Pa-gwi-dwin sa-na-i

Man of Vendetta was the debut film of Woo Min-ho, a director who would later rise to prominence with titles like Inside Men, The Drug King, and The Man Standing Next.

This is a revenge thriller in the classic South Korean style, with its main strength being the character development and transformation of the protagonist, played by a committed-though not exceptional-Kim Myung-min.

Unfortunately, the usual plot twists typical of the genre aren't as impactful here, resulting in a thriller that is competent but ultimately forgettable. While it shows glimpses of the director's future potential, it lacks the intensity and originality of the best Korean thrillers.

My rating: ***

This type of genre and type of movie has been done countless times and although the direction isn't anything really new. The movie still will have the audiences attention for the most part. The story is basically about a priest that loses his faith in God after his daughter gets kidnapped. Yes, like I said the direction isn't anything really new, but it's still gripping with enough emotion to feel something for the victims. It has certain elements which will make the audience root for the father to find his daughter. This is a very serious movie and although it's been done before there is still enough tension to keep focus most of the way through. When a parent loses their child in most cases it will drive them crazy, especially if they never find the body alive or dead. And you can sort of feel that emotion in this movie a bit, even if your not a parent. But one thing that got to me was the use of the police in this, let's just say the timing is terrible to the point it's not all that believable sometimes. But still this movie's main flaw is how generic it is, even the chase scenes feels so much like it's a deja vu and has been done better in other films.

6.2/10