Yesterday

YESTERDAY is a South Korean movie, so right away you know that despite the flashy visuals and the high production values that most of the characters, especially the lead villain and the lead female, will walk around and talk like they just came from a funeral. I mean, this IS South Korea cinema, folks. If the entire industry is known for one thing, it's their drama, which because of its inherently understate and amazingly low-energy, most WEsterners mistake for subtlety. It's NOT subtlety, it's just WHO THEY ARE.

Which is why YESTERDAY isn't any better than just good. Despite the BLADE RUNNER-esque background and high octane action, the movie is so lacking in energy, that you wonder why they bother with these type of "HOllywood blockbuster" movies in the first place. I mean, can't these actors muster up SOME energy for the role? If you compare YESTERDAY to, say, MINORITY REPORT, it's like comparing a funeral (YESTERDAY) to MINORITY REPORT (roller coaster ride). Do you see the difference? And both movies are pretty much great to look at!

So there you go. If you want a thrill ride actioner, go with Hollywood. If you want a slow, "it's real because everyone looks like they're about to commit suicide" drama, then watch a South Korean movie. But a South Korean sci-fi Actioner? Forget about it!

It begins with a action-filled sequence that really wakes your interest and curiosity, but the questions that arise in the beginning doesn't get answered, only more and more questions and that is very annoying. The first hour is spent not knowing a lot at a very high speed, and the rest of the film has too many slow spots where the background and the plot is revealed only by dialog, breaking the tempo and flow down to a very low pace.

At several times I wondered whether I really began watching at the beginning, or if this was a sequel to a film where all the characters were introduced... Although, refreshing to see a Korean film, not a complete waste.

If you go to see Yesterday expecting a Hollywood style science-fiction blockbuster you're bound to be disappointed. This film has a slow and morbid pace and tension and comparisons to Minority Report are misguided. A better comparison is Se7en, although it's considerably less gory.

The version I saw was sub-titled and was clearly translated by someone for whom English wasn't their first language. There are a number of lines in the film that simply don't make sense. At one point the detective asks for a "posterior analysis" to be made, which brought a smile to my face. During the credits sequence at the beginning the dialogue translations are mixed with the credits causing considerable confusion. These faults don't generally impede enjoyment of the film but they don't help.

It's certainly worth watching this film if you enjoy more intelligent science-fiction, but I can't see it making a wider impact.

I just rented the movie and I hadn't heard about it before. It's nice to see some quite realistic yet action-packed shootout. Notice that you can actually see the bullets making holes in walls (you don't even see that in most Hollywood movies since they seem to think bullets will just bounce off brick-walls...). Some quite good acting and a complex yet sense-making plot (if you can't understand it, watch it again or wait until you've finished high-school..).

You see a quite capable SWAT-team slowly getting decimated all the while hunting a psychotic killer who seems to be constantly hiring new thugs for support too. Most of the background story unfolds only in the end but it makes sense and the tension generated stays fresh throughout. Good work.

YESTERDAY is one of the many South Korean movies that have stepped up to the plate visually speaking, but its biggest obstacle is that it's still a South Korean movie. The result is extremely well done special effects coupled with low-energy acting more suitable for dramas, not a sci-fi movie about exploding buildings and wild gunfights.

The movie works on an action level, because the actors are not required to "act". When the drama kicks in, the movie is so low-energy that it's hard to sit through the scenes without falling asleep.

A good idea ruined by some unsuitable acting style. Some more urgency would have helped tremendously. In the end, the blame goes to the director, who failed to inform his actors that they were in a sci-fi film, not an arthouse drama.

5 out of 10

(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie or reviews of other foreign films)