Girassol

This one should work for all who are accustomed to Korean crime dramas. They are often considered to be heavy handed , but to be honest that has almost always worked for me somehow , specially because of the genuine performances by the main characters involved.

The story is simple. Its about an ex gangster who is free from prison after serving ten years. All he wants is a second chance in life. A chance for a little bit of happiness and peace for the ones he loves.

But a constant threat always looms over his family and threatens to awaken the demon inside him.

(Decided to write this short review seeing there was just one other seriously misleading review for this genuinely decent movie)

Tae-sik, who cleansed up the neighborhood back alley with his bare knuckle after dropping out of high school, is released on parole.

The once sacrificial sheep of Tae-sik's friend Min-seok has become a detective and Tae-sik's henchmen friends have turned on each other's back.

As if have forgotten the old days he shared with them, Tae-sik only does what he wishes to do, which was written down on his crumpling small scrapbook.

Tae-sik finds a warm shelter in the small neighborhood food joint 'Sunflower'.

Tae-sik tries to live a quiet new life with the lady who runs the restaurant and her daughter, Hee-ju.

from the second half onwards the movie becomes more and more melodramatic and bursts of violence is thrown in every now and then.

A little bit more common sense would have been desirable.

"Haebaragi, Sunflower" can't evoke the tears that it was actually expected to deliver.

The DVD cover & description are kind of misleading. Still, I was quickly drawn into the story & characters. Excellent script. The acting was first-rate! The direction too! I'm torn between giving it 8 or 9 stars. The ending was good but not exactly what I personally wanted. The main characters (you'll love) were very thought out with each one's individual story played alongside the main story & plot. You think you know them when something new is exposed. Few Hollywood films lately put this much thought into a script. The actors in the main characters give performances that deserved recognition. Some of the supporting actors were very good, a few not so much therefore no 10th star :( Its more a drama than an action film. But one of the best dramas.

Sunflower, a story about a 30-something gangster getting released from prison and trying to avoid sliding back to the thuggish underworld is a bit surprisingly not so much about being a gangster as it is about importance of family and forgiveness.

As Korean cinema generally is, Sunflower is pretty heavy handed and syrupy when it comes to melodrama, though I'm personally one of those who forgive and even enjoy the slightly campy tear jerking occasions. Actors deliver a solid, though not particularly memorable, performances. Cinematography is also fine.

The most obvious weakness in Sunflower is the predictability - you can see the conclusion of the movie coming from miles away and it plays out just as I expected it to play. Either way, a decent, watchable Korean flick to spend two hours with, no disappointments or broken expectations there.

The movie has great writing and acting. It is one of my favorite movies. However, I rarely watch it because it gives me intense feels like Gran Torino, another favorite movie of mine. Like Gran Torino, one of the main themes is redemption and forgiveness. I know it may seem a bit strange, but I feel more human/kind soon after watching it.

Another reason I love this movie is because it has it all: action, drama, character arc, character development, etc.

If you are hesitant to watch because of the subtitles don't let that stop you. The movie is so good you will hardly notice because you will be so into the movie.

I love it :)