Tube (2003)
Reviewed By:Paul Cooke Director : Baek Woon-Hak Producer : Kyeong-seok Soe Starring : Seok-hun kim , Sang-min Park , Du-na Bae & Oh-jung Kwon
There is barely enough time to exhale as you become immediately intoxicated by ‘Tube’s’ adrenalin pumped all out Action start. With all the addictive qualities and eye drooling texture of a cigarette lined with an aluminium casing , grabbing the attention just before the effects hit you full on. This visual variation doesn’t come with a government health warning but has all the Cool effect as well as that long term feel good factor. This is ‘Speed’ laced with ‘Die Hard’ on rails fitted with designer roller blades. Hero and star Seok-hun Kim has the look of a Korean Chow Yun Fat , with enough style and charm dressed up in an Action man role to play the Hong Kong icon’s younger brother. He is a lone cop who pursues a government agent gone renegade , known simply as ‘T’ , which has him killing the defector’s friend in a shootout. The two men are destined to meet once again and when ‘T’ plants a bomb on a tube way train , primed to explode under the heart of the city , a frenetic play for survival and revenge begins.
An escapist movie that for once borrow’s from Hollywood
but still retains its own identity as several fights are quite brutal and
include the oh so sexy underground pickpocket girl Jay getting punched in the
face several times !. There is some subtle humour as well that does not go
unnoticed as Jay secretly has a crush on officer Kay , played by Seok-hun Kim ,
almost mimicking the Jay and Kay from ‘Men In Black’ perhaps ?. Their lives
intertwine as their feelings toward one another are drwan out in the short yet
frenetic time period in which they are dependant upon each other’s strengths.Truly an Explosive night in with this super disc that in
its special edition comes complete with a second disc full of extras as well as
a rather sleek outer dust cover. This is entertainment in the fast track with an
out of control Tube train racing along to the tune of a once loyal agent with a
revealing purpose behind his madness. The characters are well drawn out if
mostly predictable in their roles but nonetheless rewarding in their reliable
performances as the surmounting tension plays out. Cause and effect is nothing
but predictable and the film itself does perhaps stretch the journey overly long
, but it is the stunning opening sequence and the overall entertainment that
give true value. Get on board and you won’t even think about pulling the
emergency stop cord , it’s been overridden and what’s a roller coaster ride
without the thrill of surprise anyway !?. Go get the ‘Tube’ and get onboard for
another Korean thrill ride.
Presentation : Widescreen Aspect Ratio 2:35:1 Release : KD MEDIA Coding : NTSC Region 3 Sound : DTS / Dolby Digital 6.1 EX Extras : English Subtitles / Director Commentary / Music Video / TV Spot / Trailer / Behind The Scenes / Deleted Scenes / Interviews / Design / Gallery / Stills / Artwork
Film: 3.5 Bitch Slaps Picture: 4.5 Bitch Slaps Sound: 4.5 Bitch Slaps Extras: 4.5 Bitch Slaps Overall: 4.0 Bitch Slaps