Kool Action Flick
I'm a little dazed after watching Shiri, aka Swiri, the first high-profile major action movie from South Korea. With a budget of only $5 million, it broke the all-time box office record set by Titanic, only in Korea of course. I first heard about this movie on Aint it Cool News. After reading all the enormous hype about Blair Witch Project on that site and being totally disappointed by that movie, I wasn't sure if I wanted to take a chance with this movie. I mean, those AICN idiots also raved like crazy about Shaolin Soccer for crying out loud, and that is hands-down the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. I am glad that I gave Shiri a chance though.
Like all action movies, Shiri requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. However, it's definitely an entertaining and well-made big-budget movie (relatively speaking) that should appeal to anyone who enjoys fast-paced action. It even has a heavy dose of romance that may cause some girls to cry, that is if they manage to stomache all the violence and carnage in the first 90% of the movie. Its mixture of bloody action and touching romance reminded me somewhat of one of my favorite Hong Kong action movies of all time, The Killer.
I'm not going to go over the plot because I think everyone should check it out without knowing much about it beforehand. I will, however, note a few interesting things:
1.) The South Korean SWAT teams are all sponsored by Oakley, judging by the huge Oakley goggles they wear throughout the movie. I'm also pretty sure that I saw an Oakley logo emblazoned on a sniper rifle case.
2.) North Koreans are portrayed in a way that is reminiscent of the psychotic Soviet tough guys in old American movies. I mean, these guys train by actually killing people! One of the most ridiculous scenes showed two soldiers competiting to see who can load a gun the fastest, with the winner emptying her clip into the slow poke. Apparently that killer training also allows one man or woman to take on an entire squadron of elite commandos who are armed with assault rifles. With a pistol!!
3.) You can make a liquid that is odorless and colorless like water, but has the 10x the explosiveness of conventional bombs.
4.) This is from the "Making of Shiri": the director actually built an altar on the set and prayed that the filming would go smoothly.
5.) I laughed out loud in when the main actor's name came up during the opening credits: Han Suckyu. I know I know, I plead guilty to having a filthy mind. But I can't help it!!
Check this movie out. It's pretty cool.
I'm a little dazed after watching Shiri, aka Swiri, the first high-profile major action movie from South Korea. With a budget of only $5 million, it broke the all-time box office record set by Titanic, only in Korea of course. I first heard about this movie on Aint it Cool News. After reading all the enormous hype about Blair Witch Project on that site and being totally disappointed by that movie, I wasn't sure if I wanted to take a chance with this movie. I mean, those AICN idiots also raved like crazy about Shaolin Soccer for crying out loud, and that is hands-down the worst movie I have ever seen in my life. I am glad that I gave Shiri a chance though.
Like all action movies, Shiri requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief. However, it's definitely an entertaining and well-made big-budget movie (relatively speaking) that should appeal to anyone who enjoys fast-paced action. It even has a heavy dose of romance that may cause some girls to cry, that is if they manage to stomache all the violence and carnage in the first 90% of the movie. Its mixture of bloody action and touching romance reminded me somewhat of one of my favorite Hong Kong action movies of all time, The Killer.
I'm not going to go over the plot because I think everyone should check it out without knowing much about it beforehand. I will, however, note a few interesting things:
1.) The South Korean SWAT teams are all sponsored by Oakley, judging by the huge Oakley goggles they wear throughout the movie. I'm also pretty sure that I saw an Oakley logo emblazoned on a sniper rifle case.
2.) North Koreans are portrayed in a way that is reminiscent of the psychotic Soviet tough guys in old American movies. I mean, these guys train by actually killing people! One of the most ridiculous scenes showed two soldiers competiting to see who can load a gun the fastest, with the winner emptying her clip into the slow poke. Apparently that killer training also allows one man or woman to take on an entire squadron of elite commandos who are armed with assault rifles. With a pistol!!
3.) You can make a liquid that is odorless and colorless like water, but has the 10x the explosiveness of conventional bombs.
4.) This is from the "Making of Shiri": the director actually built an altar on the set and prayed that the filming would go smoothly.
5.) I laughed out loud in when the main actor's name came up during the opening credits: Han Suckyu. I know I know, I plead guilty to having a filthy mind. But I can't help it!!
Check this movie out. It's pretty cool.
posted by Gary at
1:55 AM
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