It takes a lot of moving parts to make movie action work. The choreography, camera placement, and editing all have to be in sync, and you need someone who understands what you’re doing in front of and behind the camera. But perhaps the most important factor is matching the film’s action style with the star’s superhuman skills. And there’s nothing like the combination of South Korea’s Crime City franchise with its beefy star, Ma Dong-seok, to create synergy between the battle scene of a modern action series and its star.
Ma, also known as Don Lee, has built a career on his charm, comedic expressions, and tree-trunk biceps. After many years of success in the Korean film industry, he has gained international attention for his brilliant supporting roles in films. Train to BusanThis led to a call from Hollywood to play the role of Gilgamesh in a Marvel movie. Eternals.
His career recently reached new heights with the Crime City films, a series of action-thrillers in which Ma plays hard-nosed detective Ma Seok-do. The second entry is Summarywas the highest-grossing domestic film in South Korea in 2022 and the third newly released film. cornered, might be the best franchise ever. A fourth film is set to release in 2024. More installments planned.
Returning to direct, Lee Sang-yeon knows exactly how to highlight everything that makes Ma-kun so special. All three of his films in Crime City make the most of his amazing physique, especially in the way they first introduce him on screen. Each introduction begins with a scene of public mayhem, such as a car accident devolving into a street fistfight. The camera then shows Mr. Ma’s imposing figure from behind, splaying his shoulders across the width of the screen as he steps forward, using his palms and fists to deliver justice, settle the situation and stop traffic. so that you can get down to business.
mom who In 2018, he became the president of the Korean Armwrestling Federation., is incredibly charming – even though he’s a tough cop, he’s affable, funny, personable, and sometimes dense in a very lovable way. He walks with confidence and always warns people to keep their hands off of him. His body can fill a frame, but his smile can fill a room.
Marr’s comedic presentation in both words and actions helps elevate these films from brutally fun action to an overall hilarious good time.of cornered, he walks up to a group of criminals trying a dangerous new drug and casually asks them to put the drugs in a ziplock bag while he takes a picture. They submit like robots before they realize they are guilty. That is the power of Ma’s physical presence and charisma. When faced with people who try to bring him down, he reacts with irritability above all else. It’s like he’s chastising unruly children. The children just happen to charge at him with weapons and need to be punished with punches that split his head off.
Now in his 50s, Ma hasn’t slowed down as an action star. His character has pain, he stretches out his arm after a long fight, or yells “Ah, I’m tired” in the middle of a fight. But he moves with surprising speed and hits harder than ever for a player of his age and size.
And the Crime City movie admits that punch is its real biggest draw. Ma used to aspiring boxer himselfIt shows in his smooth movements and perfect form. He has amazingly large fists and arms that make his attacks more powerful than any other action star out there today. While its gigantic body speaks to its strength, cornered Director Lee also knows how to highlight Ma’s unique traits. Lee’s camera moves with the action, tracking punches and highlighting strikes for maximum impact. When Ma takes down a particularly large opponent, the camera shakes as if an earthquake had occurred.
In addition to dynamic camera work, corneredA sensational foley work that amplifies every blow. That combined effect makes it feel like Marr is hitting bad guys with trucks instead of fists. The impact sound of the punch will be louder, but the miss will also be louder. When a fist or knife misses, the air hisses with the force and danger of the blow. But when Ma makes contact, the recipient flies away.
The series has a well-worn trope of “a good cop bound by a nasty human rights issue,” and it contains a gag. cornered So Ma and his fellow cops come up with an ingenious way to hide the camera while punching the person they’re interrogating. These movies live in a fantasy world common to many cop movies, where cops interrogate only bad guys who deserve any extra-legal punishment. If you have the patience to embrace that archaic idea, you’ll have his one of the best action series currently being made.
You don’t need to watch previous Crime City movies. cornered, but they should because they are in control and any excuse to see Ma Dong-seok punch a fool is a good one. His years of training as a movie star and as a boxer have paid off in this series, and the people behind the camera know how to make the most of it. As these films continue to play, that’s the secret to their success.
Roundup: No Exit is currently in theaters. first movie in the series Outlawsis streaming on Viki, Free with ads Tubi, available for rent at Amazon. You can stream the second movie. Summaryupon Viki; Watch for free with ads Tubi, Plexand Freevieor rent Amazon.