User reviews

The main element of trust and betrayal is what I really liked in this movie. It was dark and bloody but really interesting movie. It didn't bore you and kept you intrigued.

This movie outdid itself - is simply not any dude bro action flick. It has everything that has been lacking in many blockbuster films that I have been waiting for - for years.

I can tell the team behind it were passionate about the project; the sound effects are poignant when it matters the most, the fighting scenes have humour with people flying out of view (I legit laughed out loud), and the cinematography (sometimes like wes anderson), with appreciated story boarding, makes for contrast and relief from the building tension in the full 117 minutes - which I was on the edge of my seat for the entirety of it.

The film feels like it was made with meticulous love and I recommend it for anyone searching for a ride or die action drama.

Hint: invest in the relationships as there is more than meets the eye.

Also, better than Infernal Affairs, better than the american version The Departed, which, come on, hollywood always forgoes about character and relationships to more fighting scenes.

The Merciless didn't skimp on any of the good stuff - it is in a league of it's own. Shippers will be satisfied - I can't wait to get my hands on a director's cut.

If you want to see what top shelf action crime drama looks like ,The Merciless, as the title translates, is its very definition.

This is a polished, likeable, laughable but ultimately, very dark film. Its essence if you look closely, is a proxy dysfunctional father son styled relationship. The older and younger crime figures play ball, they have fun, they make jokes, hang out, rough house, conspire, collaborate, share the good and the bad.

Of course given the nature of what they are and what they do the outcome was and is, very bleak and could be nothing else. In its closing scenes there's a certain sense of the events of this film coming full circle too. Of loss and a grim kind of anti hero, rebirth.

If you like quality crime drama, with healthy amounts of action, with an adjoiner that this film is violent and occasionally sadistic, then you really can't do better than this offering from Korea. A deeply impressive effort. 10/10 from me.

10 good minutes in a long nerve wrecking boredom, I am a fan of korean cinema, just watched a great korean movie: peace breaker. the merciless is so boring, you start to play games on your phone, and who is the merciless? a real bore, many flashbacks, you can immediatly know if a movie is s**t if half of it is flashbacks, even the action is lousy, this film takes itself very seriously, but in one part, after being hit, a man hears birds chirping, like in a cartoon! terrible

The Merciless is a tense and wonderfully paced film with beautiful cinematography and dynamic camerawork. It's convoluted plot with constant surprises is nevertheless easy to follow and tricky narrative structure that features time-jumps and reversals cleanly delineated. The characters are clearly distinguishable from one another; hard-boiled and violent but also humorous at times. I was fully engaged, entertained and delighted by the effortless expertise and strong performances displayed in every frame.

Slow paced and with a story that doesnt make sense which makes it kind of painful to finish the movie, especially the ending, just to create some unpredictable drama but actually too unconvincing to be true. Again ignore all the fake 9 10 ratings that are all ridiculous and dishonest reviews.

This movie is really underrated !

To me, It's much better than parasite than won the Oscar of best film this year.

It's a bit darker than I would like, but the plot is very well made and story is completely unpredictable - which is what I reproach to parasite (great film but I already predicted the end from the beginning).

This is so different and well made !

Must watch !

An Expecational Korean Action,Suspense,Drama movie story was soo good,Engaging & Deep ...Two tottaly different people how attached with each other ,betryal then trust then again Betryal & continue,,,,,Direction,Script was soo good,Story was very different & Acting was soild by all cast especially Gangster guy & Siwan

Go for it .. it will never be disappoint you.. acting was perfect, story is unpredictable.

This is one of my absolute favorite K-action movies!

I've watched this movie the first time when it came out and rewatched it again now, even with all movies I've come across between and, in my opinion, it's the last decent K-action/thriller movie made so far.

First of all, the actors. Wow! Honestly, Siwan surprised me with how he absolutely nailed this role, Kyung gu is exactly how you'd want the actor for this role to be, and the chemistry between them is top notch.

The movie is not slow pased at all, it's more of a calculated, fermented thing, where every scene and every line has to have a perfect impact. Even better that is switches between past and present to give more depth to characters relationship. This movie is a masterpiece.