Gangnam 1970 (2015) Reviews

• Brutal

  didjanoit2015-09-10

  My take on this movie comes from a gut level reaction, rather than any expertise in the gangster genre movies. I found the movie to be a gory, but realistic, portrayal of the depths of man's capacity for greed and violence. Whereas movies made in the US have watered down the showing of violence, this movie didn't. It showed graphically how men can be pushed, by despair and need, to fight with everything they have to not just survive, but to prosper. I thought all the actors seemed committed to their character's reasoning behind their actions, so I didn't find them to be disengaged from their roles at all. I was particularly impressed with Lee Min Ho's portrayal of such a brutal character, which was so far outside of his normal romantic lead roles. In the end, I just felt sorry for the sad state of their lives. Whether this is the intent of the creators or not, I don't know. But I was glad I took the time to watch this movie.

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• Art meets life meets crime.

  bobbysamadhi2015-09-14

  This film avoids the trap of trying to make the great mob movie by flying low, and it works, it is a rich experience. I will be watching it again. The biggest similarity with the Godather is that Gangnam can evoke what it wants just through the visuals. The meaning, and meanings, of the story are interlayered in what you see and how you see it. The lighting was I thought great, I rarely do. If you've known crime, criminals, cities, politics, family, hard times this film will speak. You get a tapestry of human personalities, and the faces speak about life, choices, chances, death. Pretty violent but surprisingly gentle. I guess it is because it is all symbolic of life's struggles and of cultural changes during the 1970's. It gave me the feeling of a (the) true story of Gangnam. Novelistic. Music, A-1. Acting, too. It's the only mob movie since the Godfather which could be compared to it.

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• Lacks focus

  grantss2017-01-29

  South Korea, early-1970s. The government decides to redevelop the Gangnam area south of Seoul, an area that is currently essentially a shanty town. This redevelopment will mean wealth for property owners and developers and corrupt politicians waste no time in feathering their nests. Also into this vacuum steps several criminal gangs, fighting over land, and often working on behalf of the politicians. Caught up in this is a resident of Gangnam, Jong- dae, who discovers that by joining one of the gangs he can pull himself up out of his poverty. Had heaps of potential. There are similarities with The Godfather - the turf war, the gangster connection, the unwilling civilian who becomes a crime lord, the sweeping scale of the drama. However, that's about where the similarities end. While The Godfather was a cinematic masterpiece, Gangnam Blues is mediocre. The biggest problem is that it is unfocused. Writer-director Ha Yoo tries to cram in too many stories and sub-plots, minimizing engagement with individual characters and making the movie overly long and padded. Focusing on the lead character and keeping detours in the plot to a minimum would have made for a much better movie. On the plus side, the movie is quite gritty and the action scenes quite good. Reasonably entertaining, in spells.

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• A movie worthy of the actor's dramatic talents

  hazidil2016-07-06

  This movie elaborates the struggles people in Gangnam district had to go through with various changes with power. As a non Korean viewer, I recommend this to watched in terms of power corruption, brutality and rejection in society. However the end is not what most would expect, however it gives the story more realistic appeal. The incredibly played character is that of Lee Min Ho. I was pleasantly surprised by the acting of Min Ho. As I have always seen him as a cheerful, melodramatic flower boy in many of his dramas. In fact quite shocking. This really shows his capabilities of adjusting to various roles as a great actor. He has changed his experience to suit this character and delivers a noteworthy performance. I recommend this movie and it is worth the time spent to watch.

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• Boring gangster flick

  KineticSeoul2015-03-27

  I gotta admit, the last reviewer was pretty much spot on with his/her own complaints about this movie. To sum it all up, it really is a pretetious cheap movie that really isn't worth seeing and is basically a waste of time. It's no wonder why Hyun Bin would turn down the offer to play a role as the protagonist in this movie. The movie is so bad, that no one except the women that have nude scenes put any effort into it. All the other actors just didn't seem to care and the acting goes from mundane to just awful. Sure, being a a dark underworld of the 70's era can change people. But it's another thing when the actors just didn't seem to care. The editing is bland and there just isn't any hook to the story what so ever. What this movie shows, is just manipulative gangsters and sleezy corrupt politicians trying to use one another. Which is fine when it comes to a movie form, but it's all so boring and most scenes just didn't seem necessary. I was expecting a good era film with gangster elements, but got a cheap knock off. The fact that there wasn't a single character I could get even slightest bit attached to doesn't help the score either. 3.5/10

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