When I first watched this movie, there were so many different genre elements that I wasn't sure what this movie would be like. It had some emotional drama bits and pieces, some humorous slapstick passages and focuses on the clash between Korean and Japanese culture and finally features a positive conclusion that concentrates on the approach or even slight reconciliation between the ancestral enemies. This cultural aspect gives a unique and interesting touch to the movie and distinguishes it from similar flicks.
The main attention still lies on the thriller genre with a couple of action sequences but this film is a modern and rather stylish flick and doesn't include artistic fighting scenes.
What really ties this diversified movie together are the two unique and very opposite main characters of the Japanese and the Korean police officer and their relationship. The characters are so intense and interesting that the movie could even be describes as a character study or an analysis of the Korean and Japanese culture, mentality and society. They also represent two different kinds of generation and the clash between them. Both actors do a surprisingly great job and I'm looking forward to see other movies featuring the unforgettable Tomoya Nagase and Min-su Choi.
The plot seems rather weak in the beginning and only works with those two brilliant actors and when you don't expect anything special from the seemingly ordinary plot, there is suddenly a big twist and the movie turns out to be a great robbery and even conspiracy flick that had the intention to let us think that the ending would be the ordinary explosive kidnapping story. The showdown is still rather mediocre but this turning point took me by surprise and accelerated the pace of the movie and pardons for some lengths before.
But instead of leading a mediocre plot to a great showdown, the ending sequences alone are the reason why i give seven and not eight points and why this movie is only quite good but not great. Everything is said after the final shooting and even though the characters ultimately develop and approach to each other in the last minutes, I must admit that the scenes right before the ending are overlong and unnecessary and that the final meeting between the two great characters is their weakest one and rather cheesy Hollywood stuff than the rather original Korean and Japanese way.
But if we forget about the rather disappointing ending and the mellow start, this movie is diversified and something quite unique. For some people, the different genre influences might be too overwhelming but to me this mixture is very interesting and makes this movie one of the most courageous and interesting ones I have seen in a while. even though my rating doesn't seem to be extraordinary for the mentioned reasons, I highly suggest the immediate purchase of this avant-garde movie to any fan of the Asian cinema, strong character movies and progressive thrillers.
