Having such a resounding success in its homeland of Korea, one would think they have a guaranteed pleaser in their hands. Think again.
Swiri is an American action movie wrapped in a nice little Korean package. It has action scenes which are compared to some of John Woo's work, but there are really no comparisons to be made. There is not a single memorable shoot-out and things like 'common sense' and 'style' were obviously out to lunch during the shooting of those scenes.
The plot involves a stolen weapon and a hero who has a mysterious history with a villain. Yes, the writers obviously stayed up all night working up that idea. The characters are dry and but not without a heart. The main protagonist's relationship with his girlfriend is actually kind of endearing and is fairly well developed. It is the Asian melodrama like this that keeps the movie afloat without being too obtrusive to the film's pace. The acting could of been better though, not to say this is acting type film. Even Min-sik Choi, who would later show his brilliant acting skills in "Failan" and "Oldboy", is a complete bore as Park, the main villain that thinks he can unite Korea with a new experimental bomb.
I am being a bit harsher than the film deserves though. It moves at a brisk (very American) pace, and you'll rarely lose interest. The plot twists are conventional but are brimming with so much emotion and sincerity that they feel like something unique. And if this movie can draw more attention to Korean cinema, I am 100% behind it.
6/10
Swiri is an American action movie wrapped in a nice little Korean package. It has action scenes which are compared to some of John Woo's work, but there are really no comparisons to be made. There is not a single memorable shoot-out and things like 'common sense' and 'style' were obviously out to lunch during the shooting of those scenes.
The plot involves a stolen weapon and a hero who has a mysterious history with a villain. Yes, the writers obviously stayed up all night working up that idea. The characters are dry and but not without a heart. The main protagonist's relationship with his girlfriend is actually kind of endearing and is fairly well developed. It is the Asian melodrama like this that keeps the movie afloat without being too obtrusive to the film's pace. The acting could of been better though, not to say this is acting type film. Even Min-sik Choi, who would later show his brilliant acting skills in "Failan" and "Oldboy", is a complete bore as Park, the main villain that thinks he can unite Korea with a new experimental bomb.
I am being a bit harsher than the film deserves though. It moves at a brisk (very American) pace, and you'll rarely lose interest. The plot twists are conventional but are brimming with so much emotion and sincerity that they feel like something unique. And if this movie can draw more attention to Korean cinema, I am 100% behind it.
6/10