User login   Review by:  Release Date:  Premier Asia Martial
Arts Aspect Ratio:  Directed by:  Lee Myung-se Ha Ji-won Kang
Dong-won Bottom Line:   As a pioneer member of Korea's New Wave
of filmmakers, who first came to prominence during the early-
Eighties when Korean critics routinely trashed their work for
failing to adhere to the state approved genre of "social
realism", maverick auteur Lee Myung-se clearly relishes the
freedom afforded him by the thriving climate in current Korean
cinema. His breakthrough international hit, 1999's "Nowhere to
Hide"was a post modern mélange of ultra-stylish action set-
pieces that appeared to vindicate Myung-se's tenacious
idiosyncrasy, much to the annoyance of conservative film critics
in his homeland. The director has certainly bided his time in
following up that film's success; but the work born of the
ensuing six year hiatus takes Lee Myung-se's early rejection of
realist cinema to the ultimate extremes afforded by the higher
budgets now allowed him by "Nowhere To Hide'