Unstoppable

Dong-cheol, a former enforcer, now works at a fish market and has built a quiet life with his wife. She is kidnapped. When the police move slowly, he goes back to his own methods and starts working the city door by door. Kim Min-ho directed. Ma Dong-seok plays Dong-cheol, Song Ji-hyo his wife, Kim Sung-oh the head kidnapper. It is a typical instance of the mould Ma Dong-seok played repeatedly in this period: large, calm, ending things with a single punch when required. The film's whole economy rests on that figure. The fights are designed around the weight of impact rather than choreography; the camera pulls back and shows the blow whole. Its weakness is that the wife exists only as an object to be recovered; the script leaves her almost no room. It did well in Korea and cemented Ma Dong-seok's position as an action star. Who it is for: viewers who like direct, unornamented Korean action and Ma Dong-seok. Who it is not for: anyone after depth; the story runs on one line and is easy to predict.