Ben Chang A true gangster movie. Raw and harsh. None of that over-the-top Hollywood shoot-them-up garbage. The use of bats and knives is so much more menacing than emptying clips of bullets and not hitting anything. Good character development and good flow to the movie. It left me wondering what happens to all different characters. I wish there was a huge epilogue but that would have made the ending very soft. I don't remember ever enjoying a gangster movie this much. I am honestly attached to the characters in this movie and wish there is a book out there (not like I could read it). Highly recommend this movie. Last gangster movies this good was probably The Godfather and Scarface.

eggartrealty We got to see "A Dirty Carnival" at the Asian-American Film Festival here in San Francisco last week. The movie is truly amazing. The action sequences, the music, and the acting were all fantastic.I think In-Seong Jo (lead actor) will have a very long career in movies. He'd be perfect for Hollywood movies too. His performance in this role lead me to do some research on his other movies - I'll be renting/buying them soon.Hopefully, Hollywood will not try to re-make this film. It's perfect as is. American audiences are just going to have to get used to reading subtitles to see great movies.

vze32kxa Dirty Carnival is a story about a sergeant level member of a organized crime gang. At 29 he has little to show for his age and worse, has no prospects. While he seemingly has the utmost loyalty from his subordinates he is constantly put down by the under boss. He reluctantly seizes a murderous opportunity which would surely promote him to lieutenant to the big boss. All goes according to plan but he is anything but happy and in a drunken confession he pours his heart out to a filmmaker friend looking for the perfect plot to his movie.I don't feel like I'm spoiling anything when I say the ending is not a happy one. It has become the trademark of Korean cinema, or to be cynical, a cliché. At first such endings were fresh and different but these days I could do without them. Nonetheless A Dirty Carnival is one of the best movies I've seen since, well, Once Upon a Time in High school. The movie achieves a gritty yet realistic tone I rarely see in movies. I can honestly say I enjoyed every moment of this movie and I have the attention span of a 3rd grader. Many people are interested in the fight scenes so I will say that there is one major brawl scene comparable to the one in "Chingu". Violence is scattered throughout the movie, at least enough to please action fans.

hokensongirl The movie is bittersweet, reminding me of "Blow" and "Casino". I refuse to say that it is the Asian counterpart of the above-mentioned movies because I think that does not do Yoo Ha or In-Seong Cho justice.The cast acted as though each role was made just for them and the accordion laced soundtrack simply added to the irony and hard, cold truth of the subject matter.But most of the kudos have to go to In-Seong Cho, for letting viewers live through his character (Byung-Doo). Whether it's laughing at his karaoke rendition in the car and club.; his intense, awkward yet realistic fighting skills or the boyish charms oozing when he sees the woman he loves ~ if I knew nothing of the actor I would have thought he was cast to play himself. It is extremely well done so just watch it and find out for yourself!