Tag Archives: Thriller

The Two Faces of January (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Triangle in Greece

Posted on September 14, 2014 by kaist455

 During the summer of 2009, I happened to read three Tom Ripley novels written by Patricia Highsmith, and it was one of the most entertaining reading experiences I have ever had. While it was chillingly compelling to see how its … Continue reading →

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Haemoo (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Voyage of the Desperate

Posted on August 16, 2014 by kaist455

 South Korean film “Heamoo” feels so real at times that it did not take much time for me to get involved in its shabby main characters and their dark, harrowing drama. I could sense their gloomy life with no bright … Continue reading →

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A Most Wanted Man (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): It’s still cold and melancholic out there

Posted on August 10, 2014 by kaist455

“Spying is waiting.”   – from “The Russia House” by John le Carré When I read John le Carré’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” for the first time around 1993, I was not very impressed by that novel. … Continue reading →

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The Double (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : An unremarkable life intruded by the double

Posted on June 18, 2014 by kaist455

 Three weeks ago, I watched Denis Villeneuve’s “Enemy”(2013), an odd movie about a man shocked and then disturbed by the discovery of someone who looks exactly like him. And now I have watched “The Double”, whose story also deals with … Continue reading →

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A Hard Day (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4) : It is indeed a very hard day for him

Posted on June 1, 2014 by kaist455

 It is indeed a very hard day for him. His wife has left him, and his mother died recently, and his career is tumbled into a big jeopardy, and now he also gets himself into another serious trouble which is … Continue reading →

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Enemy (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Cold, abstract bafflement surrounding two dopplegangers

Posted on May 28, 2014 by kaist455

 It is both creepy and fascinating to encounter someone who looks exactly like you, and that is the main source of intrigue and tension in Denis Vilenueve’s little moody film “Enemy”. We know that something bad is going to happen … Continue reading →

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The Target (2014) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Less speedy and less efficient

Posted on May 1, 2014 by kaist455

 Judged on its technical aspects, South Korean film “The Target” is not a bad action thriller film, but I could not concentrate well on it although the movie was not as tedious as I worried. It is a competent remake, … Continue reading →

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Point Blank (2010) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Passable but efficient

Posted on April 27, 2014 by kaist455

As revisiting French action thriller film “Point Blank”, I thought about how familiar a certain thriller premise is. In many thriller films like this one, an ordinary guy suddenly finds himself being blackmailed to do something not so good while … Continue reading →

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Grand Piano (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A deadly comeback concert

Posted on April 16, 2014 by kaist455

 While many thriller movies try to play audiences like piano, “Grand Piano” tries to play not only its audiences but also a real piano at the center of its plot. Its premise is preposterous to say the least, but this … Continue reading →

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Lebanon Emotion (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : An odd, somber mix of romance and thriller

Posted on March 29, 2014 by kaist455

 “Lebanon Emotion”, a South Korean independent film which was released in South Korea early in this month, quietly meanders around its background at first and then goes into an unexpected direction through its odd, somber mix of romance and thriller. … Continue reading →

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