The Man from Nowhere (2010)

WARNING:
Keep in mind, "The Man From Nowhere" has considerably more blood, gore, and violence than most movies. It didn't bother me, but if you have a weak tolerance to these things, then this movie may not be very pleasant for you.

Originally, I was looking for a movie to watch to kill some time.
I kept scrolling down and down but nothing really caught my eye. "Sunny" sounded ok, and "The Man From Nowhere" was even better; still not quite what I wanted, but the options were starting to get pretty slim; and since it was ranked #2, I decided to trust the statistics.
Now I feel EXTREMELY guilty that I was so hesitant to watch this movie. I should not have taken it so lightly.

In the beginning I kept thinking how this movie reminded me of the Hollywood movie "Taken". They both have a lot of fast-paced action, a sense of justice, a feeling of wanting to protect something important, and a seriously kick-ass hero to dish it out. :)
(though in my personal interest, Won Bin is quite a bit more attractive than Liam Neeson;))

I loved the little girl~! I couldn't help it. She was adorable ^^
More than that, this movie would be nothing without her.

Won Bin did an incredible job. I haven't seen very many Korean movies, but I honestly believe he could be the best actor in Korea, and one of the best in the world.
Amazing, I'm telling you, amazing.

This movie made me laugh, and made me cry. That's not something you can do easily in action movies:)

Now, I think I'm going to go watch it again :D

Read More

So I've been really curious about Won Bin all through this time while watching Korean dramas. I've only watched him in a supporting role in Autumn in my Heart and while I thoroughly enjoyed his role, I always wondered what made him click so much with the Korean audience (and the audience all over the world, as a matter of fact). I mean, if we look at it statistically, Won Bin has barely done any dramas beyond the 90s and has only done a handful of movies but if you look out for best actors in Korea, his name tends to come on top.

It' the quality effect indeed. He has done some really good movies and The Man From Nowhere is a great example of his less-in-quantity-more-in-quality movies. I loved this movie. It was thrilling and touching all at once. A man going all the way to save a little girl because she's his friend. And the man cannot be stopped! He's a freaking one-man army, who won't stop until he wants to. What a great plot! I was on the edge of my seat throughout the movie and the ending made me cry. Well, almost since I don't cry that easily. The ending was a little different from what I expected but it was a good ending.

The rewatch value is the only thing that is not a ten for me. That's mostly because you know how the movie will progress and that steals a bit of the excitement. But the action scenes are simply WOW. The lead character is so strong and invincible, but he doesn't care about glory.

Read More

The main reason why I started watching this was because everyone on MDL is always recommending it, as well as it being one of the top movies ranked on MDL. I was going on a trip so I stockpiled a few of the top movies and throughout my trip I watched them. I watched The Man From Nowhere or Ahjussi on the plane yesterday and this is what I thought of it...


Story 9/10 : The general story is actually not that original. I've seen many American movies like it (for example Denzel Washingtons' Man On Fire). However, that doesn't lower the entertainment value of this film. This films story has you on the edge of your seat for the ENTIRE film. The scriptwriter(s) deserve much praise.

Acting 10/10 : They were all perfect. Everyone was perfect. I would not have changed any ANYBODY.

Music 7/10: The music was good, but it wasn't anything that I will remember. It served its purpose perfectly, and enhanced the effects of the movie. It's not an OST I will look up and listen to again later.

Rewatch Value 6/10 : This is probably the highest rewatch value i've given to any movie. I'm not someone who rewatches movies or dramas. This movie is action packed, so it should allow for a good rewatch. However, the amount of entertainment you get from this movie does hinge on its twist and turns so that might detract from its rewatch value.

Overall 10/10 : This is a great movie that I'd recommend to people OVER 18. It does have graphic violence and slight nudity. Overall, this is one of the best Asian movies that i've ever seen.

Read More

First off, if you like to watch action packed movies full of suspense then don't wait and watch this right now! ^.^

However if you still need a reason or as to why you should watch this movie then keep reading. This movie is truly amazing and will make you fall in love with the main character. Throughout the entire movie he is cool and calm. The music is intense and calm when it needs to be. The story is pretty original. So, in a nutshell lost girl and guy comes saves him, but there is just so much more than that.

Things that I liked:

- The Main character is truly the main attraction. He is an upholder of justice with a cool and calm attitude

- The action combined with the story make you more excited than ever

Things that i hated:

- This movie is for the mature audiences(noted)so, there are scenes where you will feel that humans are truly trash.



Really though, I recommend this movie to anyone that truly wants to watch an action packed movie filled with an amazing main character and suspense filled story. Actually I recommend it to anyone that wants to watch a great movie ^.^

Read More

This movie was just so amazing and was put together so well that it left me wanting another one or to at least watch it again because this movie is just so captivating. From the beginning to the end it will have your full attention. The cast was so fantastic that I even liked the bad guys because they acted so well and were so in grossed with their characters. This is the first Korean action movie that I saw and actually really liked and would recommend to anyone that likes Thrillers, Action, Love , Drama , Friendships , and Break Throughs. I really recommend this movie to anyone that has made their way to this movie. Don't think about what's going to happen in the end and if it's going to be sad or not because when you sees the movie it wont matter how the ending is because it just makes sense and fits perfectly. Trust me you will most defiantly not be disappointed.

Read More

Two reviews, two comparisons.

The movie made me think of Luc Besson's "Leon", one of my favourite films ever. The feel is the same, and so is the awkward yet deeply touching relationship between Tae-shik and So-mee.



Won Bin's performance is superb, his misery and loneliness enphasized by the constant darkness of the setting and the few sharp lines he is asked to deliver. But just as brilliant is the kid's acting and that of the two schizoid criminals with their dark humour, one lamenting the blood on his Dolce & Gabbana's shirt, the other toying with eyeballs.



Stay away from it if you are easily disturbed by blood. This movie is violent and pretty graphic, and the ethic underneath the blood shoking and insufferable. The Korean police are doing what they always are in Korean films: nothing. Except being activated to a frenzy by the only hero of the story.

At times, one wishes one could enter the screen ad shake some sense into the police force. I can only hope this is a dramatic device, more than a window on reality.



The action scenes are brilliantly enacted, with enough close cut shots to make them believable and felt.

Overall a superb movie, not to be watched while eating, though.

Read More

Holy Shit. The movie is the most badass, most action packed revenge movie I have ever seen. This movie is right now my top favourite movie. The main actor....my goodness the main actor acts so well in this movie. He plays the character so right. I hope he won many awards because of this. But he's not the only fantastic actor. The child actress is fantastic. Its funny, I expect children to be horrible actors/resses but this little girl was so believable. I'm amazed. The story is well written and by well written I mean f****** amazing. If you haven't watch this movie, this should be top on your list of movies to watch. Watch it.

Read More

I watched this a long time ago. And I'm still wondering why not many people have watched it. It's totally action-packed. And yes it's about a guy who comes outta nowhere to save a little girl. He's not a pervert though. (i don't know where that came from)

Anyway. The story was perfect, acting Won Bin stole my heart there and then. First time seeing him in action and I would definitely watch anything action-packed with him in it.

Many of you won't watch it because of 'violence'. But I'd say you should definitely give it a try because you're missing out on a lot and you don't even know it.

Read More

I watched this long time ago,This was Really such an amazing movie,it had a good & a touching plot, the events did go in real good pace!!! C:

All actors were good(the actors that played the villains adapted real good & synched to their character -if you saw them in other shows it's like they were possessed or something-),
The actor (Won Bin) was so good; he got the right feelings playing this character, it was so touching. XD

I watched this movie about 5 times till now, & I recommended it to my friends, I plan to watch it again!! :)

I didn't feel bored not even a sec!!! THIS IS A MUST SEE :')

Read More

This movie shows the dregs of society. There are gangsters, organ harvesting, drugs, child abuse and violence. If you are a person that is easily shocked, then you might want to skip this movie. I loved it. Tae Sik is a character that is afraid to love. His character has many deep layers of emotion and Won Bin portrays them all very well. The little girl Kim Sae Ron who plays So Mi is perfect. I hope that she keeps it up and I get to see her in many more dramas in the future. The bad guys do a great job too. I really hated them. The actions scenes are awesome. If you like action packed movies with a touching plot, then this is definitely a movie that you should watch.

Read More

Just saw this movie through those recs that I have read. Well, as a viewer and a Kdrama-movie addict, I got curious and told myself "why not give it a try." Aside from the recs I read, I also learned that this movie(recent movie as rated) is on the number 3 spot. I just got more curious about it. So I scrolled my mouse looked for it to watch. As I was watching it, I was already hooked with the little girl's acting skills,(cried most of the time because of her). She really did a superb acting,just so natural. Also credits to Won Bin, I thought he was so effortless when he cried and act just like a pawnshop owner who was a former agent. That's why I gave the cast a perfect 10! Next is the story, well, I really thought that it was unique combined with action, love and friendship. It was my first time to watch this kind of movie so I was impressed a lot! I only gave 8 to the music coz to tell you honestly I forgot already the OSTs maybe they weren't remarkable. Next is the rewatch value, I can't be able to watch it again coz of too much torturing scenes and unlikeable scenes (which are totally gross). And I suggest you,viewers, to watch this movie coz it's a tearjerking one and inspirational at the same time.

Read More