Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time 4K 2012 Ultra HD 2160p

Story Movie

March 1982, Busan. When corrupt customs officer Choe Ik-hyun is about to be made a scapegoat and fired, he and his partner discover a shipment of drugs. Trying to sell the find to local gangster Choe Hyun-bae, he discovers that they are distant relatives. Now, using all kinds of schemes, bribes, flattery, and Koreans' blind reverence for older relatives, Ik-hyun infiltrates the criminal organization and tries to make money by any means necessary.

Review 4K Movie

Every genre has its legendary masterpieces that others aspire to emulate and surpass. Francis Ford Coppola's Godfather trilogy and Brian De Palma's Scarface are undoubtedly such masterpieces in the gangster film genre. It seems that more than one generation of filmmakers grew up on these classic films. This film by director Yoon Jeong-bin is, if not the Korean answer to The Godfather, then certainly a project that grew under its influence. The influence is not only ideological, but also stylistic. With numerous shifts between the past and the present, director Yoon Jeong-bin creates a dense and compelling narrative of the protagonist's rise to the top of the criminal underworld.

The film is very powerful and dramatically intense. Of course, the film features numerous fights, scenes of brutal violence, and other gore, which have long been a staple of the crime film genre. But it is gratifying that the emphasis is not on this at all, and these scenes are more of a supplement to the film itself, rather than the other way around. All this allows us to see not only a film shot in the best traditions of gangster movies, but also a rather interesting dramatic parable about a little man who achieved success thanks to his Napoleon complex.

Perhaps the strongest point of the film is its story, largely due to its deep meaning, which becomes the main driving force behind the entire plot. On screen, we see an ordinary little man with a huge ego who began to make his way only because of his famous surname and useful connections. It's as if it reflects the realities of modern life. When you can be a nobody as such, but it's worth having the right connections and knowing where and when to push, then you can get absolutely everything you want.

Frankly speaking, this film has a lot in common with The Godfather. However, while Francis Ford Coppola's cult classic was more about the value of family, this film goes in a different direction. The entire film is a true parable about the main character's rise to the throne, on the way to which he devoured absolutely everyone. Both his enemies and his allies. Thus, this film raises many interesting topics. Betrayal, lies, honesty, loyalty, friendship, pride, and much more become the starting point not only for the main character's behavior, but also for the development of the story itself.

This film can safely be called a real comeback for the magnificent Choi Min-sik after a fairly decent break from acting. If Kim Ji-woon's I Saw the Devil was a kind of dress rehearsal, then this film is definitely worth calling a loud statement by the actor. This is because on screen you can see almost the best role performed by the actor in his entire career. Choi Min-sik plays his character so convincingly, even physically and with his body language, that at times it feels like he has completely lost himself in the role. But this only makes his character more natural and convincing.

Ha Jung-woo perfectly embodies the image of a criminal authority figure. His deep eyes, languid gaze, and emotionless face perfectly reflect the character, better and more beautifully than any of the lines he utters throughout the film. This further reinforces the belief that Ha Jung-woo instinctively transforms into his characters on screen rather than simply playing them. Frankly speaking, the cast worked together brilliantly. Even Ma Dong-seok and Kim Sung-kyun, who are memorable despite the obvious secondary nature of their characters on screen.