The Bow (2005) Ratings Genre: 4/5 | Overall 3/5

Kim-duk Kim is a master of character, silence, atmosphere, and moods. His movies are all about complex yet different character studies and each one of them has a unique feeling. And most of the time his main characters does not speak much but the visual expressions speaks ample tones. The Bow is one of his seemingly very simple yet deeply complicated movies. While The Bow may not fall in to his best of works the entire movie brings a whole different flavor. And yet again the viewers are transformed in to a place surrounded by water just like his earlier masterpiece Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003) but this time it’s the sea and a boat.

The story surrounds and old man and a 16 year old girl who lives on a fishing boat. It seems like the girl was found by the old man at the age of 6 and since then she have not left the boat. It is apparent that the old man wishes to marry her when she turns 17. But things turn unexpectedly after a young man arrives and the girls become fond of him.

The Bow is entirely shot on a boat. And the only sounds you hear are the water and the squeaking sounds the boat makes often. But there is mild yet beautiful energy given with a calming sound track in most of the time synchs with an instrument the old man plays to relax. There are very few characters other than the old man and the girl. Giving similarity to Kim’s earlier movies these characters has no names. They are merely represented by an idea rather than identity. And there is a vast silence between each scene and the main cast hardly mutters anything. In fact the girl doesn’t say a single word the entire time. And yet the movie has many things to offer and it has a steadily building up plot. The viewers are left with wondering what’s next the whole time and the director manages to surprise them. And it all ends with supernaturalism mixed controversial sequence.

The Bow is not a masterpiece but it is definitely not mundane. Some may find it dull and uneventful but for some it could be the exact thought provoking movie experience they were looking for.

Original title: Hwal (Korean)

Genre: Drama | Romance

Director: Ki-duk Kim

TRANSPORTER trilogy (2001,2005,2008)

Transporter is not an alien movie series for many of you by now. It had started its first installment back in 2001 and it was quite a huge success for a mundane action flick with a one man hero approach. And then after the success of the first installment the second which is ‘Transporter 2’ was released in 2005. With bigger and better action than the first that was a memorable movie as well. In 2008 the final of the trilogy ‘Transporter 3’ was released. And by far even though it had less explosions and comparing with the first two it had quite a good action sequences. 

Transporter is based on a driver. A driver name Frank who is ex military, well trained and lethal. Who is excellent in hand to hand combat and more so in driving. He drives his own cars which are top of the range sedans by Audi in all 3 movies. His profession is delivery. Not just delivery but deliveries which anyone else would not dare to accept. He works with few rules of his own, punctual and always dependable on what he does. Thus the jobs he get often tends to put him in danger or in very unpleasant situations. But trusting his rides to be his best friend and the skills to be his savior, Frank cheats death a dozen times.

The spirit of the Transporter trilogy is the thumping action performance by Jason Statham, fast shiny cars and sexy women with short skirts. When all these 3 combined it is a high octane formula which combust right in front of the screen. 

Transporter most of the time is filled with utter bullshit and never can be true action sequences which almost all the time defines gravity and all theories of physics. Yet there is something which just makes you glue to it. Maybe it is the action, cars and woman all together or at least one for that matter. 

This trilogy is not an awesome one but it is very entertaining if you can digest some big lies. Maybe for some fans the purpose of transporters existence can be a puzzle (And that includes me). I mean who really need a external ‘driver’ with such skill to deliver a package from one place to another when there are so many other means of doing it by their own! Some food for thought any way. But then again who want to worry about those details. The movie is kick ass!!