This review may contain spoilers
Something you should know before you watch
I've had high hopes for this movie. I didn't watch the trailer. I kinda just went into the movie blindsided. I thought it was gonna be like bloodhound the show that's how people were making to seem like in the comments but anyway, I feel like it was good actors but but in the movie, they kind of just thrown in characters and kinda expect us to know their backstory or how their attached to them and then for the action to happen at the end of the movie did it make sense to me? I feel like this movie had good potential but they kind of just threw this plot everywhere if I had to give her the rating I would give it a 4.3. I'm deducting points because there's a lot of confusion. The story is all over the place, adding people at random times ,should've went with a different plot ,and many more. I'm not gonna go all around the world and explaining it I would give this movie a shot if you're gonna watch it but personally, I just didn't like it. To be honest, I think they should've took a note from my name or ballerina but that's just my personal opinionWas this review helpful to you?
Great cast, horrible story
Watched it at TIFF 50 last night!Interesting concept, but horrible execution. Cinematography was pretty, opening scene was promising.
Aside from that, everything else, mainly story was lacklustre. It moved scene to scene with no clear character motivation. A character was introduced half way through the movie and somehow played a major role in the characters motivations when there was not set up. Characters were 2 dimensional and cartoonish in their writing. Lot of aura farming without much aura. Character writing overall didn’t make sense and you couldn’t really understand why each character was doing what they were doing.
Music was okay, did its job but at times was too in your face. The sad moments felt forced because immediately there would be sad piano playing, didn’t have room to breath.
Overall, I wish the writing was better, the two actress’ in the leads were promising, but I wish it was a better movie.
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Mediocre and Stale storyline that doesn't do justice to the cast
When it was announced that Han So Hee and Jong Seo were cast in a movie together and for it being an action thriller involving a high stake heist, I had my expectations high as both the actresses are really good when it comes to doing raw action but after watching the movie today I can surely say this was a big letdown.The entire cast surely did justice to their flat characters but it was the storyline and the action that missed the mark from a big margin. There was nothing in the story that kept me on the edge of my seat or any moment that made my jaw drop. The story faltered both in action and thriller genre.
They promoted it as a high staked heist action thriller when in reality the movie was exact opposite of it.
It sucks that despite all the hype around the title and heist plus two strong female leads, all they gave us is an empty shell of a movie. No wonder it tanked at the box office.
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Not an action movie, more about people just trying to survive
Project Y is ambiguous even from its title; it's hard to tell what kind of movie it will be. What's the "project"? What's "Y"?I went into the screening at the Toronto International Film Festival without watching any promotional material, so I didn't have any preconceptions about the movie before it began.
I did, however, have some expectations based on previous roles played by Jeon Jong Seo (Ballerina) and Han So Hee (My Name). That being said, Project Y is definitely not a true high-voltage action movie in the traditional sense. You might be disappointed if that's what you were expecting. I won't speak too much on the plot of the actual movie itself, since it hasn't been officially released outside of TIFF.
The music and cinematography was top-notch. Ultimately, the story flowed well and I was immersed in the seedy underworld that was built for our ladies to escape from. Some plot elements meant to add more color to Mi-Seon's and Do-Gyeong's lives did feel a bit rushed. Furthermore, by the end of the movie, I did leave wondering to myself, if that was a satisfactory resolution to the struggle that I was watching for the last 2 hours. You'll have to decide that for yourself when you watch the movie.
Ultimately, it was nice to see these two lovely ladies starring in a film together. It wasn't totally what I was expecting, but it was a decent film, nonetheless.
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Play stupid games, win stupid prizes
Just finished the movie, and I’m wondering about the title: Project Y. If “Y” stands for “Youth,” then this movie presents a very bleak portrayal of today’s youth. Unfortunately, there is some truth in that. The younger generation, like the two female protagonists here, often destroys their lives through partying, drinking, gambling, prostitution — all of what we could call nightlife.I felt conflicted while watching this movie because I couldn’t really care about the girls, as they never showed any kind of sympathy or morality. By the end of the movie, maybe something changed, but for me that was the biggest disappointment — the good guys are basically the same as the bad guys.
There are many elements in the movie, and I also found it confusing at times, especially as a non-native Korean speaker trying to understand what was going on. The subplot about illegal betting on fixed matches was interesting, and there are some really gritty scenes that place this movie in the noir-thriller genre. It is rare to see a female-led crime thriller of this kind in Korean cinema. The girls reminded me of Mel Gibson in his darkest roles, but overall, the plot was uneven and the movie felt messy.
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This review may contain spoilers
Good noir vibe, but it pulls its punches
Honestly, a lot of the low ratings are probably from people who watched it with trash machine translations or expected a standard polished K-drama. It’s actually a pretty solid, gritty movie, but I totally get why it frustrated some viewers.
The atmosphere is definitely the best part. It really nails that desperate, dirty underground vibe. The dynamic between the two female leads is raw - they aren't your typical best friends; they're just trying to survive and aren't afraid to be completely toxic to each other.
Throwing in real-world problems like the housing scams and loan sharks gave the story some actual weight.
But here’s my biggest issue: for a movie trying to be a dark noir, it’s way too timid. It heavily hints that Ye Seul works in the shady nightlife (the whole "blue bracelet" thing at the market), but it never actually shows what she goes through. Why be so vague about her actual job? If you're making a movie about women trying to escape a messed-up life, why sugarcoat the very thing they are trying to escape from?
It felt like the director was just too scared to go all the way.
Instead of exploring that actual darkness, we just get endless screaming matches in cars and a super cliché sports-betting plot. It’s still a decent watch if you're into the genre, but ngl, it left me a bit disappointed. It could have been a 9/10 if it actually had the guts to show the ugly truth instead of just playing it safe.
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wasted potential and casting
honestly i feel like we were all expecting smthing great considering how amazing both han sohee and jeo jeonseo were in my name and ballerina. so many people have been hoping for them to act in a series or movie togeather.i absolutely loved the casting and the acting. but the plot was all over the place. and I feel very sad about that cus this could've been one of THE best kmovies to exist with both these actresses. the characters were all over the place with no proper back stories or links to them. there wasn't enough explanation regarding any of the characters including the main characters. I was really looking forward to this movie :(Was this review helpful to you?
Uncertain Identity, No Tension
Project Y is labeled as a crime drama, but it never builds real tension or emotional weight. The narrative lacks escalation, the conflicts feel flat, and the stylistic choices don’t compensate for the structural weakness.It’s not disastrous in an explosive way — it’s simply inert. And in a crime film, inertia is fatal.
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It’s Ejnoyable. Worth A Watch.
it’s an enjoyable movie. doesn’t really overstay its welcome in my opinion. story could have been a little better but I was hooked the entire time for what it was. I may be biased because I’m a big fan of Jun Jong-seo and typically will watch anything she is in. I will say this movie is worth a watch though. The music was good and added some intestity to certain scenes. The acting was good and believable for the most part some characters just seemed off during some dialogue and mannerisms were kinda out of place but the leads were strong.Was this review helpful to you?
