Review of The Man from Nowhere

You have to remember that there is a school of thought that suggests that martial arts were invented in Korea. Whether you buy that premise or not, you can be assured they take their action movies seriously. On paper the notion of a mysterious pawnbroker with an unknown past, who just wants to be left alone, who befriends the child of a local party-girl .. well, it does not prepare you for this adventure. In truth, this film has more in common with Matt Damon as Bourne than any other recent American film I can think of. He is polite, he is pleasant, but you push this guy the wrong way and, bang, the bodies just start to pile up. No question some B-level Hollywood shop will go for the fast dollar and do a remake. But this will always be the one to watch. **Updated May 2015 ** In 2013, I said the Hollywood version was a lock. I was right. It was called The Equalizer and starred Denzel Washington. It was a combination of this story and the old TV series of the same name. In the final scene of this US version (which many missed) the writers left the door open for a sequel or even a franchise, which appears to have been greenlighted as I pen these words. And I was right about something else -- this version is still better. See it. ****

***UPDATE MAR 2021 *** In the decade since this was done, Korean TV or KDRAMAS have improved in quality to the point where they are considered the best written TV in the world. Many of the emotional beats found in MFN are visible in the KDRAMAS, proving that the unique blend of action and emotion here was not accidental, Korea has some of the best screenplay writers on the planet. ***