THE MAN FROM NOWHERE

Korea, 2010, 119 minutes, Colour.
Bin Won.
Directed by Jeong-beom Lee.

In the early years of the 20th century the Korean film industry built on the foundations from the 1990s with many action dramas, especially crime dramas.

This is an interesting variation on the themes, the tough hero who might be considered something of a Korean Dirty Harry. While there are drug themes and trafficking in human organs, there are also some humane themes, especially the background of the man from nowhere, the death of his pregnant wife and his motivations, his sympathies for a little girl, daughter of an addicted mother who steals drugs from the bosses and suffers accordingly.

It emerges that the man from nowhere has disappeared for eight years from official records, being a special agent of the government and trained in attack and defence skills. He is quietly running a pawnshop, a neighbour of the woman and her daughter. His compassion for the daughter leads him to come out of obscurity and confront the thugs. Which leads to a great deal of action, a great deal of fighting.

While this kind of drama, sometimes bloodsoaked, may not have a wide appeal, it will be appreciated by audiences like who like strong action and the administration of justice.

1. Korean action and crime drama? Police drama? Individual heroics? Drug trade? Human organs trade?

2. The settings, the Korean city, drug dealers, bosses and thugs? The police, surveillance, action, headquarters, interrogations? The cabaret and nightclubs? The streets, apartments, the pawn shop, other shops? An authentic feel? The musical score?

3. The action sequences and special effects? Martial arts skills? Defence skills?

4. The title, the introduction to the man from nowhere, at home, the little girl, the meals, shielding her from her mother? His owning the pawn shop? The bag with the drugs? The gradual revelation of who he was, special agent, training, his disappearance for several years, special missions? The documentation reserved? The flashbacks, the death of his pregnant wife? Her grave? The thugs arriving and confronting the mother of the little girl, taking the girl? His becoming involved?

5. The surveillance, the drug deal, the nightclub, the dancer, her taking the drugs and escaping? The portrait of the bosses, the Korean connections, Chinese connections? International? The various thugs and connections? The failure of the police sting?

6. The man from nowhere, his interventions, the reasons for his actions? The police puzzled? His being taken in, their investigations in finding out the truth?

7. His greater involvement, swift movements, confronting the villains, their attacking him in his wounds? The removal of the bullet? His friend giving him advice? His motivations, his dead wife and her pregnancy? His concern for the little girl?

8. The thugs, the mother, taking her, her death? Trading in organs? Their taking the little girl, the other children, the organs? The threat of taking the little girl’s eyes, the container and the taunting of the man from nowhere?

9. The action sequences, the stunt work, interrogations, torture, fights?

10. The anger of the hero, the kind of Dirty Harry persona and action? His becoming involved with the little girl, thinking that she had been killed? His contemplating suicide? Her surviving, the embrace, her gratitude that he had come for her, his sending her away to a better life?

11. The combination of action and humane themes?