Sunday

Since we last spoke I've seen three films. The first was at the cinema, City of Violence, and I suggest you see it immediately. This is exciting contemporary film-making, stylish and exhilarating. To give you an idea, the director Seung-wan Ryoo (who also is one of the main characters) has been called the Korean Tarantino. Whilst this is clearly true, it's also a bit unfair - after all, one of the main inspirations for Tarantino was Asian cinema. There are some exceptional sequences in this film, played out to great music. The beginning alone, rushing you into the backstreets with a steadicam, is brilliant. The transitions, the cuts, the editing, are all great, the sense of humour refreshing. I felt that it lost something in the middle - the pace and style simply couldn't be kept up throughout - but then recovered for a brilliant finish. The fight sequences were stunning, and whilst very similar to Kill Bill, I think better. Watching the trailer will make you think it's just a copycat movie, but this isn't the case at all. This director is very good. I'd say he's still young, and this movie isn't perfect, but I can't wait for what's to come. Someone could sort out the subtitles because they were very hard to read, but that shouldn't spoil your experience. This film's power is mainly visual and aural.