SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Btexxamar I like Black Panther, but I didn't like this movie.

Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

dbborroughs Amusingly violent and funny action story done in a style best described as film noir (plot) meets spaghetti western (music) meet Asian action film. Its the story of an organized crime detective who goes home for the funeral of a boyhood friend. Sensing something was wrong about the case he and another friend begin to investigate and find that the city they grew up in has changed and that somethings are better left undiscovered.This is a neat little film. Its not the be all and end all, but it fires along in its own bloody way for 90 entertaining minutes. The dialog is witty and is the sort of thing you wish you and your friends would come up with. The characters are also the sort of people you know and that familiarity helps make it easy for you to ride along as the plot unfolds, largely as you expect it will. The action is quite good but it is often bloody, so you may not want to watch those parts if you don't like the red stuff. This movie is a great deal of fun in the right frame of mind. Worth a look.(The film reminds me of what Quentin Tarantino might produce were he not insistent on making references and paying homage to obscure little films. Its a thought that I had prior to the end fight which reminded me, in away, of the House of Blue Leaves segment from the first Kill Bill. For the record I like the sequence here better since it plays more real and doesn't go on and on and on)

JoeytheBrit This is an entertaining enough modern-day martial arts action thriller which is, it has to be said, entirely unoriginal in almost every respect. The plot concerns a city cop returning to his hometown for the funeral of a childhood friend, victim of a back-alley knifing while chasing thugs from his bar. Together with a second childhood friend, our hero suspects something amiss and begins his own investigation into the murder. This decision is the cue for a succession of unlikely encounters and a particularly bloody and fatal encounter with yet another childhood friend.There are some people whose personalities are so under-developed that they have a tendency to adopt the characteristics of those they are close to (accent, mannerisms, etc), and this film reminded me a lot of people like that. Watching it, I got the impression that the writer/director was mimicking every film he wished he'd made. There are a number of obvious 'homages', and a flashback to a juvenile fight that is as (hopefully deliberately) cheesy as any 70s chop-socky sequence. One of the 'homages' is to Quentin Tarantino's (himself the king of the 'homage') over-rated Kill Bill so if, like me, you were bored by Tarantino's self-indulgence, you might consider thinking twice about watching a film whose writer obviously thinks so highly of it. Having said that, there is something ironic about an Asian film so clearly referencing a film which blatantly ripped off so many of the staple devices of its national genre.The action is as frenetic and professional as you'd expect, and the storyline is reasonably engaging but, when all is said and done, this is really nothing more than a decent time-filler.

grandmastersik As with most action films: forget about the plot - this one holds very little surprises and the villain is obvious from his very first scene, thus eliminating any suspense from the first 45 minutes.But again: this is an action film, so who cares?Actually, this is a very stylish action film, bringing some pretty neat photography and music along to boot.It's also a rare tae kwon do mayhem-fest, so sit back and watch all those fighters leap into the air, pulling off unbelievable moves for your entertainment.Overall: cool fights and a finale almost (repeat: ALMOST) on a par with the legendary finale of A Better Tomorrow 2.Watch this film and - if you like martial arts action - you'll enjoy this immensely.

andjel_ko We can say it is a Kill Bill kind of movie, but it is more an Asian 70-es kind of movie. Kill Bill is more City of violence kind of movie, although I'm sure everyone will be comparing it with Kill Bill when it reaches America - probably next year.This is not a masterpiece, but still a very good and simple movie. And there are many reasons why i liked it and only a few why i didn't. It was short, but not too short. Fighting in the movie is incredible, realistic and unrealistic in the same time. I mean it is unrealistic that a man defeat so many deadly enemies and stands after receiving so many punches, but kicks alone are very realistic. The fighting is a real thing, without special effects or ropes, and all you gotta do is sit and enjoy the fight.The best fighter in the movie is well known Korean actor Jeong Du-hong who plays a roll of a police officer Tae-su whose friend has been killed. He decides to find the killer and gets help from other friends from the past but he will soon realize that the killer is actually one of his friends - Pil-ho. That fact is obvious from the beginning of the movie but don't spoil the movie. In fact, it is interesting to watch the game of Pil-ho who is now a gangster and wait for his end as we have waited for Bill to die in Kill Bill (now I'm comparing them myself)Five friends are main characters in this movie which tells a story about their showdown in present and friendship in past. Drama part of the movie is not done perfectly but everyone should get the point. The Director Ryoo Seung-wan also did Crying Fist, more dramatic and longer movie but there must be something the same about this two films because i love them both very much. And the next thing to do is to find other Ryoo Seung-wan movies like No Blood no tears, and Die bad and see if this is really another great Korean director as Chan-wook Park and Ki-duk Kim.As for City of Violence, if you like fighting you shouldn't miss this one.