22 Bullets

So, this savage premiered in 2010— more than a decade ago yet, I discovered it yesterday. Not that nothing skips my eyes, but it’s surprising how this action-filled blood-soaked revenge thriller didn’t catch my eyes earlier. But, better late than never.

Loosely based on a true event from the ’70s, it’s a war between friends; seizing power from another where, ironically, they vowed to watch each other’s back till death. But, eventually, morality is questioned and the friendship turns into a battle affecting family and friends.

What I liked most about the film is its action sequence. It’s been long I’ve watched such a fast-paced action film filled with gore and violence. Reminds me of the folklore— wounded tigers don’t fear bullets. Indeed. Left severely wounded in an ambush, Jean Reno came back from dead as a Phoenix and wreaked havoc on his friend who betrayed the oath of friendship. Merciless killing continues from both sides until revenge is taken for the fallen. But, surpassing all the violence and conflict, the gangster’s love for the family is upheld above all— constantly going above and beyond to protect them no matter what. That makes the movie so unique to me, a sense of morality drawing a thin line between personal and business life; highlighting how far you can go when the father in you kicks in.

Almost a spoiler, but no— I haven’t said anything about the 22 bullets that hit the protagonist. Neither did I disclose who did that and why. You will figure them out if you care to watch it, otherwise, whatever.

Now, so many characters involved here that make me confused about who is who. Like, he is dying, she is being chased, they are fighting— it’s a pile of villains and heroes trying to survive by killing one another. And some scenes are gravely graphical. As if you are witnessing it in real life, the kicking in the face is more like affecting your nerves. Shotting is better in this sense, too easy. But stabbing and torturing scenes are hard to swallow, if you are into Korean crime thrillers, you know that already. Even after, all these action scenes don’t make the movie rubbish like some others. There is a story, everything is happening around that story. No unnecessarily exaggerated scenes are stashed to make it look like a gut-wrenching hardcore action movie without a purpose. A decent watch I guess.

But, if you have motion sickness, you may find it uncomfortable to watch, well, sometimes. Especially, the chasing scenes. Frequent camera movement makes it difficult to observe the detail while bold stuntmanship might put you in awe.
Not to mention how beautiful the countryside is.

But, this contrasts against the dark side of the law. How it feels to be blinded by law when you know what’s right and wrong. Also, when the power is corrupted, how far it can go to ruin the morale, how it creates a frustrated persona. Nevertheless, we find comfort in knowing that the law will protect us— how pathetic.

Anyway, you’ll love watching this 1.50+ hours movie. But, 6.6 IMDb is merely a justification for what it truly is.

_Ⓒ