ChaNee
My mind is somewhere east of Seoul, South Korea
I enjoyed it for the fact that the two lead males on screen chemistry with each other as father and son was comfortable and effortless. They just seem to ALWAYS be in sync with each other regardless if it was for comedic timing or emotional timing. Takeru Sato and Atsuro Watabe were great. Their acting never seemed over the top and you felt like this was just normal everyday interaction between them in every episode.
The supporting cast's acting was well done but at some times it was a bit over the top but with the atmosphere of the drama. I didn't mind because it added to the fun and craziness of the episodes. Not too many dramas can be emotional and silly at the same time so I commend the cast for an enjoyable show.
The episodes are a give and take when it comes to story lines. Some episodes that featured the story line for certain supporting characters were well written and the others were worth a side glance of " Really???" but again , I have to say the acting of all those involved made you forgive those episodes and look past the faults.
The main theme song is very catchy. Now that can be a good or bad thing. I do believe if this drama was any longer, it would become like that song from Boys Over Flowers, Almost Paradise. ANNOYING. That's how catchy it is..lol You will like it until you hate it. So far I still like it:)
It's a good possibility that I will rewatch this at some time considering that I rarely rewatch shows. Also I am under the impression that this drama may have a part 2 because at the end of the finale episode in small red writing, it said "to be continued".. Hmmmmm I hope it does.
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The Case of Itaewon Homicide
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All in all, I think the writers, producers, directors, and actors did a wonderful job in the retelling of this story. As I am aware that all movie interpretations of real life stories tend to exaggerate the story for dramatic purposes but regardless I think this movie did justice for the case. The case was reopened since the release of this movie and new details has surfaced along with progress of a possible conviction.
I came for Jang Geun Suk but stayed for the suspense of the outcome. The main cast, which I am calling the Korean cast, did a wonderful job and the secondary cast, which I am calling the American cast, did a good job. If I had to grade the American cast, I would give them a B- because they did a better job then any other inexperienced American actor in a Korean film or drama. This is my opinion but I will go as far as saying "Trust me, you will feel the same way"
The directional pace of the movie was on point. It grabbed your attention from the very beginning and kept it to the very end. The cinematography was dark, creepy and emotional. I don't have anything bad to say about this movie. It's a must see especially if you want to see Jang Geun Suk play out of his usual character. It took me a moment to get use to seeing him in some cornrows (braids) and speaking English but he was HAWT nonetheless :)
Also if you are wondering why I scored a 7 on the music score and 6 on rewatch value, it's only because I don't remember the score because I was to involved with the movie and I rarely rewatch movies unless a few years go by.
The only complaint I do have is since there are new changes to the case there should be an addendum to the ending credits. If there is a re-release of a DVD version, then I stand corrected.
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As far as the cast. Everyone was wonderful. I realized half way through the movie that I have seen Andy Lau before in House of the Flying Daggers but his acting blew me away in Shaolin. OMG!!! What can
I say about Nicolas Tse and Wu Jing. Brilliant!!! But the best part of the movie are the little boys. I am a sucker for baby monks:) who in turn did the Shaolin style of Kung Fu a bit better than than the adults:)
If you don't like movies that have a message, then this isn't the movie for you. Behind the fighting and revenge plot that most Shaolin movies have, this actually has a stronger message and with the tragedies and problems that all of us are experiencing around the world, we need to be reminded of faith, redemption and compassion.
If you are looking for a movie that gives you the sense of the old school kung fu movies from the late 70's to the 80's, I recommend this movie.
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The acting by the cast was good but was mostly held together by the male and female lead. The supporting cast did a passable job.
The production of the movie was dark, dreary and a bit gory but not too much gore that would turn your stomach or have you looking away from the screen in horror but everything was just enough to get the storyline across.
The music and rewatch value obtain low rates because either the music isn't memorable or they didn't have music..lol and it's not that good of a movie to rewatch but it's good enough for a 1 time view.
I am a bit confused about the ending so it leads me to believe that it is a bit of an open ending. Are they or Aren't they type thing.
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Yoon Kye Sang has to be one of the most underrated actors. This is the second time that I have seen him since Beyond the Clouds and he just blew me away again with the intensity of his performance. Just Outstanding. As for Lee Bum Soo, he always knocks it out of the park every time. What more can I say besides perfection? It was very hard to dislike his character, Gwak Heung Sam. Bum Soo gave so much depth to him that you couldn't help but sympathize with his life story. Now don't get me wrong, understanding turned to hate real quick LOL! but he made it a wonderful ride. Last but not least, Park Won Sang. I have to quote Odilettante, author of the recaps on Dramabeans when she described Won Sang's character, Jong-Gu. "his amazing hair and fabulous cheekbones" He was most certainly that along with being the epitome of good in a place that revolved around so much evil and corruption. This may have been the reason I was fangirling so hard:) In short, Jong-Gu turned out to be the character I invested my time in. He was my main reason for binge watching. The rest of the cast was exceptional. The story couldn't have moved without the awesome acting of each one one the one. The main supporting cast gave plenty of comic relief, tears, anger, revenge, etc etc. They are the ones that made this drama story worth watching.
There is a major complaint that keeps me from giving this drama a 10 rating. It fell a bit short in the rap up of certain character story lines. It doesn't hurt the finale but it would have been good to know what happened to certain characters that had a tremendous impact rather big or small. It's left to your imagination. I think it would have been good to have an extra episode to make it that odd 17 but that's just me being greedy.
The music was good. I gave it a 5 rating. There were only 2 songs that caught my attention but the instrumental for the action segments did them justice. I rarely pay attention to the music unless a vocal song off of the OST catches my attention so the music value will always rate a bit low not because the OST is not good but blame my attention span.
I have yet to rewatch a drama in my 4-5 years of watching Asian Dramas so it's always a 50/50 chance because I have a few on my mind.
I definitely recommend LAST as being one to watch. If you don't watch for anything else, watch it for Lee Bum Soo. That short man can wear a suit:)
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