Orora gongju

An exhilarating, smartly made revenge thriller that has a sublime, increasingly heart-wrenching performance from Uhm Jung-Hwa as the grieving mother turned ruthless angel of death. Bang Eun-Jin's masterful Princess Aurora provides stylish, and frequently bloody entertainment. This adult, exceptionally fine genre film captivates due to the compelling performances, and an unusually gripping plot. It is rather uncommon for a relentlessly dark and brutal thriller to be so strongly replete with such an excess of pathos. This dazzling, profoundly immersive Korean thrill-fest remains an outstandingly cinematic treat, with a bravura, white-knuckled climax that I found utterly devastating.

But not the best that has been produced in that land. If your looking for the revenge master, look no further than "Park Chan-Wook" (or you can put the Park at the end, like it's done in Korea) and you'll get the best!

Having said that, the story presented here is not bad. Not bad at all and the acting is quite good also. But the pacing, the rhythm and the overall flair of this movie, never quite feels right. The script could've used a few rewrites and I'm pretty sure, there could've been a few better fleshed out characters. But this still is very emotional and you might not like what you see, especially concerning the ending (and yes the last sentence is intended to be understood in more than one way!)!

A pretty good South Korean thriller, although not quite up there with the likes of THE CHASER or MEMORIES OF MURDER. PRINCESS AURORA sees the inimitable Eom Jeong-hwa as a wronged mother who sets out on a seemingly random massacre of people who offend her, and of course the police are hot on her trail.

I find these Korean police procedural films to be typically gripping and PRINCESS AURORA is no exception. I loved the mystery aspect of the storyline, which gradually unfolds towards crystal clarity at the climax, even though I did easily guess the twist ending this time around. The film is also interspersed with those stark, gruesome set-pieces that the Koreans portray so well.

The acting is excellent and complements the script well, and the only reason I haven't given this a higher rating is because the subject matter is so dark. It's ultimately a very sad and depressing movie, but that doesn't stop it from being decent; it's just not one of those films that screams entertainment value at you.

Okay, so as a fan of the Korean cinema look I brought Princess Aurora... and I have to say that I was VERY impressed. It is a difficult film to watch at times, and it does take a while for the film to get going.

I'm not going to put in any spoilers but if you do not want to know anything at all about the film please just accept that it is worth it and stop reading.

Im trying not to sound to geeky but imagine if David Mamet (glengarry glen ross, Ronin) wrote for chan Wook Park (old boy, lady vengeance) and you would know what I mean.

OK, so half an hour into the film I thought it was just another murder film, but it really is so much more.

It is not perfect by any means. the police seem clumsy at times and the film gel as well as it could, but this is all for a reason, and that reason is shown in the 20 minute finale which is better than anything Hollywood can do. It is the type of ending that has you literally hiding behind a cushion one minute, then jumping up and cheering the next.

If you liked lady vengeance or dark water, this is a film for you, if you like good cinema that makes you think then again this is a good movie for you.

Park may be the fashionable director at the moment, and rightly so if you have seen his films, but Eun-jin Bang who directed this film is definitely one to look out for. Also, you should watch this before Hollywood remakes it, which no doubt it will at some point.

I just liked the movie, and I hope more people give it a go.

For those of you that like the amount of cruelty and bloodshed in Lady Vengeance, this film will seem subtle.

The acting of the female lead is convincing enough to warrant the 106 minutes of it.

At first, the movie seemingly revolves around a young woman who kills mercilessly for justice. However, as the story continues, her actions became methodical and preempted. Only at the very end of the story do we actually get to know the angst, grief and pain that forced her into such a state of mind.

This movie, although Korean, also reflects on the other Asian societies where wealth, materialism and self-centredness are overshadowing the importance of kindness and virtue.