New World (2013)

Truly the worst movie I've ever seen in a theater

Am I Missing Something?

A Masterpiece!

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Though this movie was inspired by a Hong Kong movie "Infernal Affairs", it obviously become even better than its already successful predecessor. 1. Plot. Intense, fluent, surprising. Every scene, every second is not wasted. 2. Actors. Despite the fact that all actors are the best in Korea, they do delivered an elaborate level of acting - every expression, words, action carries their true feelings.

At time, 'New World' would seem just another movie. With elements borrowed from many past famous movies. But still it has that fresh taste thanks to that brilliant cinematography and editing. We have seen many movies with an undercover cop who wants to get out of the life (Infernal Affair & The Departed) and we have seen movies where left and right hands fight to reach to the throne. It is a mix of both of those types with addition of brutality and emotions.An undercover cop, who becomes part of the biggest mob family as his clan merges with others to form an organization. A decade has passed since he is in the job and now wants to get out. But his boss is constantly breaking his promise to pull him out and keeps on blackmailing him to stay put. Finally he embraces his fate and burns all the boats.On important part of movie is him relation with closest friend who protects him till the end and in fact is the one who advises him to choose for himself instead of being a pawn and living in shadows.The use of young boys as mobsters fighting with other mobsters of same age group is a new thing. Another visual treat is that all the men are dressed in formal suits. Very well acted, powerfully written a strong story of kind heart cop turned into cold blooded Don.

Park Hoon-jung's "New World" is a top notch crime drama from South Korea. Its complex plot features Jung-Jae Lee as Lee Ja-sung, an agent who's been undercover with the Goldmoon crime syndicate for eight years now and has managed to reach the position of second-in-command to the group's leader. When the latter is taken out in a hit, Jung-Jae naturally assumes that his assignment will likewise be terminated and that he'll be allowed to return to a normal life with his pregnant wife. However, his actual boss, Police Chief Kang (Min-sik Choi), has other plans for him, namely to stay an active member in the gang and to eventually fill the vacuum left by the assassinated leader. This, however, will necessitate eliminating the top two lieutenants, Jeong Cheong (Jeong-min Hwang) and Lee Jung-gu (Seong-Woong Park), his two potential rivals for the throne.At times brutal and bloody, "New World," nevertheless, remains predominantly a drama of character and ideas, as the "good" figures in particular must find their way through the moral morass that is the world of crime, where the fine line between good and evil, right and wrong, often has to be crossed in order to secure a desired end. And somehow they must do so without losing both their humanity and their soul in the process. For the embedded Jung-Jae, for instance, there is the inexorable pull to the dark side as well as the inevitable shifting of loyalties that comes from immersing himself so deeply into this brotherhood of criminals, while Kang, the Javert-like figure of the piece, is so obsessed with bringing down Goldmoon that he is even willing to sacrifice some of his own operatives to bring it about.Sharp writing, intense performances, excellent pacing, fine direction and an ironically preordained conclusion all combine to make "New World" a must-see film.

Frankly, I'll go a long way to see a Korean movie. While this film doesn't quite have the exuberance or originality of some recent examples, it is an entertaining example of the Asian cops vs gangsters format. But the field is very well stocked, and to be fair this film ticks the boxes without standing out. The acting and direction of the main protagonists keeps the important development tight, while allowing for those languorous scenes that Hollywood directors remove. But the characters are so watchable, even when fishing in a warehouse, and cursing each other in a language I understand none of. There are a couple of notably stylish action sequences, as well as slightly too many standard scenes (funeral, boardroom, hospital etc) that we are all too familiar with. If you have seen Infernal Affairs, then you won't struggle to follow the plot. Korean cinema is now big enough to carry the merely good along with the excellent. And while this effort should be enjoyed in that vein.