"Amsal" is a very interesting and fun movie, that takes a moment of history to develop an over-convoluted and overstuffed plot that, luckily for the viewer, never lets the pace down and offers twists and surprises all of its running time. It lasts more than two hours, but it feels like way less.
The story seems simple. The Korean resistance gets a team ready to kill a Japanese Commander and his Korean friend. But there is a traitor within the resistance. And a Korean killer for hire. And some other surprises. The plot keeps throwing characters in front of the screen with too much glee and in the first minutes it will be a little bit difficult to follow who is who. Dong-hoon Choi, though, does a great job in keeping the action going and keeping things interesting and twisting enough. The directing style is great (maybe too flashy in some occasions) and it makes the movie feel bigger than it really is.
The action is also well developed. All the action scenes have a great choreography and keep and orchestrated development, with a very smart use of location. On top of all of this, the acting is top notch, Ji-hyun Jun and Jung-woo Ha doing a great job as always. The characters are a little bit archetypal and some of them too black & white, but the actors bring them to life and make the viewer feel empathy for all of them.
"Amsal" is a movie worth seeing. Totally recommended.
The story seems simple. The Korean resistance gets a team ready to kill a Japanese Commander and his Korean friend. But there is a traitor within the resistance. And a Korean killer for hire. And some other surprises. The plot keeps throwing characters in front of the screen with too much glee and in the first minutes it will be a little bit difficult to follow who is who. Dong-hoon Choi, though, does a great job in keeping the action going and keeping things interesting and twisting enough. The directing style is great (maybe too flashy in some occasions) and it makes the movie feel bigger than it really is.
The action is also well developed. All the action scenes have a great choreography and keep and orchestrated development, with a very smart use of location. On top of all of this, the acting is top notch, Ji-hyun Jun and Jung-woo Ha doing a great job as always. The characters are a little bit archetypal and some of them too black & white, but the actors bring them to life and make the viewer feel empathy for all of them.
"Amsal" is a movie worth seeing. Totally recommended.