserve what they get, but the cast is very good for what could have been a very simply drama. Lee's presence in any film adds a "spark" and that is no different here. Also, the cinematography is good and the film is never boring as it's filled with conflicted characters. Still an entertaining film.

The movie has a good script overall but too many characters I think. We are not vested in any one because there are too many. The only one is Ma Dong and he give a good performance but his character was a bit tainted with storyline given. A married man who picks up girls in the middle of the night to have job interviews where they can work at a karaoke bar? A good father who ultimately does what is right (no spoilers). A decent movie but not Ma Dong-Seok's best. Ma is off the rails - derailed - get back to it Ma, back on the rails friend.

I... I have no idea what I was just watch. It's a nice action, the story how, it's just weird normal? I don't man. They story is easy to understood but they all just so dumb like dumb dumb but I like the romance he's really a good kid.

Around the World in 196 Films Country 1: South Korea Film: Derailed Director: Lee Song Tae Rating: 4/5 [8/10]

Derailed is a film that follows four runaway teenagers - Jin Il (Choi Min Ho), Ga Young (Jung Da Eun), Bong Gil (Lee Yoo Jin) and Min Kyung (Baek Soo Min) - as they try to survive on the streets. Amidst their stealing for food and money for survival, they end up stealing the car of Hyung Sik (Ma Dong Seok) who doesn't take too kindly to their actions. Ga Young is taken by Hyun Sik and Jin Il, Bong Gil and Min Kyung - wanted by the police - must do everything they can to get her back.

Derailed is a film that isn't something I usually watch; crime thriller isn't a genre set that I regularly enjoy. I purely watched this to write some articles on Choi Min Ho more than anything - and I found myself truly liking this film much, much more than I expected.

This film was dark, it was gritty, it was stressful. With numerous members of the cast giving stunning performances, I was easily swept up into this horrible - and, all too real for some teenagers - world. This had my heart racing, I ended up chewing on my lip and pausing at times to take a break. The pace in this is well done; we go from seeing the teens resting and okay, having fun despite their predicament to their entire world turning upside down. Watching them struggle to desperately survive the newest issue thrown at them was harrowing. This was dark, bleak and painful. My heart bled for them, I found myself crying at parts and I couldn't get enough or finish this film quick enough.

The characters in this are extremely interesting - Seong Hoon (Kim Jae Young) took me completely by surprise and even days after finishing this film, I constantly think about him and what made his character the way that he is.

Lee Sung Tae, writer and director, did a splendid job with this film; I definitely want to watch more from most of the actors - this film has solidified me as a fan of them with ease. My eyes are on Sung Tae and what he does next and I'm eager to sit and watch through his other films to see just what else he can get me to enjoy.

All in all, Derailed was a brilliant film and I cannot wait to discover more from those involved in the film.

For some reason then I have been putting off watching the 2016 South Korean crime action "Doo Namja" (aka "Derailed") until now in 2022. Why? Well, I am not sure really, I guess other movies just kept piling up, and I wasn't sure what I was missing out on here from director Seong-Tae Lee.

While "Doo Namja" is watchable, I don't feel like I have been missing out on a particular extraordinary movie in the history of South Korean cinema. Sure, the storyline was interesting enough, or at least certain aspects of it were, but I wasn't overly impressed.

The storyline here was a little bit all over the place, as the audience follow three different story arches, the one of Jin-Il and his friends, the one of karaoke bar own Huyng-Suk and the one of Sung-Hoon who has a grudge against Jin-Il after having gone to prison. Yeah, the storylines are nicely interwoven, but you never really get to submerge and delve deeply into any of the three storylines, which is a shame, because the movie could have benefitted by adding a bit more in-depth to the characters.

There is a good amount of action throughout the course of "Doo Namja", which seems rather real, as it is nicely shot and rather nicely executed on the screen. This definitely adds to the tough atmosphere that permeates the movie.

All in all, then "Doo Namja" is a watchable enough movie. I doubt that I will ever return to watch "Doo Namja" a second time, however.

My rating of this 2016 crime action movie lands on a five out of ten stars.