In the past when my wife and I would see it's an Asian movie we're about to watch we lowered our expectations immediately. But there is one exception on this rule and that is Korean movies. Koreans know how to make movies and they are by far the best Asian movie producers. The Outlaws (or Beomjoidosi) is again a good Korean movie. This time it's an action/crime movie based on true events. There is also some light comedy present and that's something rare in Asian movies. Dong-seok Ma is playing the main character Seok-do Ma and sometimes he reminded me as a modern Bud Spencer, smacking and slapping people around like it's his daily job. The Outlaws is well made, with good actors and with a story that is not too serious but entertaining. Another winner from South-Korea.

The Outlaws (2017) : Brief Review -

Highly repetitive and Predictable but indeed an enjoyable Action drama. The Outlaws is a film i believe made very much for the Chinese and Korean audience only as it deals with the local gangism and their impact on the society. Coming from the true events directly still doesn't help to reduce the predictability ratio but that doesn't mean everything if the majority of audience love watching the same stuff in entertaining manners. The film depicts the detective's attempts to keep peace while two Chinese-Korean gangs battle over turf in the neighborhood. How well the opposition does and how well the protaganist do at the end is nothing new what we saw since 70s. We know our hero is gonna knock out the villain in macho style but doesn't it deserve any new treatments or theories according to time? The Outlaws makers didn't think about it but i am sure audience must have. Originally, a Blockbuster response to the film proves that people loved the gangism factors and connected to it quickly because it happened to them reality and if it is gonna glorify the security system then what can possibly go wrong with a mainstream commercial flick? Two best things about The Outlaws are the 2 sides and Level of powerful face off it shows. Yes the protagonist is supposed to be the winner but it is more important to show the opponent in strong role which is why the Face off looks exciting and enjoyable. The comedy adds some light moments but otherwise it is a very dark toned film. Certainly there was a scope for a twist in the climax which might have erased that black spot of predictable narrative. Yoon Seong-Kang's direction seems reasonable according to the whatever ordinary script he wrote himself. In 2 hours, The Outlaws doesn't feel boring which is enough to call it a good film. Rest, it has some certain loopholes which never matter in this action oriented universe.

RATING - 6/10*

By - #samthebestest

Beomjoidosi, internationally known as The Outlaws, is a dynamic, gritty and tense action thriller partially based upon real events that occured a decade before its release. The movie follows a turf war between two Chinese-Korean gangs and a mysterious and pitiless newcomer from China that takes place in a district of South Korea's capital Seoul. A tough, resilient and fearless police officer puts together a reliable team to end the brutal turf war and avoid collateral damage as politicians and press put more and more pressure on the police.

The movie convinces with captivating characters such as rough police officer Ma Seok-do who is played by one of Korea's greatest contemporary actors Ma Dong-seok who also performed in sports comedy drama Champions, political drama The Mayor and iconic action horror movie Train to Busan. The conflict between the three gangs is easy to follow despite the numerous characters involved which underlines the fluid storytelling and concise plot. The locations are authentic and show the dangerous, dark and ugly sides of an otherwise beautiful city. The numerous action scenes consisting of chases, hand-to-hand combats and shootings add great pace to the film. The captivating plot grabs the viewers right from the start and never slows down until the very end which makes for one of the most entertaining gangster movies in recent memory.

To keep it short, The Outlaws is one of the greatest gangster movies of the new millennium and convinces with gritty action scenes, intriguing characters, authentic locations and detailed plot. Any genre fan should watch this movie that deserves more international acclaim. Note that even though the movie has a proper conclusion, a sequel is underway and due to be released next year as we speak.