Finding out recently that a poll was to be held on IMDb's Classic Film board for the best titles of 2003,I felt that it would be an excellent time to take a close at what was taking place in Korean and Japanese cinema at the time.Searching round for titles on Amazon UK,I stumbled across a film that appeared to be a very gritty Action Thriller,which led to me jumping straight on the Tube.
The plot:
Ever since failing to capture the terrorists who killed his wife and cut off one of his fingers, police officer Jay has found himself being stuck with the task of keeping guard at the city's major Tube station. Determined to capture all pick-pockets red handed,Jay finds himself questioning his chosen path,when he runs into a woman called Kay who is a new thief on the scene.As he attempts to find out more about the mysterious Kay,Jay's (paternal) blossoming romance is stopped in its tracks,when a gang of terrorists jump on and hijack the train.Getting on the Tube just at the last moment,Jay soon discovers that this Tube journey will be one that goes back to the worst moments in his life.
View on the film:
Making his debut,writer/director Woon-Hak Baek gives the film a firm stylish sheen,with Baek smartly using wide angles so that the cast (which includes beautiful Doona Bae as Kay) rough'n'tumble stunts can be clearly seen,whilst also giving the movie a metallic appearance,which helps to create a sly man v machine sub-theme.Despite displaying a good eye for stylish visuals,Baek sadly shows that he is unsure about how hard he should press down on the titles Thriller moments,with Baek using a 'pause' effect so that the viewer can feel the impact of every hit,which disappointingly leads to the Action-Thriller moments feeling very stop-start.
Matching the tone set out in his directing,Baek initially makes the screenplay's appearance to be one which will offer a wonderful fast paced Action-Thriller experience,with Baek using the romance between Jay and Kay (whose Eng Sub versions may have been named after the Men In Black!) to give the title a striking off-beat feel.As the tube starts to cross its near 2 hour journey,Baek tragically misses a number of 'stops' which would have allowed the movie to end on an up-hill high note.Instead,Baek decides to overly extend every one of the possibly thrilling twists well beyond there natural stopping point,which leads to this Tube journey being one that ends up going on permanent strike.
The plot:
Ever since failing to capture the terrorists who killed his wife and cut off one of his fingers, police officer Jay has found himself being stuck with the task of keeping guard at the city's major Tube station. Determined to capture all pick-pockets red handed,Jay finds himself questioning his chosen path,when he runs into a woman called Kay who is a new thief on the scene.As he attempts to find out more about the mysterious Kay,Jay's (paternal) blossoming romance is stopped in its tracks,when a gang of terrorists jump on and hijack the train.Getting on the Tube just at the last moment,Jay soon discovers that this Tube journey will be one that goes back to the worst moments in his life.
View on the film:
Making his debut,writer/director Woon-Hak Baek gives the film a firm stylish sheen,with Baek smartly using wide angles so that the cast (which includes beautiful Doona Bae as Kay) rough'n'tumble stunts can be clearly seen,whilst also giving the movie a metallic appearance,which helps to create a sly man v machine sub-theme.Despite displaying a good eye for stylish visuals,Baek sadly shows that he is unsure about how hard he should press down on the titles Thriller moments,with Baek using a 'pause' effect so that the viewer can feel the impact of every hit,which disappointingly leads to the Action-Thriller moments feeling very stop-start.
Matching the tone set out in his directing,Baek initially makes the screenplay's appearance to be one which will offer a wonderful fast paced Action-Thriller experience,with Baek using the romance between Jay and Kay (whose Eng Sub versions may have been named after the Men In Black!) to give the title a striking off-beat feel.As the tube starts to cross its near 2 hour journey,Baek tragically misses a number of 'stops' which would have allowed the movie to end on an up-hill high note.Instead,Baek decides to overly extend every one of the possibly thrilling twists well beyond there natural stopping point,which leads to this Tube journey being one that ends up going on permanent strike.