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It's contrived, preposterous, emotionally manipulative and sappy but such a crowd pleaser. My specs fogged up a few times because of my hot tears.

Even though it was dripping with schmaltz, I still found myself easily lulled into the story. It's a prison story, a family drama, a redemptive drama, an investigative thriller and a court drama, all rolled into one. The strength with the film lies in its excellent ensemble cast of veteran Korean actors and the little girl - a total natural. I love her character's name, Yesung. Pronounce the name a few times in your head... sounds like Jesus? 

Love the scenes in the cell... It's quite ridiculous but the earnest performances are so good, you will easily overlook the preposterous setups and some of the situations are ingeniously funny.

This film was released in Korea early this Jan and has now become the third highest grossing domestic movie of all time, behind The Host (2006) and The Thieves (2012).

So far this year, this is the only film that made me laugh and cry. An excellent film. The perfect film to bring your other half, especially if she's into Korean weepies. Don't be afraid to show up your new age sensitive self dudes

This will make viewers laugh. And this will make viewers cry. Miracle in Cell No. 7 is a heartwarming tale that depicts the relationship between a 6-year old girl & her mentally challenged father who's accused & convicted for a crime he didn't commit. Awaiting the trial, he is assigned Cell no. 7 which consists of the most hardened criminals & unknowingly convinces everyone that he's a good-hearted fellow who couldn't have committed the crime he's accused of. And so, the inmates get together to help him see his daughter again by breaking her in & also start preparing him for his trial.

There is a heavy amount of non-sense & annoyance in the film but there is also a lot of heart that went into its making. Some scenes, no matter how silly or childish, still are able to resonate a feeling of love & the characters look eccentric yet adorable thanks to mesmerizing performances from its cast. The film also carries a huge emotional baggage that is sugar-coated with layers after layers of superbly timed humour but is sure to leave many viewers with tears during its heartbreaking final moments.

On an overall scale, Miracle in Cell No. 7 completely surprised me with its heartfelt narration, plethora of childlike but never childish moments, expert use of slapstick humour, vibrant characters & a heart-winning performances from its cast. It may not be great enough to rank amongst the best films of its genre but its soul is certainly at the right place plus it makes up for an immensely satisfying family drama that will leave most of its viewers with a smile on their face & tears in their eyes. Give it a try.

A true heartfelt comedy. We see a connection between a mentally ill father and his lovingly adorable daughter. A really close one. Although mentally unfit, the emotion and love of the father is undeniable. And then you have a smart and understanding daughter, who loves his father so much and doesn't see her father differently. Behind that, there is a tragically engaging story -- The kind-hearted father, as innocent as he is, accused of murder and rape.

The prison scenes act as an icing to the story. A place so feared and somber, is in fact where most of the comedy takes place. It shows the positive side of a prison life, and that not all prisoners are gangsters or bad. Everyone has a heart, a good one that is. They have made their prison cell a very bearable place. So much that even Ye-Seung, the daughter can hide in it and stay with them.

All characters play very important roles to construct the whole movie. It's fun to watch the prison inmates, all having their very own personality. Ryoo Seung-Yong portrayed the character of the mentally handicapped father very convincingly. And the child actor, Kal So-Won is so cute and sweet and suited her role so much. Even the adult version of the girl turns out to be a real sweetheart and has a very captivating performance.

The movie shows us that you can be someone as high up as a Police Commissioner, but a disgusting personality. Or someone as simple-minded as the father in this story, but with a good heart. Rankings and positions really does not determine a person. Sometimes things are more delightful when it's not complicated, as long as we know to appreciate and cherish all that we have.

This is definitely one of the best Korean movies. Filled with tears and laughters. Yes, you have to prepare some tissues as it gets very teary- eyed towards the end.. and not just once. A fun to watch film from beginning to the end and a compelling drama at the same time, easily grips the hearts of the audience. Very well thought of and extremely well executed. A true gem.

And I am sure most of you will too. The story revolves around the strong family bond between mentally disabled father Yong-gu and his young daughter Ye-sung. Movie begins with a young woman collecting witnesses and later standing in court to reverse a ruling of a case many years ago. In court she starts telling her story and thats when the real part of the movie begins. A mentally disabled man is torn apart from his little daughter as he is wrongfully accused of a unspeakable crime. He is mistreated by police and prison authorities. In jail he is bullied. But slowly he changes the mind of people around him and hatred turns into care. His daughter is smuggled into the prison and it is there father and daughter can meet again. Comic and enjoyable moments take place within the prison walls. The scenes alternate between being very serious and being comic. Both part is very well done. Its is pulled off by excellent acting. Ye-sung is adorable and acting is outstanding for her age. Yong-gu is the child like father whose only concern is welbeing of Ye-sung.

The movie is not flawless. If you really want to, you really can find some of the events and story illogical or impractical. For example how can he be allowed to be the guardian of this daughter in the 1st place? Surely he is not mature enough to raise a child but it seems neighbors, welfare or school must not be ignorant about it.

I found similarity with the movies Life is Beautiful and Green Mile. Life is Beautiful was a story about a child like father and his son and was a comedy set on a very depressing world. In Green Mile the prisoner has a child like innocence and wins the trust of all the guards.

Usually I don't think it is good idea to mix up very polarized genres. Particularly I don't think its a good idea to mix up something very depressing and dark with comedy. Comedy best works standalone or when mixed with Action or Romance. Hence the genres rom-com or action-comedy. I think when you are watching something depressing and when you are presented with a comic moment its not natural to immediately switch to a laughter mode, and the scene is wasted, and hence its not a great idea to do it in the 1st place. But Miracle on Cell No 7 pulls this off wonderfully with its brilliant cast. But it also made me think if this were only father daughter comedy movie only how fun would that be.

Final verdict: I give it a 10/10. Previously shawshank redemption was my favourite 'prison' themed movie. Now its Miracle on Cell No 7. And to those who has already seen the movie.... yes there was one scene which broke me down completely... there are very few movies I have seen that have moved me this much.

It is a hard nut to crack to make the audience shed tears while watching a movie. But for that matter it is much difficult to make the audience cry and laugh simultaneously, but "Miracle in Cell No.7" is one of the highest-grossing Korean films and it can! Lee Yong-gu (Ryu Seung-Ryong),a mentally retarded man, working as a staff parking in a shopping center lives with Ye-sung (Kal So-won), aged 6 years. Yong-gu situation never hinder their happiness as a father and daughter. They come to an unexpected event which brings Yong-gu as deceitfully accused of murder and sexual assault of high rank police officer's daughter in their district. Yong-gu is in the prison while awaiting for verdict and it a death penalty, leaving Ye-sung by herself and had to drop out of school to an orphanage. In cell number 7 Yong-gu has five other inmates, Choi Choon-ho (Park Won-sang), Shin Bong-sik (Jeong Man-sik), Man-bum (Kim Jung-tae), Oldman Seo (Kim Gi-Cheon) and so called cell leader So Yang-ho (Oh Dai-su) who was saved by Yong-gu from an attack, after a long time all realize that there was an incorrect judgment against him. They smuggle Ye-sung to the cell to be able to meet with her father, it subsequently changes the sentiment of Warden Jang Min-hwan (Jung Jin-young) in a sympathetic way, and they began to plan an idea to save Yong-gu, if necessary, all will escape from prison.

Nothing changes for a 6 year old even if his father is mentally retarded and both have the intellect of same age. What really matters is love. The unconditional love between a mentally challenged father and his daughter has been portrayed immaculately.

Ryu Seung-Ryong gives a poignant performance as it takes a lot to be consistent in such a challenging role, his body language perfectly describes a mentally challenged man.

Kal So-Won is very pretty and she steals your heart with her innocent and adorable screen presence.

The ensemble does the job effortlessly like an icing on the cake.

Recommended.

8/10