Review of The Man from Nowhere (2010) by Sarfaraz A — 12 Jan 2014

This movie is the Korean version of Taken or Man on Fire but given the connotation that it being a 'version' makes it inferior, maybe I should switch it up and say that Taken & Man on Fire are the Western versions of The Man From Nowhere. It is the superior film. (Note: It is not superior to Leon, but then, what is?).

As the comparison might suggest, the movie's plotline is far from original: a loner guy with bad-ass moves tries to protect a young, sweet little girl. It is this cliched baseline that caused me to knock off one star.

But that's all I will take off. The thing of it is, I've seen enough movies that the manipulations of the Man-Behind-The-Curtain are always obvious, whether it be Transformers 3 or Argo or this terrible single-cut film I once saw called Russian Ark. For the intelligent and experienced movie-goer, there's really no such thing as a surprise (which is why, I might add, that 'original' concepts or executions receive such a disproportionate share of critical reception). There might be new settings, new ideas, new technologies, new character types, unexpected twists, but the emotional arc is nearly always the same. And when it isn't, its deviation is also clear for those who pay attention.

As such, the cliched plotline here did not bother me. The Man From Nowhere is the best film with this plot. It's got enough of that Korean edginess (found in the likes of Old Boy, The Host, and many others) to give it an extra bite. It's got fantastic fight scenes - the best I've seen since I watched Raid Redemption almost a year back now. The camera has a tendency to focus on faces, in a similar manner to Sergio Leone's westerns. Admittedly Sergio's faces were weathered and lined, full of character, whereas these are smooth and stylized and empty, but I think that works too.

Sure, you might guess every plot-point and sure the machinations of the characters will feel transparent, but this film is not mere empty action. The acting is superb, the editing is superb, and the action isn't empty anyway. It - and the plot - have heft and weight; what happens feels like it matters.

Final Say: The steps of a waltz are nearly always the same, yet I at least never grow tired of waltzing with a pretty woman. This film is much the same. I would never say it is 'good fun.' It is too dark for that. But it is a good film and you should watch it.

How to Watch It: Avoid the popcorn, bring a whiskey. I myself saw it in the midst of one of those nocturnal bouts of melancholy, and it cleared it right up.

Also you can watch it free if you have Amazon Prime (and Netflix too, maybe).

Trivia: The Man From Nowhere was Korea's highest grossing film in 2010, so it's not just some small fry here.