Clementine (2004)

User Rating:

3.5/10   

Director:

Du-yeong Kim

Writer:

Hye-rim Eun (writer)

Release Date:

14 December 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Drama

Plot:

Kim is a Taekwondo champion who decides to give up his fighting career for good in order to take care of his daughter Sa Rang...

Plot Keywords:

Fighter | Fight | Single Father | Father Daughter Relationship | Tae Kwon Do

Cast

Dong-jun Lee	...	Kim (as Jun Lee)
Steven Seagal	...	Jack Miller
Hye-ri Kim
Seo-woo Eun
Ju-bong Gi
Ho Lim
Hyeok-pil Lim
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Joe Halpin	...	Bodyguard #1
Nick Hermz
So-yeon Kim
Simon Rhee	...	Korean man in crowd

Runtime:

Brazil:90 min

Country:

South Korea | USA

Language:

English | Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Germany:16 | Singapore:M18 | UK:15

Company:

Pulstar Pictures

A Korean tearjerker, NOT A Seagal movie

Well, I guess you know it by now: Steven Seagal has little more than a cameo in this movie. The real lead is Dong-jun Lee. One point of interest that comes out of this arrangement is wondering if Seagal, playing the seemingly invincible reigning cage-fighting champion, will agree to lose (or, to use a pro-wrestling term, "job") cleanly to the hero, as it would happen in nearly every other story of this type. But the fighting is by no means the focal point of "Clementine": there are essentially 2 long fight scenes, a 5-person free-for-all inside the cage and the climactic match between Lee and Seagal. Both are pretty messy and lacking in flow, and in the last match there are plenty of long shots from outside the cage where you can clearly see Seagal's stunt double. No, "Clementine" is basically a family melodrama, and I have to admit I found it quite moving at times. The characters are essentially good people trying to do the best but not always knowing how or even what it is, and the acting is genuine and heartfelt. Lee is definitely an above-average actor for a martial arts lead, the little girl is irresistible, and her mother is very beautiful. The story does depend on a very big coincidence (the daughter literally crashing into her thought-dead mother in a supermarket!), but if you can accept that, the actors (and the music score) make it work. To sum up: this is a martial arts tearjerker more suitable for fans of the latter genre. (**1/2)