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| A cool, yet brutal, action movie. |
The Man From Nowhere is a thriller/action movie released in South Korea in 2010 and stars Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron, Kim Hee-won, Kim Sung-oh, Thanayong Wongtrakul, Kim Hyo-seo, and Song Young-chang. It was written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom, with action by Park Jung-ryul.
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| Won Bin as the dark and brooding Cha Tae-sik. |
In The Man From Nowhere, Won Bin plays Cha Tae-sik, a quiet, brooding man who runs a pawn shop. His only friend (though he is not really friendly) is a little girl named So-mi (played by Kim Sae-ron). She is a bit of an outcast, with no friends and an... unfit mother. Though Tae-sik seems very aloof towards So-Mi, he shows that he genuinely cares about her.
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| Kim Sae-ron as So-mi. She is really good in this! |
One day, two thugs show up in Tae-sik's apartment. They aggressively demand an item he has in his pawn shop. He gives them what they want, but he makes the thugs pay for threatening him. Unfortunately, So-mi and her mother are kidnapped, and the only way they will be released is by Tae-sik making a drug delivery to a crime boss (played by Song Young-chang). Tae-sik makes the delivery, but everything goes wrong; he gets arrested and he learns So-mi's life may be in serious danger. He escapes the police station and starts a brutal quest to rescue So-mi...
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| Thanayong Wongtrakul as Ramrowan; a ruthless assassin who is determined to kill Cha Tae-sik. |
The Man From Nowhere is an excellent movie. Of course, with my vague synopsis, it doesn't sound that interesting, but trust me, the plot is gripping. The movie is dark, riveting, and violent. Just when you think the villains couldn't be any more evil, they sink to a new low. Throughout the movie, we find out why Cha Tae-sik is the way he is, and it makes sense why he is so driven to save So-mi. Won Bin as Tae-sik is amazing. Though Tae-sik is a man of few words, through Won Bin's performance, you can feel and understand what he's going through and what's driving him. Kim Sae-ron as So-mi is also great. For such a young person, her performance is phenomenal. So-mi is nice, caring, and funny all while hiding the pain of dealing with a 'troubled' mother and having no friends. Not going to lie, some of her scenes are heartbreaking and may bring you to tears (I almost cried, but I successfully held it in).
This movie is full of violence and tragedy. It is a revenge movie, basically, and there is nothing wrong with that! I've read that it is similar to Man On Fire (2004) and John Wick (2014). With regard to Man On Fire, there are some similarities (the plot of a man rescuing a little girl, using brutal violence to find her), but The Man From Nowhere is its own movie (I still haven't seen John Wick, so I cannot compare the two). To think, I saw this movie on sale for a very long time at the store years ago, but I never bought it. I did not know what I was missing!
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| The action is brutal and bloody. |
The Man From Nowhere has some brutal action scenes. Truthfully, there are not that many action or fight scenes, but when the action scenes do occur, they hit hard. Cha Tae-sik uses guns and (his opponent's) knives, but his main weapon is a small blade that he expertly uses. The way the fights are filmed and edited is similar to Batman Begins (2005) or The Bourne (2004-2016) movies (though not that bad); the fights are shot up close, and you don't really see any of the strikes connect. There is no shaky cam, thankfully, but it seems like some interesting moves are being performed, but you can't see their effect. The final fight is filmed and edited a little better; you can see more of what the fighters are doing and the effect it has on them. Despite all of this, the action is still brutal and exciting to watch.
I highly recommend watching The Man From Nowhere. The plot is thrilling, the characters are interesting, and the action is brutal. This movie is very emotional, as well. You may cry during certain scenes. The Man From Nowhere is just a cool movie. Won Bin and Kim Sae-ron kill it in this film. It is also one of the best movies I've watched this year. Check it out!
Reviewed by David Williams
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