zaffyk Hi. I've been quietly watching oriental films for some time now and thought perhaps i can begin to benefit others by reviewing. This is my first review and i hope it is beneficial.Script: The film has a solid script. From a distance its about an undercover cop infiltrating the crime world. As the story deepens you begin to see the human element, sometimes causing dilemmas for both the police and gangsters. This film touches on dynamics of the different types of peopleActing: This was outstanding. You begin to develop a close relationship with a couple of the key players, at a point where you can completely empathise with them. I have to say, i was taken back by the characters of 2 rival gang leaders - 1 Seong- Woong Park and 2 Jeong-min Hwang - outstanding performances. Even though we as viewers are well aware of their cruel behaviour, as the story develops we begin to like them and somehow hope things don't go wrong for themI love Choi Min Sik, however i was a little disappointed in his role, i think his he didn't have enough spotlight and because of this we couldn't really connect with him so muchDirecting - The directing was very well done. Everything fitted in well, there are a couple of scenes where you are left wandering 'what has just happened'. But overall there aren't many jigsaw pieces that you are required to fit in yourself. I highly recommend this film, not only is it well scripted, acted and well directed, it connects with the audience in ways which other films have failed to do so. If you are going to watch this film hoping to get an Oscar performance from choi min sik then you will be very disappointed. But if you are going to watch this film film to see amazing talent then you will see this in the shape of those 2 rival gang leaders that i mentioned earlier.

Roland E. Zwick Park Hoon-jung's "New World" is a top notch crime drama from South Korea. Its complex plot features Jung-Jae Lee as Lee Ja-sung, an agent who's been undercover with the Goldmoon crime syndicate for eight years now and has managed to reach the position of second-in-command to the group's leader. When the latter is taken out in a hit, Jung-Jae naturally assumes that his assignment will likewise be terminated and that he'll be allowed to return to a normal life with his pregnant wife. However, his actual boss, Police Chief Kang (Min-sik Choi), has other plans for him, namely to stay an active member in the gang and to eventually fill the vacuum left by the assassinated leader. This, however, will necessitate eliminating the top two lieutenants, Jeong Cheong (Jeong-min Hwang) and Lee Jung-gu (Seong-Woong Park), his two potential rivals for the throne.At times brutal and bloody, "New World," nevertheless, remains predominantly a drama of character and ideas, as the "good" figures in particular must find their way through the moral morass that is the world of crime, where the fine line between good and evil, right and wrong, often has to be crossed in order to secure a desired end. And somehow they must do so without losing both their humanity and their soul in the process. For the embedded Jung-Jae, for instance, there is the inexorable pull to the dark side as well as the inevitable shifting of loyalties that comes from immersing himself so deeply into this brotherhood of criminals, while Kang, the Javert-like figure of the piece, is so obsessed with bringing down Goldmoon that he is even willing to sacrifice some of his own operatives to bring it about.Sharp writing, intense performances, excellent pacing, fine direction and an ironically preordained conclusion all combine to make "New World" a must-see film.

Kandavel Karunanithi One of the best "Gangster-Cop" drama ever. Wait, it is a thriller too. Hold on, this defines a new genre on its own. One of the best movie I ever watched. Excellent characterization, casting and rawness in the plot facilitates a riveting watch. Not to forget the scintillating background score. I cannot wait to watch the movie for the second time. Shame that the Hollywood film makers are not producing anything close to this these days. If you are not a great fan of Korean Cinema, watch this and you would be one. If you are already one, then you are bound to become a die hard fan. Very much on par with "The Departed" or might rate it a bit more too. Really wonder why this movie wasn't sent as an official entry to the Oscars from South Korea.

Ramuna Korean movies has never ceased to surprise me. Every once in a while, I tend to find a gem beneath stones. What I like about Korean movies is the fact that they dare to take a different approach of a common theme that sometimes it looks like they just don't care much about box office, public ethic and conduct to indulge audience who are looking for something unique and different, least to say memorable! As in New World, at least that's what I feel about. I mean you can find tons of movies out there about gangster and undercover cop but never that I saw anything that end up so gloomy and cynical that it make other similar theme looks pretty like a fairy tale. The power of the climax lies within a mixed emotion created for the audience to feel for the characters or to cheer for what was expected.It was cliché, yes, and like every other movies if you look hard enough you're gonna find a little flaw here and there, but that really was not the issue to skip this piece of cinema. It may start slow and never bother to get any faster but it never failed to keep you on the seat, and like many other Korean movies with serious theme, it looks like the director never forgot to slide in some comical and situated humor to lighten up the mood. One thing that I might agree among anything else was the epilogue which seemed a little misplaced and out of essential, which in my opinion should be removed entirely from the movie to preserve its even darker intention.Finally, If you love Korean movies or movie of the similar genre, make sure you don't miss this. You wouldn't want to!