Jo Pil-ho: The Dawning Rage

Jeong-beom Lee is an unknown name to me, but from the comments I read he seems to be a not completely uninteresting South Korean director. But he didn't manage to totally convince me with this film. Gloomy, unentertaining a little emotionally aggressive. If it wasn’t on Netflix and I wasn't trying to watch as many Netflix movies as possible, I probably wouldn't even give it a try under normal circumstances. The film lacks any tension and fun. It has a dark atmosphere, which is something South Koreans are good at, but you can't watch it much without harming own your health. Ideal to watch when sleep deprived. (21/05/2020)

Okay okay, Jeong-beom Lee has bestowed far better work on the world of cinema, but in my opinion Jo Pil-ho is definitely not a fail. The cards are still laid out the same way – on one side a likable (but not entirely unblemished) main character and against him a defenseless, but not very lucky, girl. Their fates intertwine to create a touching, action-packed story full of blood, but also understanding and love. 3.5 stars. (21/01/2021)

Lee Jeong-beom, the director of two cult action flicks, Man from Nowhere and No Tears for the Dead, delivers his weakest effort after a five-year hiatus. I felt like I was watching a debut and not a talented filmmaker like Lee. The story itself isn't downright bad, but the big problem for me is Lee Seon-gyoon, he's a likable guy and was great in A Hard Day, but he's perhaps the only one in the field of Korean actors who can't fight and that's why no action scene impressed, and in fact there is a complete minimum of it. It's shot competently, acted decently and the storyline isn't bad, but due to the slow pace and lack of action scenes, the film is unfortunately boring and doesn't have much to impress. Major disappointment. 50%. (26/05/2019)