New World

'New World' is an epic gangster film from South Korean director, Park Hoon-jung. With actors such as Choi Min-sik (probably most well known for his role as Dae-su in 'Oldboy'), I was expecting this film to deliver something spectacular. And, well, it did. For the duration of the narrative, I could not tear my eyes away from the screen. While the pace of most films of this length tends to slow, or get a little dull, 'New World' kept a steady rhythm, full of political intrigue.

Undercover cop, Ja-seong (played by Lee Jeong-jae), leads a dual life. He has his job as a policeman, and the role of a gangster in a large crime syndicate that goes under the name of 'Goldmoon.' When the boss of the syndicate is killed in a car accident, Chief Kang (Choi Min- sik) puts a new project into effect called 'Operation New World'. The purpose of this operation is to ensure that one of the undercover cops in the syndicate will rise to a position of power. The ultimate aim is for the syndicate to be in the hands of, or at least easily manipulated by, a trusted law enforcer.

Ja-seong finds himself torn between his duties as a cop, and his loyalties to 'brother,' and gang member, Jung Chung (Hwang Jung-min). Putting more hours, and more effort into his work, Ja-seong finds less time at home with his pregnant wife, and more into the syndicate 'family'. Acting as a bridge between the law, and the underworld, the loyalty of Ja-seong is rarely questioned by his acquaintances. Yet, it is apparent that Ja-seong beings to question the nature of loyalty, and of betrayal. As he prepares to dive further into the syndicate, his confusion becomes ever more apparent.

Some of the conversations in 'New World' were gripping, and the portrayal of violent acts was just spectacular. The use of blood in these instances, paired with close ups, were some of the most aesthetically pleasing moments in the film. While not extremely violent, 'New World' uses violence in a manner that complements the pace of the film. The ruthless nature of the law, and the syndicate, was highlighted in these instances, and it is apparent that both sides can be as manipulative, and as corrupt, as one other. All the while, in the midst of this corruption, Ja-seong must find a place of power to call his own; he must create a whole new world.

I am surprised that more people (especially my friends from South Korea) haven't reviewed this excellent movie so far. Perhaps they know of better Korean cinema to view and review!! I for one am from India (settled in the US) and big fan of Korean films, which were introduced to me by a Korean friend of mine during my graduate school days here in the US. Anyhow, this is the only Korean movie I could lay my hands on in a theater close to me (I generally see Korean movies on Netflix or home video). Perhaps it is my excitement of having watched a Korean movie in a movie theater after so long which has me biased in favor of this film. But I think not, as the rating right now on IMDb is 7.7/10. Anyways, here goes.

This is an amazing movie. Like the only other reviewer here has said, it mixes elements of "The Godfather" with "The Departed". It also reminded me of a Hindi art house movie which is not so well known (unfortunately) called "Droh Kaal" (1994 by director Govind Nihalani). Park Hoon-Jung being an accomplished writer (I loved his "I saw the devil"), does craft an original and engaging story. Violence is heavy handed when it is depicted and makes you cringe, but I don't mind that personally. I loved the costumes (every gangster in the movie wears designer suits which should be the envy of Wall Street executives). In fact, its the law enforcement officials who are comparatively shabbily dressed. The feel and atmosphere is subtly captured by cinematographer Chung Chung-hoon. I love his camera work, which was only recently at display in "Stoker" (by Park chan-wook), which I saw the day it was out. It was also a treat to see Choi min-shik ("Oldboy") again after "I saw the devil".

Overall, the movie kept me on the edge of my seat and was really entertaining. It is definitely much better than what Hollywood is churning out these days (with a few exceptions of course). Let me hope they don't butcher my favorite "Oldboy". I would highly recommend "New World", please do go and see it in a theater to really get the feel (like I said earlier, the cinematography is top-notch and needs to be seen on a big screen to be believed!).

There are very few movies which makes you jump from your seat, clap (even though you are watching it alone in your laptop), entertained, excited and happy. I was lucky enough to go through all the above emotions on multiple levels while watching 'New World'. 2013 was a big year for cinema lovers. We saw the son of krypton resurfaced, we saw the Iron Legion and even the Wrath of Khan. Yet, 'New World', is the best movie I have seen in 2013, till date.

Now what makes 'New World' beat the big guns which came out this year. It certainly did not have the leverage of breath taking CGI, nor mind bending plot lines. It did not have any particular fan favorite tags like the super hero genre, apart from Min-Choi of Oldboy and I Saw The Devil fame, no one in the Western hemisphere knows the actors. The director cum writer, is relatively unknown. So what is so great about it? It is the actors, the characters, the screenplay, the haunting BGM, the cinematography, the art direction, the story and every single piece of this movie. It was epic for me. It was just lying around in my hard drive since last 3 weeks. Did not even care to go for it, even though Min-Choi was in it, and today I wanted to see a Korean flick, and bang!

The story has shades of 'The Infernal Affairs' trilogy, yet it differentiates itself with its characters and screenplay. It is enjoyable to watch. You get to see a lot of twists, more importantly enjoyable twists in this movie. It is shot stylishly and supported by an amazingly haunting background score. Cinematography and art direction are astonishing. It indeed makes you wanna stand in rain in front of the towering skylines of South Korea.

The acting is top notch. Every single major characters have been portrayed by the actors flawlessly. Min-Choi is 'just' and 'corrupted' just like a the 2 sides of a coin, and he gives a solid performance. This guy should go to Hollywood, he will own them. Lee Jeong is the one who plays the protagonist. I was surprised to learn that, this is his first movie ever, and at no point, he looked like a novice. The performance, I enjoyed the most was of, Jeong-min Hwang. As of today. I am a fan of this dude. Every single scene he is in, he steals the show. The friendship between his and the central character kinda managed to squeeze in a tear from my eyes.

This is the best movie I have seen this year. 10 on 10 Period!

Korean cinema has matured immensely over the past decade and 2013 has already seen The Berlin File which I believe would show quite well overseas. New World is perhaps a more domestically oriented movie that would be enjoyed more by those who understand Korean culture, however the casual movie-goer will definitely not be let down.

Take The Departed (Infernal Affairs) and Godfather, mix it in a blender, add a dash of Korean gangster and you've got a slick thriller that offers a bit of the brutal violence Korean cinema is known for as well as some humor. While not as polished as the Berlin File, it's arguably a better movie when it comes to plot.

All in all, it looks like a great start to the year for Korean movies.

A highly gripping portrait of Korean crime syndicate, New World is arguably the best mob film to come out from South Korea since Kim Jee-woon's A Bittersweet Life & is an ingeniously structured, stylishly filmed, firmly composed & violently told cinema that shares a similar thematic structure with Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. Opening with a bloodied face of a person being tortured as he is suspected of being the mole in the gang, this crime-drama sets the tone for what's to come & as the film progresses, becomes more & more engrossing until it all culminates on a rousing high with an expertly executed finale.

The plot covers the conflicts between the police & the mob through the eyes of an undercover cop who has worked his way up over the past 8 years to become the right hand man of the second-in-command for the throne of Goldmoon; the biggest crime syndicate in Korea. When its leader is killed in a car accident, the crime ring is thrown into a succession struggle of which both the police & the mob wants to make the most of and which in the end comes down to our undercover cop, who must finally make a choice that'll decide the fate of this crime organization.

Outstanding well written & directed by Park Hoon-jung who does a superb job in shaping the story & even better at illustrating it on the screen, skilfully photographed too with fine use of close-ups & camera angles, tightly edited as the film flies through its 134 minutes of runtime, spectacularly scored with music making its way in or out of scenes at the right moments & strongly performed by its stellar cast, New World works because of a combination of many things it does right & is one of the best films of last year plus one of the most impressive mob films in a long time. Do not miss it.