Damn good movie. I’m seeing Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice in IMAX a week from today so you already know what time it is!!!!! It’s time to do a PARK CHAN-WOOK MARATHON!!!!! Before today I had seen six of his movies so I’m no stranger to his style and his work, but JSA took me a little by surprise. It’s different from his other movies yet it still feels exactly like a Park Chan-wook movie. The transitions are as amazing as ever and the direction is superb, but I’m usually accustomed to revenge stories when it comes to Park and seeing a devastating tale about brotherhood, camaraderie, and a peninsula that has been divided for decades blew me away. It’s honestly a perfect breakthrough movie. I love how it has a non-linear storyline and how it all comes together in the end in the most mind blowing way imaginable. The film starts off very serious and emphasizes the division between not only the countries of North and South Korea, but also the people of those nations. Which is crazy to think because at the end of the day, they are all Korean, they share the same language, they share the same heritage, and yet they will kill each other if they step on the other’s land. Or will they? After a little bit the film steers into a more lighthearted and sort of fun stretch. It flips all ideas of North versus South out the window and showcases how geopolitics and the differences that the people in charge place upon the citizens of the world are fake and nothing more than pieces in their evil chess game to maintain meaningless order in the context of geopolitics. The four men who become best buddies might be both North and South Korean, they might have different ideologies, but their bond is undeniable. Even when things turn bleak and death begins to rear its ugly head again, the men seem to maintain a silent understanding that their bond is stronger than anything. The ending is simply devastating. Seeing who kills who, who puts their life on the line for who, and who protects who is simply insane. Betrayal, loyalty, brotherhood, it’s all laid out in the end by Park. I love that final shot so much. The four of them in one picture together. No matter what happened in the end, they were there at that moment in time, together, whether as friends or as enemies, there’s no denying that the instances they shared together cannot be undone. What a beautiful movie that is at times so serious and at others so funny.
Damn good movie. I’m seeing Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice in IMAX a week from today so you already know what time it is!!!!! It’s time to do a PARK CHAN-WOOK MARATHON!!!!! Before today I had seen six of his movies so I’m no stranger to his style and his work, but JSA took me a little by surprise. It’s different from his other movies yet it still feels exactly like a Park Chan-wook movie. The transitions are as amazing as ever and the direction is superb, but I’m usually accustomed to revenge stories when it comes to Park and seeing a devastating tale about brotherhood, camaraderie, and a peninsula that has been divided for decades blew me away. It’s honestly a perfect breakthrough movie. I love how it has a non-linear storyline and how it all comes together in the end in the most mind blowing way imaginable. The film starts off very serious and emphasizes the division between not only the countries of North and South Korea, but also the people of those nations. Which is crazy to think because at the end of the day, they are all Korean, they share the same language, they share the same heritage, and yet they will kill each other if they step on the other’s land. Or will they? After a little bit the film steers into a more lighthearted and sort of fun stretch. It flips all ideas of North versus South out the window and showcases how geopolitics and the differences that the people in charge place upon the citizens of the world are fake and nothing more than pieces in their evil chess game to maintain meaningless order in the context of geopolitics. The four men who become best buddies might be both North and South Korean, they might have different ideologies, but their bond is undeniable. Even when things turn bleak and death begins to rear its ugly head again, the men seem to maintain a silent understanding that their bond is stronger than anything. The ending is simply devastating. Seeing who kills who, who puts their life on the line for who, and who protects who is simply insane. Betrayal, loyalty, brotherhood, it’s all laid out in the end by Park. I love that final shot so much. The four of them in one picture together. No matter what happened in the end, they were there at that moment in time, together, whether as friends or as enemies, there’s no denying that the instances they shared together cannot be undone. What a beautiful movie that is at times so serious and at others so funny.
