City of Violence
Directed by: Seung-wan Ryoo
Screenplay by: Jeong-min Kim, Won-jae Lee and Seung-wan Ryoo
Starring: Doo-hong Jung, Seung-wan Ryoo, Kil-Kang Ahn, Beom-su Lee
Running Time: 95 minutes
Rated: Not Rated
Release Date: 2006
DVD Release: 2007

To me, almost nothing is better than a good martial arts movie…well, except for a good musical, but they really are the same thing.  As a kid growing up in Hawaii in the 70s and 80s, I was exposed to more martial arts movies than anyone has a right to.  That love continues till today and my collection of martial arts movies on DVDs stands now at more than 400.

When I first started hearing rumors about an over the top action flick from Korea and by the director of Arahan, Seung-wan Ryoo, I knew I had to see it.  I was able to track down the Korean release in early 2007 and was simply blown away.  And now, thanks to the fine folks of Dragon Dynasty, you too can experience this martial arts epic in the form of a 2-disc “ultimate edition” release.

I’m not going to bore you with a long review of the plot - a group of childhood friends are brought together by the death of a member of their group.  One of them, a Seoul detective, feels there is more to the death than the local authorities are seeing and decides to investigate it on his own.  Much fighting ensues.  And that is all you need to know.

City of Violence has some of the best extended fight sequences I’ve seen in a long time, including one homage to “Kill Bill” done much better than Tarantino ever could have dreamed.  Even better than the “Kill Bill” homage was the best tip of the hat to “The Warriors” that I’ve ever seen.

The fight choreography, using no CG and very little wire-work, was stupendous and produced some of the best action sequences to be found in modern martial arts flicks.  The 20+ minute ending fight sequence was particularly well-done.  The second disc has some great extras as well, including a behind the scenes documentary on the development of the action scenes in City of Violence that are true eye-openers for fans of martial arts movies.

If you are looking for an awesome martial arts movie with heart, then check out the “City of Violence” on 2 disc DVD from Dragon Dynasty. 

-Mat N., the Nifty Nerd
http://www.TheNiftyNerd.com