Reviews

This film featured a star-studded cast, such as Hong Kong film veteran Sammo Hung and Louis Koo, while TVB drama fans would be familiar with Raymond Lam and Wong Tak Bun. Heavenly King Aaron Kwok made a minor appearance as a guest star.

Those who love kungfu fighting and gangster movies, this may be suitable for you. Fight scenes are aplenty, especially after the 2nd half and towards the ending. Since this movie's original sources was from a novel and comic ("manwa"), there are fight scenes which are over the top and illogical. But I wonder, wouldn't it be better for the overall movie if they just made the entire show more realistic by omitting those fanciful effects?

Main strengths of the movie:

1) The main setting of the movie featured the Kowloon "walled city"/slums which was depicted in a realistic manner, and camera angles were panned well. This area has historical significance in Hong Kong. I thought it was a unique idea to bring these to the big screen.

2) The beginning part of the movie was done well too, with the main characters in the "walled city" being quickly introduced and building up the suspense between the various factions of power.

3) The main theme of loyalty and brotherhood was consistently emphasised and showcased. The movie direction was clear.

Flaws of the movie: The lack of a solid ending was the Achilles' heel. It was just too convenient to resort to the conventional style of good vs evil. Too many fighting scenes led to deprivation of screentime for character development, especially the villain played by Philip Ng, who could had offered more.

Conclusion: It is an interesting film if you're longing for some Hong Kong martial arts movie. But this isn't near Hong Kong's best.

The first movie, "Believer 2018" was quite interesting due to its suspense & plot twist. This sequel, unfortunately, was a total let-down. Not even A list stars like Cho Jin Woong, Han Hyo Joo or even veteran supporting actor Jo Han Chul could save this film.

The continuation of the storyline was lame. Han Hyo Joo just acted like a madwoman. Cho Jin Woong's character behaved like a rookie policeman, a downgrade of the heroic cop from the first film. Cha Seung Won was still the same villain as the first movie.

The characters spoke so much Mandarin but unconvincingly as the Korean accent was still obvious. There's even a guy who looks like Xi Jin Ping here.

The standout performer of this show has got to be Oh Seung Hoon, who replaced Ryu Joon Yeol as Rak. He played out the backstory of Rak well and performed as good as his predecessor. I was about to give up halfway, but Oh Seung Hoon carried the show well.

In a nutshell, don't bother watching this, unless you have too much time to kill.

"No More Bets" is actually a documentary-style movie based on real-life events. Think Oppenheimer. It presents a uniquely entertaining film revolving around online betting scams.

The greatest strength of this movie lies in its originality. It offers us a glimpse into the unsettling world of atrocities committed in online betting scams. We were quickly introduced to the modus operandi of how syndicates lure victims to become forced labour & how victims suffer various hardships once they're trapped in it.

"No More Bets" creates the right amount of suspense to keep viewers at the edge of their seats. You'd always want to know what happens next. The idea to showcase the film from the different perspectives of those involved in online betting scams, such as the advertisement spammer, the dealer, the gambler, the gambler's family, the enforcement officer, was a great one. The main protagonists, Pan Sheng (by Lay Zhang) and Liang Anna (by Gina Jin) were pretty decent. The supporting cast of Darren Wang & Sheren Tang were at their usual high standards. But the truly outstanding performance was from Manager Lu (by Eric Wang), the fiendish leader of the online betting scam.

Perhaps the film, being a Chinese film, has to adhere to strict censorship standards in China, hence some scenes had to be toned-down. (the violent & sexual ones) Although toned-down, the film hints that, in real-life, the forced labour of online betting scams suffer much worse than those in the movie.

On another note, "No More Bets" is not flawless. It clearly lifted one scene from "Wolf of Wall Street". (you'll know it when you see it). Cantonese is abruptly spoken in certain scenes, and what made it worse was the character speaking it was not fluent in Cantonese at all. (Note: Cantonese & Mandarin are slightly different) Some characters' dialogue seemed like it was from an anti-scam campaign instead of a film. The scene transition & camera angles could've been better.

In a nutshell, "No More Bets" is a one-of-a-kind film that is worth your time. It stays focused to its core plot of online betting scams' operations. Its central message of advising viewers against participating in illegal online betting, and to beware of online investments is the main takeaway. (for most of them are scams anyway). This could be an iconic classic for the years to come.

I've watched the 2004 South Korean original version previously, then decided to give this Chinese remake a try.

While the plot largely follows the 2004 original, this version's director & scriptwriters made some minor tweaks, presumably to simplify the story & make the plot more coherent. However, simplifying the story makes this movie lacking some punch.

To me, the 2004 version was the more complete movie with juicier details. For example, the 2004 female protagonist had a more convincing reason to continue her lies, simply because of her status and her lies was her attempt to stay out of trouble. But this version's female protagonist did not have such predicament. Secondly, in the 2004 version, there was more suspense at the end of the male protagonist's competition, unlike this one which was mainly just smooth sailing. Also, in the 2004 version, the female protagonist's arrangement of events involving her scammer friends towards the end was intelligently crafted, which was sadly not included here.

This film's male & female protagonists (played by Wu Yuhan & Zhang Ruonan) aren't that bad, but the chemistry between them seems lacking. The background of this film was also overly bright at times, which is a distraction for the viewer.

Despite my nitpicking, this is still an enjoyable film. The slapstick comedy & the growing misunderstanding parts were adequate. Very few moments were dull.

But, if you only want to watch one version, the 2004 version is the obvious choice.

This film is just too long and the plot is too thin. The fight scenes were quite good, but the story fails to captivate. What a waste of a rather stellar cast.

The lack of substance of this movie makes slow movies like "Burning" more watchable than this film.

Perhaps my expectations were a little high, as I thought Japanese manga adaptations can't be that bad. The characters are memorable, but there is just not enough tension between the protagonist and antagonist. The ending was predictable too.

But it could be quite a good film for stress relief, as fight scenes are aplenty.

Given the many other Japanese films you could watch with your free time, I would not recommend this movie.

Not even Tsuchiya Tao could save this movie.

As the other reviewers have mentioned, the first half and second half of the movie has a different tone. First half seems to portray a cheerful character who has moved on from her past. The second half seems to be a film with psychotic family squabbles and trouble.

Perhaps one has to be Japanese to understand the context? (since I'm not). But if this film resonates with the Japanese, it should garner more attention, right?

The storyline is not just overzealous, but utter ridiculous story writing that makes cheap, jump-scare horror movies seem like Oscar-winning material.

Contrary to the fun trailers of this movie, the movie itself is quite serious.

The main cast consists of many A-list actors and actresses that dazzled in their respective roles. Personally, Michael Fitzgerald Wong caught my attention and outperformed the rest. His role as legal advisor of the Chung family is just so natural.

Dayo Wong is more widely known for his roles that have comedic elements. However, it is safe to say that he has done a good job here as the guilty conscience lawyer.

Although the plot keeps you eager to follow what happens next, there are times where the storyline becomes a tad too cliché and a bit boring. The unexpected ending is a major highlight, but dampened by the somewhat unrealistic courtroom finale.

Honestly, I had expected more from Hong Kong's highest grossing film of all time. It is among one of Hong Kong's greatest courtroom movies, but unfortunately not one of its greatest films.

I usually don't comment on critically-acclaimed movies that have high ratings on IMDB, e.g. The Godfather, The Dark Knight, Parasite, etc as they are justified with high ratings.

But "Train to Busan" is probably one of the greatest South Korean movies ever. It is even rarer for a top South Korean movie to be a family-friendly one.

For those who haven't watched it yet, please do.

For those who gave a 1 Star Rating, please watch it again.

Previously, I was fortunate enough to watch classics like "Se7en" & "Oldboy" without any spoilers. Now, I'm glad I watched "No Mercy" without knowledge of the ending.

Sol Kyung Gu plays Professor Kang in this movie, who tries his best to exonerate murder suspect Lee Sung Ho to save his daughter. (Kang's daughter is held ransom by the latter) Although Sol Kyung Gu's best acting has to be in "Peppermint Candy", his performance as a desperate Professor Kang in anguish here is not far behind. Some scenes remind me of his role in "Voice of A Murderer".

Ryu Seung Bum was impressive as the murder suspect Lee Sung Ho here who managed to present a different antagonist from the pure psychopathic evil John Doe in "Se7en". Meanwhile, Han Hye Jin as the female police cop was not bad, besides being attractive eye candy.

There is much to be liked about "No Mercy". The plot is captivating. The main cast is strong. Storytelling is good. However, it is not without flaws either. The pace of the first half could have been faster. The female lead has unbelievable luck in finding key evidences. The male lead could have smelled a rat much earlier, being a top forensic.

"No Mercy" is not for everyone, as this movie contains disturbing elements. But if you can stomach it, you are in for a mind-blowing ride.

"The Quiet Family" features a number of A-list South Korean actors & actresses who weren't household names yet at that time, e.g. Na Moon Hee, Choi Min Sik, Song Kang Ho, etc.

It is the kind of light-hearted movie you'd watch to kill time. There are elements of slapstick comedy, dark humour, social commentary on everyday life, etc.

The plot is simple, as it revolves around the various strange incidents encountered by a family running a motel/chalet & how they reacted to them. The strong cast made up for the slightly underwhelming plot development.

Some inspiration were perhaps taken from classics like "The Shining" & "Psycho", but this film still managed to craft its own distinctive story.

All in all, "The Quiet Family" is a unique movie that deserves more recognition.

I actually watched this movie in 2 parts, as the first half was pretty boring. My patience to finish this movie paid off.

This movie is kind of a Broadway style musical. The slow pace of the movie brings out its jazzy feel. The dreamy purple background gives this movie its unique feel.

Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone were simply perfect for their roles. Although the direction of the movie may seem too straightforward, but Damien Chazelle's way of storytelling is one of a kind.

First, let me heap praise on the movie poster. It sums up the whole story perfectly!

The Good stuff: 1) Park Chan Wook's great cinematography; 2) The ending was good; 3) The plot was actually interesting; 4) Kim Tae Ri absolutely killed her role!

The Bad: 1) It's just too long-winded!; 2) Copious amount of sex scenes; 3) Plot can be confusing at times.

Most viewers on IMDB think that this is one of the greatest movies. I beg to differ. It's overrated.

In fours words, Expectations were too high.

Pros: Tony Leung Chiu Wai's wonderful acting, the beautiful graphics, some jokes, introduction of new characters in the MCU.

Cons: Tony Leung not speaking Cantonese is a missed opportunity, story was kinda boring, and quite a number of unnecessary scenes.

Somehow I feel this movie is not on the same level as other MCU movies. It's supposed to be Shang Chi's movie, but Wen Wu stole the limelight.

Having watched nearly all Spider Man movies from 2002 until 2022, this movie feels like a mashup of all three franchises of Spider Man.

It's quite a treat for viewers who get the inside jokes, but the plot suffers a bit from cramping too many characters from three different Spider Man movie series.

I would have rated one star less, but the ending was the saving grace.