Deliver Us from Evil

This is one humid movie. Everyone is sweating. Beads and beads of sweat in glorious close ups. No time to towel off you see, as there's too much action for hygiene. Bathed in thick burnt yellow hues, "Deliver Us From Evil" is a non-stop Korean action film with a capital A. This go-go thriller pits two veteran hitmen in each other's path of destruction, which means boffo fight scenes and ridiculous collateral damage for the solid duration.

Sure there's plot, but that's irrelevant. A daughter needs to be saved, a brother needs to be avenged, a retiring agent is called in for one last job; the script writes itself. In-nam (a stoic and very sweaty Hwang Jung Min) travels to exotic locales (Tokyo, Bangkok), stalking a nasty kidnapping ring, with The Butcher (an even sweatier Ling Jung-jae) in hot pursuit. Good and evil are clearly defined, as The Butcher - you can call me Ray - dominates his scenes in a stylishly dark, over the top psychotic performance. Combat is often close quartered, impressively acrobatic and darn clever, with that parkour flavour born of the Bourne series.

This film delivers the goods, and the evils, in copious amounts. Rooting comes easy, jeering too. Leave logic at the door and c'mon in.

• hipCRANK.

I would have given this at least 9 stars but there were a few ridiculous/unbelievable scenes towards the end, but its an action movie at the end of the day so we can excuse that I suppose. Minus that, the actors were perfect. Each one did a stellar job. The fight scenes were also really well done, not overly gory but not wimpy either...exactly what I like. Anyway, if you like action films and you don't mind a few silly mishaps here and there, watch this. if you don't like action films, still watch this for the performances alone.

Wow this Korean film was surprisingly impressive! It's one of the best Asian films I've seen. What's even more impressive, is that it was written and directed by a newb/amateur Korean filmmaker, Won-Chan Hong. You'd think a seasoned filmmaker put this action-crime-thriller together.

The directing and cinematography was perfection. Camera colors, shots and angles were top-shelf. The writing - especially for an Asian action film, was excellent. A great story that was cleverly written, well paced within its 108 min runtime, and properly edited. It literally is the Korean version of Liam Neeson in Taken meets assassin John Wick. The action sequences were expertly choreographed. The score was great and fitting, without being overbearing. Casting and performances were outstanding. The little Korean girl was so adorable. Filmmaker Won-Chan Hong is certainly one to keep an eye on.

I'll definitely be watching this one again. It's a well deserved 9/10 from me. To see more of my 1000+ ratings and reviews, and to see how I critique films, simply click on my username.

Certain people have issues to escape what they are doing. And even if they manage to do so, most of the times they will leave something behind they urge to get back (to). It's the thing that one is supposed to evade (see De Niro in Heat, though he didn't really listen to his own advice either). In this case it is not even the strong wish of the main character to get back ... but an unfortunate "incident" that makes it impossible for him to stay away.

And while he is on the verge and on the lookout (or on a mission or however you want to call it), there is a different danger lurking! Actually not so much lurking rather than sprinting and running towards him. And this nemesis of his, who is seemingly unstoppable, makes this movie quite the experience. By the way the action and stunt work on this movie ... just wow! Incredible to say the least! Just for that this is worth watching, if you are into that sort of thing of course

Hwang Jung-min and Lee Jung-jae face off as an unstoppable force and an immoveable object in this revenge thriller. As expected in a Korean production, the action scenes are stellar and the cinematography is out of this world. It doesn't redefine the genre, as there are many of the classic tropes... However, it packs an emotional punch and hits all the notes you'd want from a movie like this.