A contract killer becomes disenchanted with his line of work and spares the lives of his two latest would-be-victims. But the assassination company he works for has no intentions of letting him quit.
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Reviews
Load of rubbish!!
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny
It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Ji Hyeong-Do (So Ji-Sub) works at what appears to be a regular company, however, this is just a convenient smoke-screen for the actual modus operandi: contract killing. Using this particular business as the backdrop for the illegal operations is uniquely entertaining, as much as it is thought provoking, while comparing the assassins to regular employees offers an interesting approach in depicting these methodically trained killers. Under the guise of company president Jeon (Jeon Kwak-Han), who truly appreciates Hyeong-Do's capabilities, and the unlikable, egotistical Kwon Jong-Tae (Kwak Do-won), who ironically appears to psychologically evaluate the staff, Hyeong-Do's career has admirably flourished, his impeccable record readying him for many promotions.Despite this, we are able to witness Hyeong-Do outside of his employ, affiliating with retired assassin Ban Ji-Hoon (Lee Kyoung-Young), an old acquittance of his, who serves as a figure of guidance and support. Hyeong-Do is seen to be questioning his stay with the company, alongside harboring feelings of resentment and fatigue, Ji-Hoon being tactically used to put into words what Hyeong-Do cannot, revealing the life that those working for this particular organization are forced to endure.After hiring an impressionable young man, Ra-Hoon (Kim Dong-Joon) to assist with the assassination of a target, Hyeong-Do is ordered to terminate all loose ends, but finds this particular assignment more difficult than previous experiences after forming an attachment with his temporary partner. Overcome by regret, he fulfills Ra-Hoon's wishes and meets his family: his sister, Bo-Seul (Han Bo-Bae), who is as spontaneous as she is disrespectful, and his mother, Yoo Mi-Yeon (Lee Mi-Yeon), a former one time pop idol, who Hyeong-Do has a past connection to, being not only appreciative, but inspired, by this beautiful woman and her family.Over the course of the feature, Hyeong-Do appears legitimately introverted, experiencing difficulties in socialization and communicative practices, that are conveyed effectively through facial expression, an occasional inability to look others in the eye, and difficulty in finding appropriate words to accommodate a situation. Mi-Yeon on the other hand, although suffering the shame of never successfully completing her professional endeavors, is quite the opposite, being garrulous, sweet, compassionate and family oriented, always looking out for others, rather than attempting to secure her own happiness. Although these two characters have almost nothing in common, with the exception of a unanimous attraction, the film depicts them as not necessarily wanting to be in a relationship, as much as they need to be together, both individuals having the capacity to complete and compliment the other.As Hyeong-Do's lacking dedication to the company becomes increasingly more noticeable, questions regarding his professionalism begin to plague those in command. As an inquisitive detective, Myung-Duk (Park Jin-Woo) begins to investigate the authenticity of the company's business, and his contact with Hyeong-Do is revealed, the once revered assassin discovers the company he has worked tirelessly for, have a strong desire to terminate his contract - permanently, putting not only himself, but those he cares about, at risk.The action segments in the film are well executed, and despite the predictability that often accompanies their execution, the locations, that are not always stereotypical for action movies, offers entertaining backdrops to the genre. At the same time however, though South Korean action features have established themselves as frenetically enjoyable experiences, they are also renown for their melodramatic atmosphere. In the case of A Company Man, there were more than a couple of moments where the filmmakers had the opportunity to invest the audience more emotionally in the story, yet, these moments appear to be wasted, and for the most part, despite the interesting characters and appealing visuals, this film is one that will not invest its audience entirely into the plot.Further characterization regarding Hyeong-Do's original motivations for becoming an assassin, alongside knowledge on Mi-Yeon's past life, would have been additionally advantageous. This aside however, A Company Man, despite its South Korean origins, is capable of reflecting the kind of action we have come to expect from American features, and with this in mind, will surely entertain its audience, though if a viewer is after something with further depth, perhaps they ought to order from another menu.
Hyeong-do is assigned to terminate a man. The man asks that he give a certain woman some money. He does this. The woman is someone who he knew from earlier in his life, who used to be a singer.He finds her, gives her the money, and meets with her now and then. He puts off killing the man, but later is cornered into doing it.He grows closer to the woman, and helps her buy a small shop. He encourages her to sing again. He decides to resign at a meeting. His company sends two others to escort him to the meeting. They were also assigned to kill him.Throughout much of the film, he consults a disgraced former operative that the company let live for some unclear reason. He confides in this man. He decides to take the singer and her two children to a 'safe' place.How well does that work? -----Scores------Cinematography: 8/10 Good.Sound: 8/10 The subtitles seemed to be good. Incidental music and foley were folded in nicely.Acting: 9/10 I liked the principal actors very much.Screenplay: 8/10 Reasonable story, well told. Loved the final revenge phase.
i wouldn't say the movie is necessary bad, but just average.The styling and action sequences are filmed very well.However the story seems just too forced and we never get the chance to explore the protagonist or the other characters and their inner turmoil.And even till the end of the movie, i feel totally nothing for the characters.One point that i do wish to bring out is that having watched "A Bittersweet Life", i feel the director 'borrowed' too much from that movie, whether it's the story, the styling and including the acting from the main actor such as the look of being lost with regret to even the ending of looking at the mirror trying to figure out why the whole thing is coming down like this.If you haven't seen "A Bittersweet Life", i suggest you skip this one and see that instead... If you have seen both, i'm sure you get what i mean.
5.8 ?! Are you kidding me ? I bet the ratings were given by women disappointed in the love-line of the story.I in the contrary was superbly entertained : Excellent cinematography , acting , action , sound and a story , which can be labeled as unique in the ocean of a pro-killer falls in love-wants retirement-pisses-his-employers-off-movies. To my great relief the focus wasn't placed on love but on THE company , something I never saw before. A corporation masked as yet another unit of the ,,normal '' business world. Bureaucracy , business meetings and boring office work ? HEll NO! Suits , guns and office women in tight skirts with the ability to kill you under the blink of an eye , coworkers aka. a deadly wolfspack ; ready to turn the back on you if the money is right ? H-E-L-L Y-E-A-H ! ! ! And this exact atmosphere makes this film very enjoyable. But the main highlight is the charismatic Ji-Sub So as the silent killer ,managing to draw compassion in spite being a murderer-for-money.A Company Man is a neat movie , being able the fulfill its main objective of delivering a good piece of cinema and solid entertainment , but it lacks that little ,, something '' to make it memorable forever.( But fans of heroic bloodshed can't skip it!)