Highly Overrated But Still Good

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

"Always" (aka "O-jik geu-dae-man") is the type of movie that you simply owe to yourself to watch, because it is a beautiful and touching movie, up alongside "Failan", "Oasis" and "Fly Me to Polaris".What makes the movie sink right in is the storyline and the detailed characters. This is a love story that will sweep you away, and the characters are ones you take to heart and bond with. As such, then South Korean director Il-gon Song really managed to put together an unforgettable movie.And the actors and actresses in the movie also have an immense credit for making this a beautiful movie. Especially the two leading talents Ji-Seob So (playing Cheol-Min) and Hyo-Jo Han (playing Jeong-Hwa) were fabulous in the movie, both together and on their own."Always" tells the story of ex-boxer Cheol-Min who works at a parking garage where he happens to meet the blind telemarketing woman Jeong-Hwa. A friendship sparks and blossoms into love.It should be said that "Always" is likely to have you in tears, so you might just want to have a tissue within arms reach. Yep, the movie does have that strong of an impact, as it a very emotional movie.This is MUST watch if you enjoy the South Korean cinema in all its diversity.

"Always" is just a little bit superior to your regular Asian romance film; on watching the movie, one marvels at the subtle nuances, the low-key expressiveness of the actors. In the hands of an inferior director, the script would have deteriorated into run of the mill mush but Mr. Song Il-gon covers all bases perfectly. I would like to shake this guy's hand personally and thank him for creating this masterpiece.The climax is definitely Jung-hwa's breakdown (near the underpass); to say this scene is one of the most moving pieces of cinema is an understatement. If I was an Oscar jury member, I would hand Han Hyo-joo a Best Actress trophy pronto. That type of unbridled emotion takes a lot of guts and balls to pull off. So Ji-sub is excellent as the hardened ex-boxer, Jang Marcelino/Chul-min. The support cast is also commendable for their individual performances.I'd like to ask a question though: how come Jung-Hwa never figured out Chul-min's face/identity after regaining her sight? She could've done a little investigation; the guy used to be a local boxing champion, surely there's a photo lying around somewhere. In spite of this minor foible in the plot, the superb acting of the cast and the masterful direction of Song Il-gon elevates this from the usual mass of rom-coms and romance dramas. It is such a shame that this was under-appreciated at the box office. "Always" is that rare gem and a definite classic of film drama.

The Koreans do melodrama better than anyone else on the planet. I wish I had known about Korean movies years ago. (I saw "Always" four years after its release. When will a Korean movie get released in the US?!?)The plot here is reminiscent of "An Affair to Remember," the quintessential Hollywood romance. But the feeling and cinematography are pure twenty-first century. Though it's a 100% melodrama story- line, the style is low-key and on the naturalistic side. It's never overwrought. So Ji-Sub is a favorite of mine from seeing him in K-drama "The Master's Sun." Here he plays a very different kind of man, but with equal skill and charisma. His character barely talks, but still feels three-dimensional. Han Hyo-Joo is excellent and her character is refreshingly outgoing despite her disability.I had to close my eyes for about 5 minutes when things got violent, but that was inevitable given that So Ji-Sub plays a fighter. If I have any complaints, it's that I wanted to know so much more about the characters, and the denouement is on the quick side. I still have questions. But the emotional aspects of the story were handled perfectly. If you haven't started watching the good Korean stuff yet, you should. It's worth the subtitles.

How many of you will see this? I am someone who now realizes that Korean movies are now worth paying attention to. On one level this movie is pure melodrama. But when you think about it, melodrama goes back to the beginning of film. And the plot of this movie, comes directly from Charley Chaplin's "City Lights". So the story works here precisely because this kind of film has disappeared from mainstream movies. I hope you remember how Steven Spielberg broke through by harnessing the power of the cinema to make us feel. I have no idea who this director is. But what I do know is that he is a master of a very old kind of storytelling and he is hip enough to kick the whole story up to modern times in a scene so violent, well, we won't go into it...but hide you eyes if you have to. The lead actors, indeed, all the actors, are so good that they make you feel things despite a language none of us hear very often. And they are not over doing it, in a story that could have been destroyed by their lack of subtlety. Seeing this movie with a crowd of young Asian Americans at their festival in San Francisco was a special treat. Do not miss this, it is one of the best films of the year for those of us who love pure cinema. Hats off to a culture and cinema production style that could allow this to be made. You will not see anything like this again anytime soon.