Yesterday

If you fully understand the complexities of the plot of `Yesterday,' a new Korean sci-fi action movie, you deserve some sort of medal.

I'll try my best, though. There is a serial killer on the loose killing scientists. This leads to an investigation led by Seok (Seung-woo Kim), who accidentally shoots his kidnapped son, who was trying to escape the clutches of the killer. Later, the chief of police is kidnapped, and her daughter joins in the investigation. She is well trained and ambitious, like Clarice Starling without the emotion.

That is only the film's set up. Later (or earlier. or somewhere along the line) we are introduced to the concept of cloning, and the rights of the clones. This concept, as well as the visual appearance of the futuristic city that the film takes place in, is inspired, to say the least, by `Blade Runner,' which had androids instead of clones.

The film is directed by Yun-Su Jeon, a man with a good eye for visuals; the film looks fine. The problem with the film, it seems, is it tries to do to much; there is a lot of action, shooting and explosions, sometimes during battles where I was not even entirely sure who was fighting whom, and why they were bothering, and there is also a look at cloning in the future, as well as a sort of study into the personalities of the main characters. While I admire films that mix intelligence and ideas with action (`Minority Report,' the best film of last year, is a fine example), I think I need to have some time to breathe, and I also need to be able to know exactly what is going on. Keeping up with the plot is even more exhausting than keeping up with the action.

`Yesterday' is set mainly in 2020, in a unified Korea. It begins though, in 1990, where the scientists who are later to be killed off are picked for a special project, and some children disappear. The film starts off with a fight scene that made me think of the madness of `Black Hawk Down.' The confusion was part of the point of `Black Hawk Down,' here it is a distraction that takes much of the thrill (and all of the suspense) from the action scenes.

`Yesterday' requires a lot of attention and thought to follow the story, but it isn't really worth it. Yun Su-Jeon, I'm sure, has good films in him; what he needs to do now is find a story that he can explore more fully, without losing the audience. The film has split audiences in Korea. I do not hate it, but I did not particularly enjoy the experience of watching it; I ended up admiring aspects of it rather than enjoying it. I was looking at it rather than watching it.

While I think there could be a perfectly good character study about clones set in the future, or a perfectly good action films set in a world with clones and complex characters, the film tries to be both, never quite choosing what its main ambition is. Is it just trying to tell a story in its own way? Maybe, and maybe you'll enjoy its story, if you can keep up. I tried my best to, but didn't find the experience particularly rewarding.

** (out of 5)

YESTERDAY is a South Korean movie, so right away you know that despite the flashy visuals and the high production values that most of the characters, especially the lead villain and the lead female, will walk around and talk like they just came from a funeral. I mean, this IS South Korea cinema, folks. If the entire industry is known for one thing, it's their drama, which because of its inherently understate and amazingly low-energy, most WEsterners mistake for subtlety. It's NOT subtlety, it's just WHO THEY ARE.

Which is why YESTERDAY isn't any better than just good. Despite the BLADE RUNNER-esque background and high octane action, the movie is so lacking in energy, that you wonder why they bother with these type of "HOllywood blockbuster" movies in the first place. I mean, can't these actors muster up SOME energy for the role? If you compare YESTERDAY to, say, MINORITY REPORT, it's like comparing a funeral (YESTERDAY) to MINORITY REPORT (roller coaster ride). Do you see the difference? And both movies are pretty much great to look at!

So there you go. If you want a thrill ride actioner, go with Hollywood. If you want a slow, "it's real because everyone looks like they're about to commit suicide" drama, then watch a South Korean movie. But a South Korean sci-fi Actioner? Forget about it!

YESTERDAY is one of the many South Korean movies that have stepped up to the plate visually speaking, but its biggest obstacle is that it's still a South Korean movie. The result is extremely well done special effects coupled with low-energy acting more suitable for dramas, not a sci-fi movie about exploding buildings and wild gunfights.

The movie works on an action level, because the actors are not required to "act". When the drama kicks in, the movie is so low-energy that it's hard to sit through the scenes without falling asleep.

A good idea ruined by some unsuitable acting style. Some more urgency would have helped tremendously. In the end, the blame goes to the director, who failed to inform his actors that they were in a sci-fi film, not an arthouse drama.

5 out of 10

(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie or reviews of other foreign films)

Set in the not so distant future on the Korean Peninsula, Yesterday tells a crime thriller story. The chief of the police gets kidnapped right in front of his daughter. A special investigations unit is put on the case and slowly an old mystery starts to emerge, as well as a mysterious link between the daughter and the leader of the SI unit.

The biggest problem this film has is its utter incapability to engage its viewers. Things happen on the screen, but you're constantly lost in time and space. Scenes don't flow smoothly from one to another, you're never quite sure where anything is happening. The dialogues are also more than a bit stunted and none of the characters are given any meaningful backstory. Most of them are there to look cool and pull off stunts. The two main leads (played by Seung-woo Kim and Yunjin Kim) have to be given something, but even that is so cardboard textbook that you instantly file it away and forget about it.

And actually, that's another huge problem. It's been a few days after I saw the film and I literally had to go and read the plot summary to even remember what this movie was about. I can remember four characters (the film had dozens all told), perhaps a scene or two, and after reading the summary, I'm sort of clear on what happened. Can't remember the ending at all, though.

If I had to find one thing to praise... The special effects were okay, as were some of the stunts, the first scene had some promise and it honestly looked like some of the actors were honestly trying. The script just wouldn't let them.

So yeah, hard skip for this one.

it seems south korea has become the major market for good, fun action movies. we've seen a couple of good ones since "shiri" came along. "yesterday" is no exception. tight, powerful action sequences bound together by a futuristic plot, with art direction a la "blade runner" make this movie a contender for one of the best action films of the past years. "yesterday" has the sense to be contemporary, thrilling and without resolving to unnecessary subplots - it is clean, pure fun. lovers of asian action cinema- you will not be disappointed!!!