No Mercy (2010)

This movie has a really good storyline! I usually don't watch intense movies like this, but it was worth it! I was at the edge of my seat during a lot of the movie, and so was my family. Every scene has a connection to the crime, if you don't pay attention to certain parts you might not get what happens. The reason the rewatch value isn't as high is because after you watch it the first time, you already know what will happen so your experience might not be as exciting as the first time. To watch this movie you have to just pay attention, it's amazing, I LOVED it, one of my faves :) (first review, hope this was helpful)

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No Mercy is as Intense revenge thriller, that certainly lives up to it's name. The story is well told from start to finish. The ending is unexpected, but doesn't feel gimmicky like some twist endings I've seen. As revenge thrillers go, this one is near perfect.

The story itself has a lot of familiar thriller elements. There's a murder mystery, a kidnapping, a race against time, and a cunning criminal behind it all. Ryoo Seung Bum is great as the subtle, and unsuspecting, mastermind Lee Seong Hyo. I liked that he wasn't a crazy over the top villain. It made him seem more sinister. He is matched against forensic expert Kang played by Sol Kyung Gu, and tenacious rookie detective Min Seo-yeong played by Han Hye Jin. Sol Kyung Gu was great, but I was a little less impressed with Min Seo-yeong. There was nothing wrong with how she played the character, but she just seemed a little timid and forgettable for my taste. There was also an obnoxious cop, who seemed too much like comic relief to me. Still, the entire cast was pretty solid, although the real star of this movie is the script.

In the beginning the plot is pretty slow, but trust me when I say that you'll want to pay attention to all that's going on. I was reminded of other thrillers that I love (Silence of the Lambs, Se7en, Primal Fear) but I think No Mercy is still an original. I had no idea how it would all end until the very end. Now that I know the whole story, I am curious to watch it again from that perspective, but I admit that some of the suspense will be gone. I also want to warn viewers that there are some very graphic moments, but nothing explicit without a reason.

I know it gets compared to Old Boy a lot, even by the friend who recommended it to me, but unlike Old Boy's over the top revenge ending, this ending was just brutally haunting.

I think this is a must see for any fan of revenge thrillers, or if you just want to be told a great story (even if it's not a happy one).

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My initial thought right at the time when the movie ended- "That was indeed merciless and monstrous" and then I recalled that the name of the movie was itself "No Mercy". At first I want to state that this drama is not for the ones with a weak heart, irrespective of the gore, this drama possesses a bitter taste to the bile and indeed this is highly recommended to the strong hearted ones because you won't regret it. This movie recommended to me by a friend and truly I wasn't held back from my position for even a second. If you like crime thriller and deep devotee of the classic Old Boy (2003), then this movie is just the one for you.

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Positives:


-The performances of Sol Kyung-gu and Ryoo Seung-bum are very realistic and impactful, while Han Hye-jin also performs extremely well apart from looking pretty.
-The screenplay is top notch. There are no deviations to the storytelling and it keeps you hooked to the edge of the seat.
-The action scenes have been neatly shot and executed.
-The twists and turns eventually turn out to be thought-provoking.
-The editing is excellent as the film rarely has any dull moments and grips the viewer completely.
-A lot of graphic scenes add a realistic touch to the film.
-The climax is very powerful and makes the film quite unforgettable.


Negatives:

-Well, nothing much.


Repeat value: Yes

NO MERCY is a very tightly scripted, well written and masterfully crafted action-crime thriller which stands at par with many classic South Korean revenge-themed movies.

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The cinematography, the acting and the cast were the main good points of this film. The colours were amusing, the presentation of the dead bodies were naturalistic, the mode of killing and the motivation behind it was well constructed so it surprises even me why I feel that the story itself with its nonsenses could bring down such a good movie to this average rating.
According to my knowledge gained by watching crime documentaries there were some points that simply does not made sense at all: while completing the autopsy of the body it was not tested that the parts were from one single body or not, during the trial of the culprit's sister death a second autopsy was not suggested to solve the pending questions of the family, the evidence could not be fabricated or changed that easily. Especially if the forensic scientist was so respected and capable like it was shown in the film, he would not be that careless that he would skip checking wether the DNA collected from all the pieces of the body were matching or not.
It felt like the environmental issues mentioned were put aside really quickly even though it seemed like the culprit was extremely obssessed with the "Venus concept" of that river.
P.S.: Yes, I am obssessed with crime documentaries especially with serial killings.

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No Mercy. No Justice. No point.

Highlights:
- One of the lead characters, Min Seo-Young, is quite likeable with her ambition and sense of justice
- There is a decently written revenge plot that is executed (albeit a horribly morbid and unsatisfying one)

Criticisms:
- WOW, there is a such thing as showing too much [autopsy scenes]
- All throughout the film, we are taken on an unsavory journey, where there is no "right" and the conclusion is THE LAST thing you'd want to see happen
- As far as the mystery goes, the plot is pretty decent, but the overused visual clichés [like slow motion for dramatic effect] make it seem really corny in tone
- THE MOVIE IS BORING; it took me several attempts to finish this one

Final thoughts - I love investigative thrillers/mystery more than most people, especially the plethora of outstanding South Korean titles in this amazing mixed genre. No Mercy is just too frustrating to recommend.

I don't believe every movie needs a happy ending to be entertaining, but there should be something for the viewer to feel good about after spending two hours of their time.

Watch Broken or The Deal instead and save your time on this one.

5.5/10

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