William_Hunt

I liked the visual style a lot, the movie bathes in a red glare, amazing graceful photography shown at a wonderful slow pace. But Winding Refn surrendered substance and depth for style. The plot is underdeveloped and it doesn't leave much room for any emotional impact. It's a very violent film, even much more than Drive, but the violence doesn't bring any added value, it merely serves entertainment purposes. This certainly won't win any major prizes in Cannes although it may have a very small chance at the best cinematography prize there but I suspect that will go to either Sorrentino's 'La Grande Bellezza' or 'Inside Llewin Davis' of the Coen brothers. The acting performance of rising Canadian star Ryan Goslin is again very solid with very little dialogue. I was less fond of Kristin Scott Thomas in one of the other lead roles. The characters could have really been better developed. It's a very moody, stylish crime story that's too artistic to be just called a genre film, that (plus the slow montage) could be a problem when this plays in mainstream cinema complexes where people with a limited attention span won't like this. Overall it's a bit disappointing but worth to see, if only for the photography.

Bin Jip (Empty House in Korean) is a timeless classic and certainly one of the 5 best movies ever made. Kim Ki Duk again uses a spiritual theme, this time Metaphysics. The movie can be interpreted in multiple ways. Is it a daydream, if so of which character or did it really happen or is it part dream / part reality? Apart from the unique story, the acting is amazing (the actors never speak but yet carry so much emotion) and the photography eye dropping. Add to that a wonderful soundtrack of Natasha Atlas and U have a highlight in cinematic history. Apart from a very philosophical film, this is one of the most touching love stories ever made.