Mok-gyeok-ja

If there was ever a character that I wished would be murdered it is the main protagonist of this movie. Along with many of the other tenants. Gutless, spineless simpering coward. OMG how I wanted him to die.

This movie really made me uncomfortable. How can people be like this? Sadly this actually probably reflects reality more than our average heroic Hollywood movie.

A killer who isn't shy to kill in public places. The film took a while to warm up to, but it got pretty good eventually. The killer was cool as with most Korean thrillers. The protagonist really grinded my gears at times, just a total wimp and honestly should be locked away for accomplice to murder. Worth a one time watch.

It is easy to say what one would do. Like if you and Hitler were alone in a room and no repercussions to be followed no matter what you do. In this case, let's say you witness something (hence the title), what would you do? There is a right thing to do and I understand if some people may feel no sympathy for the main character. But if you indulge and accept that flaw, you will see quite a suspensful movie, that works on many levels.

Because apart from a thriller, it is also a social commentary. It is what most people are probably doing and what effect this can have on others. It's not easy doing the right thing, it takes courage. Of course as mentioned not just the main character is flawed, but also the movie itself. But while it is not perfect it is entertaining and might be able to give you food for thought too

I don't know why people haven't reviewed this movie yet. Like other South Korean movies I've seen, this one didn't disappoint.

The movie starts with Sang-Hoon coming home from having some drinks with his work colleages, when he gets home he hears a woman's scream, when he looks put of the window he sees a man hitting a woman with a hammer. He is shocked and doesn't know how to react when the murderer makes eye contact with him.

The next day the woman is found dead and the police is investigating the case. Since he might be the only witness that night, he decides not to tell the police anything, but the murderer saw him and is now after him. Now Sang-Hoon will have to protect his family from the murderer.

The movie is packed with action and suspense moments. The actors are great, did an excellent job. The murderer's character is a bit undeveloped what we know is that he likes to kill. But well, it's nice to find a movie that uses different ideas, hammer instead of guns, storms, snow.

The movie was overall really good, entertaining, nice way to want to spend 2 hours.

I'm not saying that "Mok-gyeok-ja" ("The Witness") is a must-see, but it does does tick off a few boxes that makes it worthwhile. Suspenseful? Check. Twists? Check? Deliciously violent? Check. Good acting and cinematography? Check. What are it's weak points? Mainly character development. The lead guy, the father, is the most spineless, ball-less coward under the sun, but at the end, suddenly grows a pair so large his gonads are the size of basketballs. Completely implausible. The filmmakers tried but the development was just uneven. Still, given the very nice ending, I do recommended this film.