The Killer

I was lucky enough to attend the local premiere of the film in LA. Went in not really knowing anything, and was unsure if this was a remake of the John Woo movie.

Later on I found out it was based off a webcomic in which I had some reservations.

I was really surprised at how fun and good the movie was. And it was surprisingly funny! It's like a John Wick type movie, and it's pretty self aware, making references to other movies that are similar to the genre that was pretty tongue in cheek. The action was really good, and some of the shots were really cool.

I would recommend seeing this in the theater if you can. I had a good time.

Stoic man with a violent past must get back into his roots in order to save someone? Yawn. We've all seen that before. It's a tired trope really. But the thing is... this movie knows it - mocks it even at some point.

Instead of focusing in the plot and emotional depth like The Man from Nowhere, The Killer pour it all out on straight action. The fight choreography is impressive, and the John Wick vibe is noticeable from the stylish neon-lit hallway brawls, melee combats, to gun fus.

8/10 One of the best korean martial arts action movies.

The action sequences are entertaining as hell and the lead actor is a Korean John Wick. His wife has a friend with a daughter and the hitman is convinced to watch over the teenage girl for a couple of weeks. It seems simple enough until the teen is abducted by a sex trafficking ring run by the Russian mafia.

The story becomes a bit confused as the hitman climbs the ladder of bad guys, killing legions along the way, using his hands, feet, knives and occasional gun to accomplish his mission.

He is a combination of Bruce Lee and John Wick and has the charisma to carry the film to its' predictable conclusion.

Do not expext Citizen Kane here but just sit back and enjoy the ride for an hour and a half.

No pun intended - whenever I hear the Killer ... I always think of John Woos classic movie. A movie that really changed a lot for me - and I suspect not just for me. I like movies from everywhere and try to watch as many as possible (which you may have already figured out) ... but Killer and Hard Boiled were quite the revelations for me.

Now this has nothing to do with that movie and stands on his own. Like the titular character. He knows what he is doing ... and he still will do anything his girlfriend tells him to do ... even babysitting. Which is not an easy thing to do anyway - but even worse when the subject is attracting evil people ... and trouble. I would not entirely blame her - spoiled as she might be. But it also helps the story move along ... and gives us a lot of action sequences ... very well choreographed ones at that.

The stoic nature of our main character, the knowledge that he is better than others ... well maybe you can identify with that - like I do. I'm just kidding of course ... we wish. Great action cinema ... paper thin story, but enough to keep it all moving along. With a main bad guy, we get to see fight our guy over and over again ... what more could you wish for?

If you follow Korean cinema you already know that Korean auteurs, among the best in the world, prefer to be first with a concept. However if they have to be a copycat, they will be relentless in trying to improve on the original. As good as this is, it has the same failings as the iconic American original, too fast, too furious, too frenetic, too implausible. Which is why it never comes close to the Korean masterpiece THE MAN FROM NOWHERE 2010, on my IMBb list of all time classics. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))