Matrixston Wow! Such a good movie.

StunnaKrypto Self-important, over-dramatic, uninspired.

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

witster18 WIth just over 3,000 ratings on IMDb, "A Dirty Carnival" probably qualifies as my #1 film most people have never heard of. This film encapsulates just about everything I love about foreign film: Action, oddball comedy, revenge, uncomfortable-love, and gangsta-stuff.THere's something quite genuine about the lead character here. It's more of a mediocre rise to the top compared to say "Scarface", and the comedy really sets an entirely different tone compared to all other gangster films with heavy themes and/or endings.The film is an absolute gem. The acting, the fight choreography, the laughs, and evolution of the lead character in the storyline will keep you glued to the screen."Twilight Samurai" is a 10 for me, but it has 15,000 votes, and a bit more notoriety. A Dirty Carnival is a total departure. WHereas Samurai is dead serious and slow burning, "Carnival" is light-hearted and fast-paced.This is one to move to the top of your list.91/100 FOr what it's worth - I loved the ending - couldn't have been any other way. Sleeper gem. There's just something special about this.I usually include a list of "You'll like this if you liked___,___,___", and I say whether I liked them better or not, but if I make that list and then say I like it as much or more than say Casino, Scarface, State of Grace, or whatever - it wouldn't do justice for my "useful" ratings, or for what is a truly original, great film here. Rent it, heck, BUY it.

CinemaClown A tale of betrayal & motivation in the Korean mob life, A Dirty Carnival concerns a 29-year old gangster working for a middle-rank enforcer whose rise begins after he takes up a job that earns him the big boss' trust & eliminates his boss to take up his position instead. But the real trouble begins when his friend, an aspiring filmmaker, asks him to be a consultant for his debut features which brings forth the events that were buried long ago.There isn't much to complain in most of the film's aspects as everything is carried out pretty well be it the direction, screenplay, cinematography, editing or performances but the one thing I admire most about it is the action choreography for it puts on screen an impressive example of street fighting in the opening moments only & repeats itself at regular intervals throughout the film plus it's amazingly well accompanied by its electronic score.On an overall scale, A Dirty Carnival presents a really fine effort from its cast & crew to come out as a nicely crafted crime-drama but it's also missing that X-factor that elevates a film like this to a level of greatness & the sum of the parts don't add up as well as I would've liked it to. Still, A Dirty Carnival works in many ways & steadily captures the zero tolerance principle of Korean mob life. Recommended for fans of Asian cinema.

crossbow0106 Since I have not heard about this film before it was broadcast on the Sundance Channel, I had no expectations. This is a very good to almost excellent film about gangster life in South Korea. It features In-sung Zo in a terrific performance as low level gangster Byong-doo. He meets up with an old friend Min-ho, who is a filmmaker and picks Byong-doo's brains about being a gangster. It spirals from there, as Byong-doo gets more ruthless and violent in his quest for more money and especially power. He also meets up with another old classmate. the pretty Hyun-joo (Bo-yong Lee) and that relationship develops slowly. There is some violence in this, but if you like gangster films I liked this as much as Goodfellas. Really, it is that absorbing and highly recommended.

vze32kxa Dirty Carnival is a story about a sergeant level member of a organized crime gang. At 29 he has little to show for his age and worse, has no prospects. While he seemingly has the utmost loyalty from his subordinates he is constantly put down by the under boss. He reluctantly seizes a murderous opportunity which would surely promote him to lieutenant to the big boss. All goes according to plan but he is anything but happy and in a drunken confession he pours his heart out to a filmmaker friend looking for the perfect plot to his movie.I don't feel like I'm spoiling anything when I say the ending is not a happy one. It has become the trademark of Korean cinema, or to be cynical, a cliché. At first such endings were fresh and different but these days I could do without them. Nonetheless A Dirty Carnival is one of the best movies I've seen since, well, Once Upon a Time in High school. The movie achieves a gritty yet realistic tone I rarely see in movies. I can honestly say I enjoyed every moment of this movie and I have the attention span of a 3rd grader. Many people are interested in the fight scenes so I will say that there is one major brawl scene comparable to the one in "Chingu". Violence is scattered throughout the movie, at least enough to please action fans.