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The film may evoke a dark and miserable noir-like mood of Sin City but the genre is contrary to its visual aesthetic. It's quite light, warmhearted and "cute" beyond belief. I would have categorized this in the family genre, but the excessive use of guns at the end crosses it out of that list.
Lee Jee Hoon's acting intensity was not as strong as Kim Sung Kyun but if the intention was to keep the protagonist still lovable despite his sad and dark past, I'd say his performance was jjang! And how can I forget the smarty pants Kim Ha Na(Mal Soon), who shook the protagonist solitary milieu? Her little ways to antagonize Hong Gil Dong was finger cringing and amusing.
Overall, this movie is surprisingly worth watching, especially this holiday season. A time when I want to feel all warm, happy and fluffy. *dreamy
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Making Hong Gildong a detective gave the character a unique kind of appeal compared to how the character was usually written, even more as an eccentric detective that moves like a ghost. Lee Jehoon really brings Hong Gildong's character to life with his portrayal of an eccentric thief-like detective with a mysterious past. Not to mention carrying a painful past.
I love the fact that the movie had Hong Gildong having to go around with two kids on tow in order to locate the person who had ties to his past. Really love the interaction they have between them as Gildong slowly started to open up his heart to the kids despite the kids being the grandchildren of his enemy.
Go Ara was really fit for her role of Chairman Hwang, like she really brings out the classy aura of the person who supported Hong Gildong from the shadows. And I have to say that Kim Sunghyun as the main villain was really cool; like some anime villain archetype, complete with his shiny glasses.
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This review may contain spoilers
Interesting but slow-burn noir film filled with action
The overall vibe of the film is unique and unfamiliar to me. I saw that this movie falls on the noir genre and seems like it was set on an unknown time/era in a completely made up world.At first, I feel like there's a lot of potential about this story however as it turns out I didn't like this movie as much as I expected. The story started of very interesting that's why I kept up with it until the end however it only made me confused really. I hoped that there were more back stories about what's happening or additional details that will let me understand why did those things happened. Why are the villains opting to kill the entire village? What was the real relationship between Hong GilDong and Kang SungIl when they were younger? There were a lot more things that I wished I knew in this film which could've helped me appreciate it more.
There were good points on the movie though that I loved like the casts. I love how the characters were portrayed and the 2 little cute girls that tagged along Hong Gil Dong throughout the movie that melt his heart in the end. The concept of moral ambiguity presented on the movie kept me from wondering how things will turn out in the end. But I feel like for most parts, the movie is overall draggy. There were scenes that I felt insignificant on how things finally worked out in the end.
Mostly, these are my opinions after watching the movie. I feel like the plot become too complicated for me to enjoy it. I personally think that if it didn't involve a big conspiracy of some organization and it focused more on whether Hong GilDong will exact his revenge or not, I probably enjoyed it more. Obviously, I wouldn't want to re-watch this movie again but overall I still think it's a good movie. I'm glad I gave it a try. The action scenes will surely keep you on the edge of your seats and the cute girls will surely melt your hearts.
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