Bogota: City of the Lost

This Korean film relies heavily on familiar ideas, never truly stepping beyond what feels safe and expected. While it has its moments, much of the story unfolds in a way that lacks originality, making it feel somewhat uninspired.

The characters and situations follow well-worn paths, and the film misses the chance to bring something fresh to the table. With Colombia as its backdrop, there was great potential to create something truly captivating, but instead, the setting feels underused, leaving the impression of a story that could have been much more.

Despite its polished visuals and occasional charm, the film never fully embraces the depth or uniqueness it could have explored. It's an enjoyable watch at times, but ultimately, it feels like a missed chance to create something more memorable.

Saw some stupid reviews spreading negativity on Song Joongki and the film so I had to write a review to discredit the other shortsighted haters writing shallow reviews. First of all, this movie was good. It wasn't great, but it was good, realistic enough, and entertaining. Song Joongki is a great actor and will always be one of the best South Korean actors. Any negative critic about this movie just goes to show lack of understanding of the plot and lack of respect for actors and moviegoers. Not every movie has to be over the top and grandiose. This movie was satisfactory and worth my time and I am glad it's topping the Netflix charts right now.

I like Song Joong-Ki - he is a good actor in the right vehicle - he can do romance and comedy and drama.

He was alright in this - it just didn't call on his acting skills. He was simply called upon to play it tough and intelligent - which he did. What amused me was the fact that he seemed to look younger the older he got.

He arrives with his family in Bogota because his father is useless and has landed them in unpayable debt. Asian parents seem to have no conscience about living off their children.

Guk-Hui soon finds favour with Captain Park who is a Korean immigrant who has risen in the local criminal fraternity. There is a lot of dialogue about trust - nobody trusts each other. Their business is smuggling fake goods to sell in local markets - it seems all Korean immigrants sell fake goods and all Colombian officials and military can be bribed - until they can't.

The story continues with various criminal rivalries which culminate in an assassination attempt on our hero which has a surprising result. Of course the villain is pretty obvious to fans of this genre.

I quite enjoyed it - but it does not sit well with South Korean actors - it's just too familiar fare from Hollywood I suppose.

The ending was as expected. We have seen similar many time before.

The stars are for Song Joong-Ki.

Great locations to visit, bad and poor story. Good production, magnificent locations (you must visit this city at sometime in your life)... but what a bad story, terrible, to tell this type of stories of corruption, smuggling, crime and evil, it could have been told anywhere else in the world, even in South Korea itself. The only real danger in Colombia is that you come here and you don't want to leave. It's a wonderful country and its people are extraordinary. That's the only reality and not what is shown and said in this film. Just ask the millions of tourists who come here throughout the year.

I was really excited about Bogotá: City of the Lost because the story sounded unique-Korean immigrants in Colombia and the struggles they face. But sadly, the movie very quickly failed to meet my expectations.

Instead of telling an interesting story about the connection between Korea and Colombia or developing its characters, it just focused on the usual crime and corruption themes. It felt like the filmmakers relied on clichés instead of offering something new or meaningful-the same old formula used in Hollywood movies about any country south of the U. S.

The story was predictable, and the movie didn't take any creative risks. The overall production was just okay, and at times, it felt like it was mocking Colombia rather than genuinely exploring its issues.

I wanted to like this movie, but in the end, it just didn't deliver on its promise.