etoks21

Kim Nam Gil is a fave actor of mine but this is a dull slog. I like slow-burn films but they have to be done well. This one isn't. Sloppy script confuses having HIV with having AIDS from the beginning.

Apparently, the FL is a bad actress. See her in three flicks now; always something off about her performance. Her early confession to the magician scene in the van was embarrassing.

So...dropping. 1/10

I'd argue that it's simply not possible for one human to share ALL of themselves with another. We are each an island, yes?

Given all we've speculated on, that bit at the end with cutting off the lawyer in mid-sentence seems a bit...cheesy.

How creepy was it when the bitch wife basically told the lawyer to "get over it and get back to being yourself?" Hell, she doesn't care if that other self he's been presenting is authentic or not, it's the one that fits her expectations and that's all that matters to her. She made not one effort to comfort him or talk him through his angst.

Plus, he made it clear, even though he denied it, that part of his obsession was a feeling that he was running away from...HER.

Honestly, I thought the lawyer's dad also killed someone. I could be remembering it incorrectly, but as I watched I saw the lawyer pause to look at himself in the reflection of a window and what he saw was a young boy. Then the young boy started walking and it became the scene where he comes home to a bloody hell. So how is it the memory of the lumberjack if it's the lawyer's reflection we see have that experience?

To me, that was why the lawyer does what he does professionally...he too is very conflicted about who he is genetically as tied to a killer. No?

Well, I took the twist to be that the lawyer had assumed another identity, married the mom and was raising the older boy and little girl with her. But I saw your message to me and it's more likely he's just fantasizing about living some life, combining that of the hot springs owner's brother and the dead lumberjack. But why would he stay with that bitch wife of his after finding out she was cheating on him?

However, if he really was with the mom and kids at the end, what would he be doing sitting alone in a bar at night drinking when he could be home with them? It seems he's probably divorced and living a very lonely existence. So why not calm the mom and hookup with her?

Did you take from flashbacks that the lawyer was also the son of a murderer? The one who came to find his dad covered in blood, who handed him bloody money? I probably need to rewatch the whole flick, actually, now that I'm wondering these things.

It's always entertaining when people waste time posting replies to other people to tell them they won't be "wasting time" replying to them anymore. lol Got it.

He got a son too.

Not gonna argue with you. There are always people who are three steps ahead of what we think is "current" tech.

Don't call me "sweetie," Sweetie.

You said switching identities was represented in this movie as being "as easy as changing clothes." That is a deliberate mischaracterization of what was shown in the plot, Sweetie, and thus the point you are trying to make is lame.

You think just because of digital tech, facial rec, etc. that switching identities is impossible. I disagree. There are ALWAYS people who are three steps ahead of the tech we know about and who know how to get around it...Sweetie.

"The script was so bad that Kim Hyung Min forgot to act. Joo Young Soo also had zero depth, unrootable, and was the same zzzzz character throughout."

lol It's clear you have no idea what you're babbling about. The fact you're a fan of the Vengeance trilogy is evidence enough that you have scenery-chewing and acting confused as being the same thing. They're not.

Kim Myung Min is a spectacularly talented and effective actor. I saw him a couple of days ago as Korea's president in "Pandora." He nailed that role just as well as he did this one.

His incredible hotness lies not so much in his looks, though those don't hurt either, but in his natural charisma, charm and ability to naturalistically evoke emotions. I 100% believe him in every role.

The only drawback to this movie are a couple of plot contrivances I could have done without. Other than that, just a great flick. The girl, the mother, the detective, the kidnapper, all are beautifully acted.

9/10

I agree with your "head canon," lol

However, I'd suggest you ease up on judging other people and their behavior as "disgusting." You might find yourself on the other side of that judgementalism one day. Or are you not human? Given earlier hints as to that person's character and priorities, the behavior in question did not come as a surprise and gave the other party a perfect reason to escape from an unhappy situation. Looked at in that way, the behavior was actually a good thing, no?

Excuse me. But in what way was switching identities here portrayed as being "easy?" Secondly, the point was clearly made that if someone began to really dig into a false identity with the aim of getting at the truth, then all was likely to be revealed. But in how many cases does that happen? 99% of people we meet take us to be who we say we are, and vice-versa.

And as for the very final twist, I'm pretty sure the dude, being an expert in the field, covered his tracks with the utmost perfection. He will never be found out.

This was hardly portrayed as being as easy as "changing clothes." If you have to misrepresent what it is you're critiquing to make a point, then your point isn't valid.

BRAVO.

Went in completely blind as to whether this would be of interest to me. Ummm...YES.

Great story, great sub-plot regarding the Japanese obsession with imagining themselves to somehow be racially superior to Koreans. Fuck, they've been invading and mixing with Koreans for thousands of years. There is no Japanese "race." Get a grip.

Tsumabuki Satoshi, Ando Sakura and Kubota Masataka are expertly cast and each actor's performance is perfection. Watching Sakura's face in closeup in the opening scene, before anything at all took place, was a master class in acting without "acting." She is stunning in this part.

Film did a good job of walking me through the identities as they piled up, just often enough to keep me, who can get lost in such things, clear on what information had been discovered and how it related to everything else.

LOVE how things wrapped up, so unexpectedly. Talk about MASSIVE dramatic events portrayed with understated, low-key perfection...wow.

9.5/10

As always on MDL the best films are dramatically underrated.

Pretty terrible.

A few touching/wrenching emotional moments toward the end but the lame FX and the bad romantic comedy/slapstick first hour during which we are supposed to have connected to the characters, but which did not work, wrecked the show.

Then, the science of earthquakes & tsunamis, which is known in detail especially in that area of Asia, was tossed as far away as you can imagine in the writing and plot development of this movie. Tsunamis do not gain their height until they hit shallow waters. The shockwave from the underwater earthquakes that cause most Tsunamis travels along the BOTTOM of the ocean, not the freaking top. Boats at sea may barely notice a Tsunami that becomes a monster killer once it hits land.

Also, most of them come in an extremely fast-rising, relentless tide, not a 50-story tall wave. lol Pathetic. Youtube is full of videos that will show you the real thing if you're interested.

I am pissed that the writers killed off the beautifully handsome Lee Min Ki, who was one of the saving graces of the film. The boy and girl actors were very good. Actually, there was a lot of fine comedic and dramatic acting, but in service to such a bad script and cheap CGI it was all a waste. The wave portion was almost an afterthought.

5/10

Pretty terrible.

A few touching/wrenching emotional moments toward the end but the lame FX and the bad romantic comedy/slapstick first hour during which we are supposed to have connected to the characters, but which did not work, wrecked the show.

Then, the science of earthquakes & tsunamis, which is known in detail especially in that area of Asia, was tossed as far away as you can imagine in the writing and plot development of this movie. Tsunamis do not gain their height until they hit shallow waters. The shockwave from the underwater earthquakes that cause most Tsunamis travels along the BOTTOM of the ocean, not the freaking top. Boats at sea may barely notice a Tsunami that becomes a monster killer once it hits land.

Also, most of them come in as an extremely fast-rising, relentless tide, not a 50-story tall wave. lol Pathetic. Youtube is full of videos that will show you the real thing if you're interested.

I am pissed that the writers killed off the beautifully handsome Lee Min Ki, who was one of the saving graces of the film. The boy and girl actors were very good. Actually, there was a lot of fine comedic and dramatic acting, but in service to such a bad script and cheap CGI it was all a waste. The wave portion was almost an afterthought.

5/10

Can't get on the Akita Aju Bandwagon as it's rolling in comments below. She portrayed her character as the bratty, sullen, head-down, sniffling Japanese teen we've seen 194 times before. Of course, her character had PLENTY of reasons to be feeling the emotions she was feeling but please, Japanese women actors, PLEASE do some workshopping or something to come up with new and original ways to express those emotions. She also did the classic Japanese female-upset-character-who-starts-listlessly-flailing-away-at-someone-else-but-whose-blows-are-deliberately-harlf-ass-and-innefectual-designed-more-to-annoy-than-to-actually-do-any-damage thing when she attacked her uncle for being an asshole. Please, either really lay into the person you're hitting or don't bother. I've seen that weak/flailing thing 194 times too.

The actor who impressed me was Nagasaku Hiromi as the adoptive mom. From the very beginning she did great work in showing every emotion with a natural, subtle ease that made her character feel real.

The film could have lost 30 minutes and been better for it. The bit at the Baby Baton place went on too long. A lot of that felt like a Anti-Choice propaganda commercial/documentary. I wanted to know more about why the pregnant girl's mother was such a bitch.

6/10

One of the best disaster flicks I have ever seen. Kim Nam Gil is sensationally understated in the lead role. I came to have great affection for the character within the first 20 minutes,

However, also during those first 20 minutes I thought maybe the movie was going to be cheesy af but it got increasingly better with every minute after that. The special effects and crowd scenes are excellent. Whatever combination of what appears to be thousands of extras and CGI made the mass panic scenes in every location and respect absolutely believable and thus horrifying.

And, as the Koreans tend to do so well, the human element was featured front and center and beautifully acted/directed. I think I had tears running quietly down my face most of the second half of the film, yet it never felt maudlin or schmaltzy. This is what happens to human beings when government and industry do their usual running carelessly amok. People are maimed and killed and families are destroyed. This movie doesn't shy away from that and nor should anyone else.

The emotional connection among the male friends at the core of the story is especially compelling. Their affection for each other was palpable which is what made the later events of the film so excruciatingly real and moving.

Take note of who makes all the mistakes, who is powerful and who is not, who has all the wrong priorities, and yet who pays the price. Thus it has always been. The actor who portrayed the Korean president is highly effective as a man who wants to have done the right thing but, as always, was manipulated into ignorance by those around him until it was too late. It was nice to see him step up when it counted and reclaim his power, and his heartbreak at the human sacrifices made necessary by the situation was palpable.

Highly recommended.

9/10

Agreed. A lot of MDLers will accept as palatable whatever gruel is placed before them and called a "BL." I think they're just desperately happy to view ANYTHING featuring two young men as lovers.

And yes, the Sanaada plot is not only dull but a waste of BL time. A third of the show's limited running length has been given over to a lame women's "Me Too" plot. Maybe the writers and director though Fujoshis would go for that.

oooh...did you come up with that attempted insult all on your own, J-J? lol

You should probably learn the proper definition of a word before you try to use it. In this case those of you crusading to save the world from sex are the ones who would be accused by right-wingers of being "woke." You must not be from the U.S., where the anti-woke psychos on the right are waging war against gay people, women, and imagined enemies of all kinds. Try harder, JJ, and use words you're familiar with.

I STILL disagree with all your points and I've made myself clear on why. If you don't feel satisfied...sorry.
Finally, you're clearly determined to be clueless about why more people aren't up in arms over 14 year-old actors doing what 14 year-old humans do in real life, under legal and ethical circumstances. Yes, 14 year-olds get on top of each other in real life too. They also go all the way, but none of that was shown here which is why I maintain the issue is on the inside of your head and nowhere else.
What country do you live in where 18 is the age of consent? Ridiculous. To say all people suddenly become emotionally mature at the stroke of midnight on their 18th birthday, and not a moment before, is absurd. Some studies indicate many human brains don't fully develop until the age of 25 or so. Should the age of consent be raised to 25? If it is, then anyone under 25 shouldn't be able to drive a car, own property, go to war or god forbid, have sex.
Some people mature at 12 and some never do. I know fossils my age who are idiots.
I didn't say YOU called me a pervert. More misdirection.
Let me try it this way: I DO understand why you are "uncomfortable" about the 14 year-old actors. And I believe your reasoning is silly and yes, prudish. Is it OK for 14 year-olds to pretend to be killed in a war or murder-themed movie? If so, why? It's always S-E-X that freaks you folks out, rarely is it violence.

OK, good night.

WOW.

9/10