City
of Violence 2-disc Collector's Edition in October
5
September 2007
Korean
action cinema continues its assault on Hollywood
with Ryoo Seung-wan's The City of Violence
(Jjakpae), a violent crime thriller-cum-martial
arts actioner that has led to Seung-wan being dubbed
"the Korean Tarantino." We're not sure
if that's a good thing or not, but word is that
this time the label is at least justified. The
City of Violence satirises the gritty action
films of the 1970s and incorporates elements of
Scorsese's Goodfellas and Stephen
Chow's Kung
Fu Hustle with referential nods to
the likes of Walter Hill's The
Warriors. Having trouble getting a
picture in your head on this one? Me too, but I
am intrigued.
 |
Some
plot from the PR. Detective Jeong Tae-su (played
by martial arts wizard Jeong Du-hong), returns from
Seoul to Onsung, the hometown of his youth to attend
the funeral of his long-time friend, a reformed
small-time mobster, Wang-jae (Ahn Gil-gang). There,
following a nostalgic reunion with his gang of former
childhood buddies, he becomes obsessed with investigating
the circumstances surrounding Wang-jae's death.
What he uncovers sparks a chain of events that results
in Jeong and his buddy Ryoo (played by director
Seung-wan himself) being forced to battle it out
with teenage gangs, deadly assassins and a horde
of murderous mobsters as they get closer to the
truth.
With
Grindhouse back in fashion thanks to the aforementioned
Mr. T, the timing of this release couldn't be better,
recalling the sub-genre's 1970s heyday with some
remarkable fight scenes choreographed and performed
by Korea's leading martial arts practitioners. Film
fans will also find additional pleasure in spotting
and revelling in Seung-wan's affectionate homages
to many Hollywood favourites, including Rob Reiner's
Stand By Me, Brian De Palma's The
Untouchables and Tarantino's Kill
Bill amongst others.
Following
its cinema run in June, The City of Violence
is to receive a UK DVD release on 1st October 2007
from Contender under their Premier Asia banner.
Featuring an anamorphic widescreen transfer and
optional Korean 5.1 and DTS soundtracks, the 2-disc
Collector's Edition will feature a second disc containing
the following special features:
- The
Making Of The City Of Violence;
- Promotional
Gallery (original trailer, original teaser, UK
theatrical trailer);
- Masters
Of Mayhem - cast interviews;
- High
School Days - crew interviews and storyboards;
- Deleted
scenes (x9);
- Lights,
Camera, Action;
- The
Rules Of Engagement - The Art Of Fight Choreography;
- Action
Commentaries with Jun Doo-Hung;
- Seoul
Action School.
The
RRP is £19.99 and you can watch a trailer
for the film by clicking here.
