Don't fall for star studded cast
It is a huge let down with amazing actors like Ji Chang wook, Kim Sang ho, Lee Hani and Oh Jung se. The makers didn't use them efficiently, especially Lee Hani's character. They gave space for 2nd part with escape of Lee Hani, if they ever make it, better come up with convincing story.Story: it has one of the best opening scenes. Start is great with mother bonding, injustice and prison scenes make viewer's blood boil. So naturally expectations keep growing. Then you find problem in everything that happens because story went bleak and too convenient for protagonist. Then comes not so surprising reveal of mastermind who is wise but don't stand a chance against our team. My major complain is the very team, no one is memorable, didn't develop bond with team members or audience, who are they, what do they do, how do they live, why are they helping at the risk of their lives... can't convince myself that 2 hr long movie isn't enough to explain everything.
Oh Jung se's role could have been best in his career if they didn't make a joke out of it. That ending is plain dumb. Action sequences and car chases are well shot, cinematography is also good.
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LOVE LOVE
So I heard about the reputation of korean movies about them not being as good as dramas. But since ji Chang wook is my all time favourite actor and I love action movies I had to give this a go.This is a real time brutally honest review. The acting was great! Honestly nothing can beat ji Chang wook's acting. The rawness of his acting compared to western actors just is incomparable. The movie made me cry in the middle because of the emotions he portrayed, which never happens to me when I watch an action movie.
The movie is a big blockbuster, thriller/entertaining action movie. I very much enjoyed it all especially with the character development.
I found it hard to find with correct eng subs and it took me an hour to find the right copy but it was worth it in the end!
100% would rewatch
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Now, to the story. Some people complain that this movie lacks character development. Whilst this may be true, the pace of this movie is actually very fast. He was falsely accused of rape and murder and thrown into prison immediately after a trial only based on circumstantial evidence. If you monitor the rest of the movie, the story actually followed the pacing of this first half very closely, perhaps making it difficult for some people to follow but that doesn't mean the way of the storytelling itself is problematic. You can already tell by the pacing of the story that it's meant to be action-packed, perhaps at the compromise of better character writings.
I particularly loved the prison scenes so much, especially when he had major outbursts of raw emotions. This is where I saw and judged the range of acting capabilities by the actor Ji Chang Wook himself. This guy is mad talented, not only in action sequence but also in emotional scenes as well.
If you love action and thrillers, this is definitely a film for you. It's very enjoyable, and quite an emotional watch! You haven't seen Ji Chang Wook if you haven't seen this movie, and you definitely haven't seen one of the best K-movie releases of 2017 if you haven't watched this.
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~~ I can't say that the actors are bad but this is the kind of film where the cast is interchangeable, all of them w/o exceptions.
~~The sequence of events are rushed in the second part. Some scenes are shown to surely pique our interest, to anticipate the next action but in the end they are poorly interwoven.
~~ The golden rule for this kind of scenario to work and keep me hooked on my seat: come up with smart, please smart, villains. I don't need a guy who blabs for a minute about his sense of accomplishment.
~~ Were the fight scenes (or at least what were supposed to be fight scenes) supposed to be done in the dark? How am I supposed to appreciate the quality of the choreography?
~~ It didn't reinvent the action genre with the typical "wrongly accused" + "revenge" + justice seeking ingredients but it's watchable.
~~ Don't expect an emotional connection from the gang or their inner thoughts on what motivates them. No, everyone does their own thing and everything works out fine.
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Not Worth Watching
This was pretty bad. I found it on Tubi and was so excited because I have always wanted to watch it since watching Ji Chang Wook in The K2, but I was so disappointed. It felt like it was so rushed. It fell into the same issue of Korean entertainment seeming to only be capable of writing shows and not movies. The only movie I've loved that's Korean is The Dude in Me, and that remains to be the case still.I loved Ji Chang Wook in this still because, I mean, he's one of the best actors out there, period. But, even he could not save this movie. It felt like it lacked an actual story. The progression felt stunted and some people seemed to die for no reason. Several actors in this did a great job, it's just that their characters needed to be fleshed out more. It felt like it needed to be a short series with more character development and explanation. As it was, it was just a rushed production where the story fell flat and the characters didn't make much sense. They basically did the "tell, don't show" instead of "show, don't tell."
Well, I won't give up on the Korean movies, but the latest two that I watched did nothing to fuel my desire to pick up another movie anytime soon.
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PROS
+ Unique and stylish high-tech aesthetic creates an interesting setting
+ Healthy balance of storytelling and intense action
+ Cool and likeable cast of main characters
+ Awesome car chase sequences
+ Nicely fitting electronic score
CONS
- Early on, expectations are low from the rushed feel of the plot pacing
- Not many details are given on some of the cool side cast
- One of the "surprise" villains is easy to spot and a little cheesy-looking
- - - - -
Wow! I had a good feeling about Fabricated City and I was right. It is one of the most exciting and engaging modern action films I've experienced.
Find a way to watch this!
9/10
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Not even Ji Chang Wook can save this
The first part of the movie is actually pretty decent; it’s fast-paced, tense, and you feel bad by Kwon, who is accused of a terrible crime he didn’t commit, and is sent to prison. Once he escapes, though, the movie goes completely off the rails. It's pure action (this is not bad per se, but in this case, it is) with zero character moments (or development) and a moustache-twirling villain. There’s nothing new, exciting or compelling about this, and I won't feel the need to rewatch it anytime soon.Was this review helpful to you?
Really good movie but one time watch
The story is really good at for an action fanatic like myself, I really liked all the action in this movie. It's a thriller and suspense movie and I thought it was really good. It was an emotional rollercoaster for me and I really connected with the characters. I'm a huge fan of Chang Wook and I'm really happy he acted in this movie. Only bad thing is once you know the story, the suspense is gone and the movie is boring. Definitely not something I will watch again but really good movie to watch once.Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
The plot of this film is really intriguing. An innocent person is framed for a murder he/she did not commit. I could say it did resemble Hollywood's "Double Jeopardy" with Ashley Judd or the recent Korean drama "One Ordinary Day" with Kim Soo Hyun. The actors also did a good job, however, the whole relationship between Kwon Yoo and Yeo Wool felt rushed and not authentic. I could not feel the chemistry the actors were trying to portray. There were moments that felt overly dramatic - for example when Kwon Yoo is in prison and learns martial arts within weeks or during an unknown period considering his time in prison was not told. The idea of fighting in dark using rice was good but the execution and visual side of it was not so much considering the film was shot in 2017 when high-end technology was already available. Overall, I did like the idea, the plot and the acting. Visually the fight scenes were okay but the graphics of some of the scenes were not good. In my personal opinion, this film is deserving to see at least once so give it a chance!
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Excellent idea badly executed
This film started out great! In fact, I thought it was brilliant until it got to about 1/3 of the way through and then it plain nose-dived.So some loser is framed for murder and he goes to prison, where he gets treated like the child-rapist is was convicted to be. He escapes and... the film went full retard (never go full retard!), right down to the lead turning Daredevil and the villain painfully over-acting his nervous breakdown.
Cliches abound, all plausability is stretched past breaking point, the plot becomes muddled... sigh, I really can't express how awful and stupid such a superb concept becomes when the writers - or whoever - simply cannot plot coherently.
Still, it gets a 4 for the great idea and an excellent first act... but honestly, once he breaks out of prison (maybe 30 minutes in), you'd be better off hitting the stop button and imagining your own ending.
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Visuals are okay, but the characters and like someone said, development...
The main protagonist is lovely face, but.. that's all, we have lovely faces in Korean movies and they are actually good,
but this is pure kdrama material.
Again props to visual and effects, maybe the only thing that saved movie, little bit.
This was one of the biggest disappointment in 2017
confidential assignment, villaines, new trial and taxi driver saved 2017 Korean cinema
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But still for a fair review... I just had to closed my eyes and I could still feel my heart racing, could hear the screeching cars, blaring sirens and ear splitting guns shots....felt almost like I just finished a game of NFS (an updated version of it...maybe!)
The movie had a familiar plot that was wound around Hi-Tec visuals to give you all the feels of a gaming world. Story revolved around how the unemployed strata of the society become scapegoats to the country's social economic "higher-ups" and how a bunch of online gamers get together to fight them successfully after one one of them was falsely accused.
Acting was on point! As for Ji Chang Wook fans, it is a disappointment as there are not many scene where you can go all heart eyes over his sweet face or his hunky body... but for all you gamming fans out there, it is a fast paced action packed treat you would not want to miss!
Liked the fact that a pixie looking young girl was the master hacker who helps, in place of a stereotypical nerdy boy that is the usual!
Over all the movie did a fair job in its genre and you can watch it ...for it is a visual treat for all action lovers!
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