refresh daemon
Guns & Talks is the third feature by multi-hyphenate Jang Jin, who wrote/directed Someone Special, an off-kilter romantic comedy that I really liked. Like Someone Special, Guns & Talks is a rather off-kilter film, being a genre hybrid between comedy and crime film, with comedy winning in the end.The story deals with four assassins, bachelors and friends that live together in a rather simple existence when not going around murdering people for money. Of course, eventually, their lifestyle leads to complications with the police as well as their targets. That said, the film's story is rather scattered and it's hard to figure out what the story is about in a larger sense. The characters (at least three of them) do undergo growth and development and the story does move forward as their jobs take them into the aforementioned conflicts, but I guess my issue with the story is that there is no real overarching themes.There are two points where this film is impressive:1. Style: When this film decides to flex its stylistic muscles, it can be quite stylish. In fact, part of the joy of the film is watching how genre styles can be upturned as crime collides with comedy. But when the film is trying to pull cool, it does. There are a few amusing and enjoyable applications of split screen and some amusing use of alternate reality scenes as well.2. Comedy: I really found myself quite amused during this film, actually breaking out into laughter on many occasions. Even though the overall story is a little unfocused the comedy is tight and appreciable. The setups are great, the payoffs are amusing and everything is rooted in the situation and the characters.So, the film does have some considerable overall story issues, due to the unfocused script, but the film does well enough in comedy and in putting together some suspense that it still remains surprisingly enjoyable, despite its obvious flaws. As such, I can recommend it as an enjoyable film, but can't really compare it to similar hybrids by Guy Ritchie or Quentin Tarantino. You should think of it more as a comedy featuring four assassins. Good stuff. 8/10.
dildq
This is an extremely funny movie that parodies some of the ubiquitous filmmaking cliches in asian action movies. /very minor spoilers below/Hilarious jabs are dealt to:* Hitmen turning sentimental when ordered to murder a girl they fall in love with ("She was pregnant!")* Overzealous moviecops ("Know why I want him killed so much? I just don't like him.")* Use of advanced weaponry and technology ("You're not James Bond so what's all these gadgets for?")* Convoluted complex plans ("I can't kill him with lung cancer!")* Strict professionalism and secrecy of assassins ("We're not people who kill for someone, and we've never done it.")* Sudden cheesy exclamations of love ("As they embraced my lesson on true love, they couldn't say anything, and our living room was a melting pot of emotions.")* Conflicts between brothers* Cool camera angles* Standard gentleman rivalvry between cop and robber ("I know you won't shoot me unless you're hired to.")All in all, an excellent film for those who enjoy the genre. Highly recommended. Especially notice the scene where they can't help but laughing themselves when supposed to be crying, it's a killer (no pun intended).Peace
ETCmodel02
Brilliant yarn about four hitmen who act more like a dysfunctional and often naive family of brothers than crew of killers. Of course they have the heart of gold, but the journey is dashing, the resolution is aesthetically splendid, and the ride is often genuinely hilarious. I love this film! Brilliant, needs to be released in North America immediately, then remade in English for all the cats unwilling to read subtitles! Casting is top notch in this one as well!
