Customer Reviews

The Korean

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This movie was very enjoyable from the very outset. It features some nice action, drama, betrayal and vengeance all blended together that results in an enjoyable viewing.

This film is a solid debut offering by Thomas Dixon. Nothing is horribly bad, but no single aspect is outstanding either. The story starts non-linear then has to transition to linear to explain itself. This lengthened the film by allowing the director/editor to recycle scenes logically. When you are working on a budget that makes sense, however the time flow issue made this feel more like "Pi" and less like "Pulp Fiction".

The lead character did not have much room to act outside of a "stoic" role. Other parts were developed, but Lee remained largely wooden. Having your main character be the deus ex machina for the final reveal sort of requires a two dimensional character, and Lee stays true to that. However the story would have been just as good with more character development and an obvious plan on Lee's part instead of a surprise twist at the end that has become the signature of M. Night Shyamalan. Lee plays a loyal retainer all the way through, almost like Forrest Whitaker in "Ghost Dog" until the end. It is a minor inconsistency in the character, but forgivable.

Nitpicks: The firearms were obviously airguns. This wasn't so bad for the pistols, but the barrel cocking rifle was completely out of place. I'm not sure if the laws in Pittsburg or Pennsylvania made using more realistic props difficult but it was a distracting flaw. This may have been a budget issue. The cliches of the unique item. In any action thriller involving a high priced item in a metallic case the audience never gets to see inside. The Korean does the same. It would be refreshing to violate this principle instead of trying to keep the audience hooked by mere curiosity. It didn't work in "Ronin" or "Pulp Fiction" and it doesn't work here. It just annoys me.

Still, I didn't feel like it wasted my time, and other than the BB gun issue I enjoyed myself.

I had a special interest in The Korean because it was filmed in my hometown and until now I knew nothing of it. The film is played out in a "Memento" type fashion. As the film opens Lee, also known as "The Korean" is taking action against several people whom we soon find out were his partners in crime as they all worked for the same crime boss but it is from there that story begins to use a non-linear narrative that slowly reveals little details on the story, filling us in a piece at a time like a puzzle. A thinking man's action flick for sure, Pittsburgh Grad, Thomas Dixon does a fantastic job telling the story and keeping the audience in suspense in his feature film debut. Obviously this was shot on a very low-budget but you could never tell by watching this flick, all the production values are amazing and the entire cast did a fantastic job playing out their roles. Director, Thomas Dixon also did an excellent job using different settings within the city to help tell his story, each location really helped set the mood required for each scene and gave the film the look needed to pull off a a film like this. The film has enough action to please any fan but there is also a well-written story here as well and the way the film is told it draws you in from the opening frames and never lets up till the end which I thought had a very nice twist to it. I cannot stress enough how impressed as I was with this film, Thomas Dixon is a filmmaker I hope to see a lot more off in the near future, as Writer,Director and Executive Producer on The Korean I thought he has made an incredible debut. If your a fan of films like "Pulp Fiction" then I suggest picking this one up regardless if you are from Pittsburgh or not. The Korean is a stylish action thriller that is both classy and captivating, a gritty tale that gives Tarantino a run for his money. Check back for release dates on when you can own this film on DVD.