Zen Man

Sang H. Kim appears to be the real deal when it comes to teaching the martial arts, but his passion project here demonstrates that he is not cut out to be a filmmaker. This is clearly a niche movie for a niche audience, but in the world of alternative filmmaking, I find myself more attracted to Scott Shaw's disastrous "zen films" than to the weirdness of ZEN MAN. Ambitious beyond its means and boring to a fault, this is the kind of feature that turns viewers off from independent cinema and even tests B-movie fans like me to see it through to the end.

The story: A former martial arts instructor (Kim) becomes embroiled in a revenge scheme involving a drug lord (Richard Dvorak) and the son of a slain student (Grady Justice).

Director/writer/producer/photographer/choreographer/star Kim is the best thing the film has going for it, however meager of an asset that is. There are flashes of ingenuity in all of the jobs he performs, and while an initial viewing may present the film as a jumbled mess, reflection and a second viewing reveal that a lot of his odd choices – especially in the screenplay – actually make sense. With that said, the film as a whole remains a jumbled mess in the worst way. The editing is amateurish, the camera-work is shaky, the acting can be very poor, the pacing meanders, and the screenplay is filled with unnatural dialogue and halfhearted relationships. A scene wherein Kim is somehow able to outrun a jeep on his bicycle and a couple of amazingly complacent executions push the boundaries of absurdity, but I had a hard time caring because of how uninvolving this feature is. I felt no attachment at all to any of the characters and little interest in the plot.

The picture gets a little better in its final 15 minutes, wherein the bulk of the action content is contained. Not unlike other Korean-American masters who have made movies, Sang Kim carries himself with striking poise even when he's not fighting, but when he does do battle, he casts no doubt over his legitimate credentials. However, Kim favors a relatively realistic approach to his fight scenes that limits most brawls to only a few seconds. A couple weapon-filled randoris act as highlights, but in general, the martial arts are not very fulfilling. I understand that they are not supposed to be the centerpiece of the film, but for a movie that needs literally every asset it can get, this is a disappointing exhibition.

I can't recommend this one. There are plenty of better low-budget karate flicks around. Some of them even care about their stories as much as this one apparently does, but handle them with infinitely greater skill. Keep looking!

Zen Man is an intelligent, perceptive and deeply moving film. It is also one of pure enjoyment. Director Sang H. Kim uses a group of gifted actors who are able to find true human emotion in a story that could have been a simple action film, but looks too deeply and evokes too much honest pain. Kim himself plays the Zen-master Han, a man more crippled by guilt than physical injury. There is an unmistakable uniqueness about Kim's performance. His quiet intensity reveals a man shaped by life as lived, by remembered events, fears and feelings, friends and enemies. It is a richly played role by a film-maker at the top of his game. Kim is surrounded by characters of dark intensity, each suffering from abiding anxiety. Antonio's character is heightened by his rage, while June and Priscilla quietly suffer the unavoidable pain of love lost. Zen Man is a wonderful juxtaposition of breathtaking action, difficult questions, and a truly inspired soundtrack. That it takes such a warm and uncompromising look at a modern family with real concerns renders it storytelling at its finest.

I have a few of Mr. Kim's training videos and surprised that he made this movie. His action on the big screen looks fantastic. The spinning kick at the end to the villain's head is awesome. Some other fighters are good too but Mr. Kim's powerful strikes and kicks remind me of Bruce Lee. I read some of the reviews of the movie at Amazon.com and it says if Bruce Lee were still alive he would congratulate Mr. Kim. I agree. He is very authentic. The calligraphy scenes are beautiful contrasting the violent fights. At first, since the title is Zen Man, I expected some of those typical Zen type peaceful Japanese movie. It was surprising that the movie opened with fighting scenes. But now know why. This movie is only 90 minutes long but has all the elements of classic martial arts movies. I look forward to his next movie!