Review of The Man from Nowhere (2010) by Sha R — 13 Apr 2013

"The Man From Nowhere" directed by Jeong-beom Lee is yet another example of how the South Korean film industry has the market cornered on revenge thrillers. Despite featuring familiar a plot and character types, both are sharper and a bit more self- indulgent than their American counterparts. There is no conflicting vision to tone down the unhinged rage and violence. The end result is unfiltered vengeance and bloodshed, and undeniably thrilling. While it may occasionally stretch it's credibility from time to time, it still boasts its share of well-timed surprises, and always walks on the side of excess.

The relationship between our protagonist Cha Tae-sik, played by Bin Won "Mother" (2009), and So-mi, played by child actress Kim Sae-ron is at the heart of the film, and their bond slowly develops in the first half hour, right before So-mi is abruptly kidnapped. The rest of the film mainly focuses on Cha's efforts to find her. Having almost nothing to work with, and with the police being more of a hindrance than a help, we learn more about Cha's past as he gets closer to finding So-mi. Won Bin delivers a grand performance as a highly-skilled fighter, and is equally effective as a emotionally damaged, vulnerable protagonist.

The more technical aspects of the film-production and cinematography, are all executed with a great deal of skill. The film does suffer somewhat from over complicating the storyline, and please, enough already with cliché inept police department that simply runs in circles and into each other. It also does run a bit too long at times due to the overly melodramatic moments that simply drag on. This Korean action crime drama revels in its genre's conventions. A great thriller--a non-stop adrenaline rush of emotions, with plenty of impressive action sequences to carry one through its two hour run time. The film does a decent job with character development and it's back-story, and the dramatic elements are admirable for an action film. Maybe someday American audiences will get to see the lighter side of Korean cinema. In the meantime, there's no denying these powerful films of vengeance and revenge. The man might be from nowhere, but the movies could only come from Korea.