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Directed by: Baek Woon-Hak Starring: Seok-hun Kim, Sang-min Park, Du-na Bae Korean Chow Yun-Fat doppelganger Seok-hun Kim is Jay: a hard boiled cop driven to find the elusive "T" (Sang-min Park), a wanted terrorist who also happens to be the killer of his wife. Investigating a possible lead, he soon finds himself caught up in a hostage crisis when a subway train with both the Mayor of Seoul and his new girlfriend/stalker Kay (Du-na Bae) onboard comes under the control of the terrorist, a man whom we soon discover to be wanting to settle the score with the one responsible for the death of his own beloved: the Prime Minister of South Korea. Tube/Tyubeu is a very capable 2003 thriller that mixes together several familiar Hollywood influences, a number of intense action sequences and a dash of romantic melodrama. Presented with some very slick visuals, impressive production values and appropriately dramatic musical score, it manages to keep the intensity level of the crisis up for most the film, often keeping me at the edge of my seat. And with the exception of several comedy relief characters, most of the cast seem to turn in solid performances, though it was hard to tell considering the mediocre English dubbing I was subjected to in the single-audio DVD I rented. However, the film does borrow a number of cliches and plot points from movies of similar ilk without providing much room for innovation, so viewers may get an overwhelming sense of deja vu when watching events unfold on screen. Tube also seems like a Asian carbon copy of a Jerry Bruckheimer production, which may be enough of a distraction to some viewers. The film also suffers from a villain that isn’t very threatening at all and the previously mentioned instance of melodramatics is, at times in contrast with the overall atmosphere of the film. The final act also begins with several, almost-laughable plot developments which threaten to derail the film but luckily the filmmakers manage to keep the film on track, keeping the suspense high up to the satisfying end. Despite these flaws, Tube is still worth checking out for the action fan. Although not as good as other examples of South Korea’s much touted catalogue of contemporary action films, Tube will probably still provide enough entertainment value for a few hours at least. 3.5/5 PROS: Some intense, exciting action sequences, consistently thrilling. CONS: Not very original, the melodrama is often in contrast to the story’s tone. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0339824/ mrkillboy fucked around with this message at 08:36 on Jun 22, 2004 |
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Jun 22, 2004 07:27
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