The film was decent I guess. The action sequences were okay but at times it felt like I was watching a bunch of guys who had been trained to be ninjas from early infancy. The film has almost the same set-up, roles, themes and outcome as one of Korea's great hits "Friend" (2001). The movie Friend had serious undertones and was filled with nostalgia and great action. The movie City of Violence seemed to just take the coloring and ideas of Friend and then fill in the voids with over the top action.
A few minor good points: (spoilers following)
The boss (I think he was a boss, the guy with the dyed gray hair) who had travelled to Osung from Seoul was a very competent actor but he was seriously underplayed with little screen time. Also, one of the key characters from the Korean film Oldboy (another great) played as one of the friends. He didn't particularly shine, but he wasn't bad. And lastly, cinematography gets an A for effort.
A few minor good points: (spoilers following)
The boss (I think he was a boss, the guy with the dyed gray hair) who had travelled to Osung from Seoul was a very competent actor but he was seriously underplayed with little screen time. Also, one of the key characters from the Korean film Oldboy (another great) played as one of the friends. He didn't particularly shine, but he wasn't bad. And lastly, cinematography gets an A for effort.