Directed by: Hong-Jin Na
Starring: Jung-woo Ha, Yun-seok Kim, Seong-Ha Cho
Distributed by: Fox World Cinema
MPAA Rating: R
Running Time: 137 min
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 1 out of 5 stars
“The Yellow Sea” written and directed by Hong-Jin Na is the story of a desperate Chinese cab driver who is asked to carry out an assassination in South Korea. Shortly after arriving the cab driver realizes he has become entangled in a dangerous conspiracy. If you are looking for a medium paced foreign film that will keep you guessing at every turn then pick up a copy of Fox World Cinema’s “The Yellow Sea”.
Being a big fan of Asian cinema I was quite interested in checking this film out. Director/Writer Hong-Jin Na did not disappoint. From the overall look and feel of the film to its actual content “The Yellow Sea” was a rollercoaster ride of deception. Jung-woo Ha did a great job in the lead role and was very convincing playing a man who had nothing to lose. Seong-Ha Cho played a great villain who as the film progressive we start to see that his character is a little more than Jung-woo or us as the viewers bargained for. There were a few points in the film where you really had to pay attention as the number of characters involved and their intersecting story lines did cause a bit of confusion. This observation aside the film still had relatively good flow and progression.
The special features portion of the disc I felt left something to be desired. Here you could find the trailer as well as a sneak peak of the film along with a few other Fox World Cinema Trailers. I am not a fan of when film companies do this and list them as “extras” or “special features”. Personally if I have already chosen this movie to watch I am probably not going to spend my time watching the trailer or sneak peak’s of the film when I already have the full version of the film to watch. I understand some people do want to have these types of so called “special features” but maybe they could have at least included an interview or two with cast/crew to help beef up this section.
