Sur la trace du serpent

Was BLOWN AWAY by the visuals - as pretty much everyone else seems to have been - but now that I want to buy it on DVD, it appears there are 2 versions: running time is either 97 min or 112 min. That is a BIG difference, and could go some way to explaining some of the negative comments above - ? You'll remember those seminal scenes for a looong time. Anyone who loves CINEMA should make a point of seeing it.

I saw Nowhere to Hide for the first time just 2 nights ago. I recently discovered the wonders of Korean cinema and I purchased it sight-unseen based on what I had heard about the film. After viewing it I've decided that it's a film in search of a loftier goal.

Visually, Nowhere to Hide is a stunning film. I'm tempted to call it experimental since the goal seems to have been more of an experiment in motion rather than a basic action film. From the opening black and white scene to the ending fight set to that "Holiday(?)" song, NtH is true poetry in motion creating an incredible atmosphere through motion.

Unfortunately I feel that the director, Myung-se Lee, sacrificed artistic storytelling for artistic visuals. The film is as average story-wise as it is beautiful visually with its standard "cops search for killer" plot that never goes beyond the standard fare. It helps that Joon-Hoon Park conveys such an interesting character but I felt that the film still lagged through the middle half.

In the end, despite its shortcomings, I enjoyed Nowhere to Hide. As it stands, NtH is certainly worth seeing at least once but, with more focus on plot, it could have been so much more.

Cinema is images, usually 24 frames per second. Sometimes the story is predominant, sometimes not. What will I remember of this film in 10 years? Probably not much of the story line. But I'll remember: the super-saturated yellow of the autumn leaves; the rain falling on the 40 Steps during the murder scene; the starburst "wipe" in the first reel (I've seen iris shots, and Kurosawa wipes from left to right & right to left, I've seen wipes spiralling from a center point out,I may have seen top to bottom and/or bottom to top wipes - but never one like this); the inserts of what appeared to be color sketchings of characters inbetween live-action shots near the film's beginning; the strobe-like black & white shots at the disco and the balletic brawl on the rooftop among the billowing sheets.

Style over substance? Perhaps. But mighty impressive style.

This is an enjoyable, fast-paced action movie that's shot in a frenetic style that almost reminded me of "Run Lola Run". Joong-Hoon Park stars as Woo - the likeable yet violent, dopey yet determined Inchon detective who organizes a manhunt of a cold-blooded killer. The story is routine, yet the visuals and the characters in it are wonderful. Some of the images are beautiful (like the wait leading up to the murder at the beginning of the movie, and the snowstorm later on, and especially the fight during the rainstorm), some are hilarious (such as Woo's brawl with Meathead).

The only time the movie seemed to flag for me was when Woo's partner develops a conscience after killing a suspect in self-defense.

That's the rating this film has received so far?! I guess this really is a love-it-or-hate-it film; but I watched it twice in two nights without the benefit of English subtitles, that should tell you something. Even without understandable dialogue it's funny, exciting, and even a bit challenging. It's nice to see a film with artistic merit that isn't afraid to be entertaining. The film's unusual fight scenes are really something to see; at times it appears that the director just let the actors fight while the camera ran, sometimes for up to a minute at a time without any cuts. I can't recommend it enough. I imagine being able to understand it could only be an improvement.