Ballerine

This is the action thriller of the year. It's been proven before that Korean action thrillers are well done from Man from Nowhere to No Mercy. In Ballerina there is a quick emotional involvement with the characters that grips and then lots of convincing original action. And the actors have star quality and charisma that keeps you watching. So it's an entertaining gripping watch that isn't too long. The violence is quite something even for jaded action fans. The fighting is brilliantly choreographed.

A shout out to the leading cast members who really make this show. Terrific female lead Jeong Jeon Seo has an attitude and modern look that suits this type of movie perfectly. Kim Ji Hoon gives another convincing villain performance. He was great in Flower of Evil and he does it again here.

Luc Besson fans will like this one. Though it is less comical than Besson movies.

Full Disclosure- I am a Korean Cinemaphile. I have written for years that Korean films are as good, or better, than Hollywood movies currently being made. This is especially true in the action genre. This film is a perfect example. It is a gritty action film about a talented, but reluctant, woman with deadly skills who is forced to use them to avenge her friend, the Ballerina. The film uses the subject of sex slavery and involuntary pornogrpahy as its somber backdrop to generate the basis for the action in this one. Its stars are good, although somewhat animated. The action and fighting are good. The gun violence is better than the fight choreography. The relationship between the Ballerina and the star is nuanced and very sweet. It is the foundation upon which it the film is built. You can watch in English dubbed version, but I prefer in Korean with English subtitles.

Focuses strongly on themes of assault and grooming.

This movie focuses on a woman tracking down a man to avenge her friend, then finding out she may have not been the only one to suffer under his cruelty.

I absolutely adored the cinematography, some scenes reminded me of the original OldBoy, especially in one of the scenes which takes place in a hallway.

The movie had quite a few parts in it that made me laugh out loud, only because of how ridiculous the situation was that the main character was in, rather than in a comedic sense, but for the majority of it, it's very dark and uncomfortable at times. Quite graphic fighting scenes which I wasn't expecting, but it was all done well and I enjoyed it.

Soundtrack was spot on, fit the scenes really well. I would honestly be happy for this movie to be longer, I feel that a few scenes were quite rushed and I would have appreciated for them to be longer, but the fast pace made sense as it kept you on your toes.

A typical style over substance flick that largely depends on its impressive making... Director Chung- hyun lee direction arrives straight to the point without harming crispy runtime of 90 mins ,keeping the plot simple and predictive the screenplay plays a major role in keeping intrigued until climax... Jeon jong seo is seriously the badass girl loved her attitude and the confidence or cool stuffs at deadly situations,while kim ji Horon hunts u unconditionally.... Camera work enhances the mood of the flick and the use of neon lights gives a vibrant mode and crave for more action stunts... Overall a good pretty decent action movie to watch out.

Don't expect another My Name, Kill Bok Soon, or John Wick. There's no complex over the top fight choreography scenes, our heroine has a very limited very old amount of guns, will run out of bullets, she gets injured and and she will need help from others. This is a more realistic take on a revenge movie and is not a bad thing at all.

The pace is fast and is enjoyable that way, faster than you know it will be finished!

The plot is very simple yet some very dark subjects that will get you emotional at some points.

Acting is great, after The Call, Jeon Jong Seo is once again KILLING it as the female lead.

Even when this role doesn't have much dialogue, she has a way of performing emphasizing the use of her body language and face expressions to convey emotions, thoughts, and storytelling elements without relying on spoken words. I am just so impressed.

Overall was a good movie for a Friday night, give it a go!