Okay, I guess I'll be the first one to start the discussion.
The Man From Nowhere directed by Lee Jeong-beom
I found it to be a very effective action-thriller that did a lot with its simple common plot. What elevated this film from the typical revenge story starring the typical elusive man is the emotional connection it built up with the characters.
The first thirty minutes of the film were really great in my opinion, they focused a lot on character development which is more than mere characterization. Although we weren't revealed the elusive protagonist's backstory, we were shown his character in the way he treated the little girl (both good and bad). I love the humorous scene when the girl's mom is looking for her, but I like the one where she's caught robbing even more. When the protagonist just leaves her, that shows more complexities to this character rather than a perfect man.
When the film gets its plot moving, it's very entertaining. However, I feel that as the film progresses, the protagonist becomes less relatable and more or less just another brutal killing machine that can be found in just about any action film. I feel that the director/writer tried to move away from this by showing flashback scenes, but they didn't really work for me.
Although the plot is pretty typical, I like some of the twists in the story. I liked how the bad guys in the film actually turn around and betray their own boss, which added some more complexities to the conflict. I also liked the role of the cop who is trying to go after the protagonist. I feel that the film could've used this more strongly though to reveal some ambiguities between what our main character's intentions are and whether his intentions justify his actions. I think the film actually could've been deeper than just an emotionally resonating action-thriller, but maybe I'm wrong.
I can't talk about this film without mentioning its stellar cinematography. This film just has really beautiful compositions in beautiful scenes, and it's not afraid of mixing up shot lengths either. The beginning and the end use longer length shots and warmer colors, while the more action-packed moments are fast-paced and cool.
The action is good, but not great in my opinion. There's not a really memorable fight scene that I would just like to see over and over again as I would a great dance number in a musical. But I can't say that some scenes weren't awesome. I love the scene where the protagonist blows up the guy in the chair, I'm not a violent person, but I felt that what these guys did to the children was awful and I wanted to see him die lol. Same with the end scene where he kills the final remaining antagonist.
I feel that a little more moral ambiguity could've made the film more complex though. I mean there's this one character that's clearly a bad guy, the one who was supposed to take the girl's eyes out, but through the shot selections I can see that he's more complex than the other villains. However, the film never fully addresses this, and I feel they could've done more with that character. I think they could've made him also be a sort of friend to the little girl, only different from our protagonist. In fact, I think he should've been the main antagonist, that would've been one more great twist.
With moral ambiguity, I think the film should also not be afraid to criticize its own protagonist. While watching the film, his brutal violence got me thinking "is this the guy we should be rooting for?"
Overall, I think this film is very good, I mostly like the friendship between the main character and the little girl. The scenes with them together really touched me, especially the ending. I also like how the thriller unfolded too, it was really well-paced. Still, I don't feel it's quite a masterpiece, it is a really well made revenge story, but it could've been an even greater one IMO.
What did you guys think about the film? Did you like it?