No Blood No Tears (2002/Korea/Genius DVD)

 

Picture: C+     Sound: B-     Extras: D     Film: C-

 

 

City Of Violence put director Ryu Seung-Wan on the map, but it does not mean all of his films are going to be good and No Blood No Tears (2002) mis a mess that wants to be a gangster film, Bound and anything else, but seems more interested in seeing women beaten, punching each other and being punched.  The result is a redundant, repetitive, flat film that looses credibility early on as two women in oppressed positions become friends (one a gangster’s moll, the other a cab driver) and decide to steal from a loan shark.

 

In what could have been interesting, the story just never adds up and quickly becomes a spoof of itself, including awkward acting throughout and action sequences that are not the most impressive.  This goes on for almost 2 hours (!) and wears thin so quickly, I could not believe they were able to go on after 70 minutes.  This is for the most curious only.

 

The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is on the soft side and though color is good, none of the shots did much for me or the story and editing was even sloppy.  The Dolby Digital 5.1 mix is at least lively, though some of the voices become annoying.  There are no extras.

 

The case adds the hype line “enough is enough” and with “No Tears” in the title, some wisenheimer must have thought evoking the Barbra Streisand/Donna Summer hit duet “No More Tears (Enough Is Enough)” was some kind of good idea.  Wrong!!!

 

 

For more on City Of Violence, try this link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/5939/The+City+Of+Violence+(aka+Jjakpae

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo