The action scenes in this movie had plenty of bone crushing, face pummeling and bloody stabbing of fighters. The characters were brutal at times. It was evident why Lee Beom Soo, as the underground gambler, had the nickname of Killer. He was merciless as the bad guy. All of the characters had nicknames very telling of their role or position. I thought the names were a bit obvious and wondered if it was a joke of the writer but at the same time it was entertaining. I especially liked Tricks, one of the players that Tae Seok recruits in his quest for vengeance. He was a somewhat comedic and light hearted relief to the graphic fight scenes and the more serious baduk game playing.
I am not familiar with the game of baduk so this backdrop of the movie was interesting. I imagine it is like chess. It seemed to involve extreme strategy. I would think a professional player must be able to foresee an unfathomable amount of scenarios of stone placement to excel at the game. I wonder if some of the scenes in the movie would have been more suspenseful if I could understand what was happening on the game board. I felt I got the general idea by watching the faces and actions of the players but I think I was a step behind someone who actually knows how the game is played. It was fascinating to see how intelligent a person must be to play this game. I thought the movie portrayed the sense of that very well.
The thing I enjoyed the most about this movie was the journey of Tae Seok while taking his revenge. His gathering of players to go against the gambling establishment reminded me of the Ocean’s Eleven movies. (Not that their motivation was the same but the gathering of various talents to beat an opponent was the same.) The build up of his plans and getting them in motion was in itself a big game. Tae Seok’s calm and focused demeanor as he goes about his retribution was a good watch. I thought the movie was clever and the exacting of his vengeance was fitting.
If I had an issue with the film it would be that the characters and some of their relationships could have been explored more in-depth. There isn’t much background or development to several characters or the relationships they have to one another. I had to fill in the blanks and infer several things while watching. I would have liked a clearer explanation to several points in the story.
The movie played at a quick pace and there was never a moment I felt it drag. I was actually surprised when the ending came. I really enjoyed this film, it could have been longer and it would have been fine with me.
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The rest of the movie, well I wasn't really into it.. Not that it was bad, I bet a lot of people will love it but I don't know, I felt like something was missing.. I mean, I think that the best part of the movie is set between the 15-20th first minutes to I'd say almost the 50th minutes and after that I expected so much and I didn't find the same feeling I had during the beginning...
Do not get me wrong, I loved this movie, there was lots of things I really liked !!! I particularly loved so much the characters in the entourage of Jung woo sung !!! Awesome Ahn Kil Kang, Daebak Ahn Sung Ki and funky Lee Bum Soo !! ^^ I not so much like the girl and I found the romance part particularly boring and totally useless. The big bad guy was a real mean, unscrupulous, ruthlessly asshole guy. Choi Jin Hyeok is pretty good in his way, we easily hate him without any remorse and I was surprised by his acting (in a good way).
The music really well suit each scene, I didn't expect less from the Koreans who always have one of the best ost ever.
The action, fighting scenes were amazing even if I think there might be a little too much blood. (Sensitive people, be careful.)
In the end I had a great time especially thanks to Jung woo sung and his special awesome team but I do have some regrets...
We were introduced to an awesome interesting mysterious character but never happen to really know about him and I missed that. And I was a little disappointed by a scene which looks Daebak on the trailer and was not so amazing in the movie.... :/
And a good point for the story to be cut in several parts just like the strategies of the go ! Loving it !!
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This review may contain spoilers
u have to really like/enjoy action, and not mind violence - this was over the top for me. first off that brother, what cause he is ur big brother, u just follow blindly?!? and when u get its gambling, u stay?!? that was kinda asking for it. what i really disliked was the bad-guys then beating the sh*t out of both brothers, like weren't y'all doing the same thing?!? heck y'all worse, as they had two people working the board. yeah i know i'm the weirdo that is looking for logic and fairness from "bad-guys" but there u have it.stumbled upon this as saw a new update here for "The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful", and as also watching "Mystery Queen" with Kwon Sang Woo was gonna check it out (as total enjoying him), but as the movie was the sequel though better start from the beginning. not that i know what to expect even after watching this.
Jung Woo Sung is hot and saw somewhere a comment that he looks like Tom Cruise - like Noooo he way hotter. but beside looking good - he a great actor. even though this isn't my cup-of-tea. it wasn't boring.
but wondering why Tae Seok chose to befriend Navel, cause she the only female in this movie of legal age (that he could get down and dirty with?) cause she was with the bad-guys and she was the one that brought them down?!? the fact that she wasn't down with the others beating them doesn't make her blameless... of course u can say she was forced into working for Sal Soo... donno that just felt like filler, so we would have a romantic moment. which wasn't needed.
the other point that bothered me was his not taking his nephew with him, as he was living with the grandmother - and she didn't seem kind and cozy plus her threat, so he wont play the game that destroyed her family - painted a bleak pic of this kids life (maybe i'm reaching) but if he already got a kid, he needs to look after why not two... ah whatever...
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This review may contain spoilers
Don't mistake it to be a simple sports movie
What seems to be a plain game of 바둑 (baduk) can turn out to be deadly, and with a sprinkle of revenge story, this is basically the movie's synopsis.I don't have any prior knowledge with baduk. I don't know what I was getting into watching this film except that I just want to watch Jung Woo-sung in my screen. In this movie, he may be playing a "nerdy" character but his body build is too obvious that he is strong physically, even on the first few minutes when his character seemed to be weak. Still, I just can't help but woo.
The introduction was just very gory to witness. The neck slashing, physical and emotional torture, and violence can make one turn off watching the rest of this movie. It really needs guts to be able to proceed watching the next scenes, since the amount of violence greatly increases later on.
When Tae-seok (Jung Woo-Sung) was released from jail after 7 years for being framed up on his brother's death, he was prepared to seek revenge. The preparation for said revenge was amply shown, and it followed several tactics and mind games used in the baduk game itself. I found it to be clever, but still understandable for those without baduk knowledge like me. The enactment of the first few revenge scenes which were parallel with how they did it to him and his brother was not only brutal, but very deserving of them. Yet despite the initial success and meticulous planning, it still doesn't go well with the plan.
Immense amount of machismo is present which is borderline excessive. The only notable female character Navel (Lee Si-young) had a flat storyline and the reason why she ended up indebted to Sal-soo (Lee Bum-soo) was not totally answered. Furthermore, the romance "plot" with Tae-seok, whether a part of the revenge or real romantic feelings were involved, was unneccesary to the story.
The movie's most exciting part which is the last game between Tae-seok and Sal-soo with the action scenes after, is the highlight by far. The pacing and tension of their every calculated move and the emotional manipulation on both sides were very suspenseful. I was surprised that it ended with a draw, as I thought that the "divine move" will be revealed here. Also, the camerawork (motions and angles) seen in the fighting scenes after that game reminded me of the iconic Oldboy fight scene and it was just very pleasant to watch, although it was very bloody and had overemphasis of stabbing and slashing.
Lastly, the open ending was quite okay though I thought that the second movie focused on this ending. A minor gripe was that Tae-seok could've gotten his nephew given his living situation and not just left him money (who knows how it will be used.) I was slightly disappointed that the "Ghost" that played with Tae-seok while he was at jail wasn't revealed (I thought it was Joo-nim/Drinking Christ) and the "divine move" wasn't really a move. Aside from what I mentioned, the story still ended amicably.
For those who want to watch a nice revenge story with carefully-revealed tactics and mind games (I actually wanted more) added with bloody yet brilliant fighting scenes, this movie is really for you. Please be noted that the script could've been elevated more and do not mistake it to be a simple sports movie, since it is more than that.
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A note, if you are- like myself- squeamish about vomit...beware the marbles scene.
The actors did a great job portraying their characters, although it is a little hard to swallow that Jung Woo Sung is nerdy in the beginning. Sorry, but look at the guy. He's a beast.
If you like gangster themes, violent fights, underdogs who kick ass and lots and lots of blood...this is the movie for you.
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