Tag Archives: Thriller

Drug War (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A treacherous game amidst cops and criminals

Posted on August 3, 2013 by kaist455

Good thrillers grip my attention at some point around the beginning and never let it go until the end credit. In case of Johnnie To’s crime noir thriller “Drug War”, it was one of its early scenes. A cop chases … Continue reading →

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Snowpiercer (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : A dark journey on the New Ice Age Express

Posted on August 1, 2013 by kaist455

I know it is a cliché, but I must say this; “Snowpiercer” is something we do not come across often in the movie theaters nowadays. This is a smart, compelling science fiction film which can intrigue us with its futuristic … Continue reading →

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Eye in the Sky (2007) ☆☆☆(3/4) : See everything – remember everything

Posted on July 30, 2013 by kaist455

Early in this month, I watched South Korean thriller film “Cold Eyes”, and I was excited by its thrilling story about the secret surveillance police team and the professional criminals they chase after. While being a well-made genre film with … Continue reading →

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The Terror Live (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A thriller trapped on live

Posted on July 28, 2013 by kaist455

 South Korean thriller film “The Terror Live” throws us straight into its deadly situation right from its opening scene, and it stays on this situation within its limited space from the beginning to the end. This is a familiar premise … Continue reading →

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Pluto (2012) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : They are all expendable

Posted on July 14, 2013 by kaist455

While I went through the South Korean education system, exam scores had been always important to me and others. My teachers and parents always emphasized that I should get scores as high as possible in every exam, and I was … Continue reading →

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Cold Eyes (2013) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : Be careful – and be watchful

Posted on July 3, 2013 by kaist455

“Cold Eyes” is a pure exercise in thriller and professionalism. It is a taut, efficient work not wasting any minute throughout its 2-hour running time, and we are entertained by its main characters defined and driven by their professionalism. Everything … Continue reading →

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Side Effects (2013) ☆☆☆(3/4) : Something doesn’t feel right

Posted on June 8, 2013 by kaist455

 Something doesn’t feel right, and you wonder what it is as you are drawn to the ambiguous tone during the first half of “Side Effects”. Its story is one of those standard thriller plots frequently going beyond the realm of … Continue reading →

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The Woman in the Fifth (2011) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A writer blocked in ambiguous melancholy

Posted on April 30, 2013 by kaist455

 If you appreciate that subtly unsettling mood of “The Woman in the Fifth”, you may forgive the baffling conclusion of its mystery plot. I do not think I understand or discern everything in this puzzling film, but I did not … Continue reading →

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Broken City (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : It’s a corrupted city – no surprise

Posted on April 5, 2013 by kaist455

One of the usual symptoms of being a seasoned movie addict is that you sometimes make a certain list in your mind before you appreciate genre films. The list consists of many genre conventions and clichés you may have heard … Continue reading →

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Shadow Dancer (2012) ☆☆☆(3/4): A desperate mother forced into tricky circumstance

Posted on March 31, 2013 by kaist455

While its story has a specific background, “Shadow Dancer” focuses on the universal human toil observed inside the murky world where trust can be dangerous and expose can be fatal. It is a slow, quiet thriller which may require you … Continue reading →

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