The Unjust (2010) User Reviews

Far from drama, yet still manages to do it.

[achi_oragvelidze · 7/10 · 30 June 2013]

I decided to review this title, because of the other reviewers who did not give the film what it deserves.

As someone said: this is a crime film, without clearly "good" or "bad" characters. Sometimes it's a bit hard to follow the plot, but I don't think it's a problem. When you finish watching the movie, all will be clear.

The movie is gripping, ruthless and satirical. There are some very funny moments and one will find cynicism in almost EVERY SCENE. Modern grotesque, great plot and AMAZING performances from the leads are the pros of this film. You will most likely be gutted by both the complexity and "charisma" of those 3 main characters.

Pay attention to why is this movie titled: "The Unjust".

I absolutely recommend this to everyone. Though it lacks the "tricks" of cinematography, it's still very stylish in plot and powerful in execution. Pure entertainment.

Excellent film for most of it's running time only gets into trouble with action and twists in the final 20 minutes

[dbborroughs · 8/10 · 16 June 2011]

This is a film that is about the hunt for a suspect who is raping and killing young girls. The police think they have a suspect but he's shot by a cop who is an uncle of a victim, and without strong evidence they have to do something that will satisfy the public. A frame up is in order and they talk a good cop with problems complete the frame. From their the story spins out as tale of corruption and back stabbing as everyone wants to get ahead (and everyone's loyalties seem to be on one side or another of a real estate deal) More or less a tight knit drama for most of it's running time the film cracks in the final 20 or 25 minutes with a bit of violence and a few twists that seem tacked on and which deflate much of what was going on. I really liked it, and would have loved to have seen it on a big screen, but the end with it's unremarkable twists disappointed me.

Everyone has a dark side

[yoggwork · 6/10 · 19 February 2019]

Everyone has a dark side, and no one in politics is impeccable. Rigidity scolds in front of him, while gentleness strips off and kneels down. Only those who can bend and stretch out can go on. But the final winner is the one closer to power.

Let down by Inconsistent screenplay

[azarrudheenrafeeq · 17 April 2020]

When a serial killer suspect dies , cop trying to create a fake killer. But things goes out of hand , when a goon who helped cops in creating a fake serial killer.trying to blackmail police officer. Good backdrop story let down by Inconsistent and uninteresting screenplay . The performance of lead actors are good , But uninteresting screenplay did not let them shine. The chasing and fighting scene are very realistic, this is the only interesting thing in this movie. Climax twist is not so surprising. Climax fight scene make us tired instead of making us nervous .

Murky plot

[AJ_McAninch · 7/10 · 20 December 2021]

Great cast with many fine, veteran actors, several playing against type. But for me the plot was often confusing and sometimes annoyingly predictable. However, the power corrupts theme and ending work well. I would recommend it for a light evening viewing.

Good plot but badly written and executed

[searchanddestroy-1 · 7/10 · 20 February 2022]

Great potential this complex story, very unusual and that should have been remade by the Hollywood film industry I guess. It would have been made. But it remains a solid crime flick from South Korea anyway; a bit confused but efficient.

The Unjust Review: Unique concept, great execution and overall entertaining!

[Achyut_Prashast_Singh · 9/10 · 20 January 2018]

Movie: The Unjust (18): Action - Korean

Positives:

• The performances of the lead actors are quite effective.
• The background score is at times very impactful.
• The action sequences are very well choreographed and executed.
• The script is very unique: I have never seen anything like this before. The screenplay is very engaging, especially in the second hour.
• The humour in many scenes is very well used and will make sure you laugh out loud.
• The climax is quite effective and excellent.

Negatives:

• The film takes a lot of time to set up.
• The editing could've a bit better since the pace in the beginning is not very good.

Repeat value: Yes

Overall, THE UNJUST is an entertaining action film from South Korea which is bound to impress with its highly entertaining action scenes and unique script.

Hard to follow action film without clearly good vs. bad characters. Working methods hopefully not typical for Korean criminal justice system

[JvH48 · 5/10 · 4 March 2011]

A lot happens in this action film, and inter-relations between respective characters were not always clear to me. For example, several people were blackmailed, bribed or otherwise pressured, but you could not always determine who was giving and who was taking. Further, the amount of violence in several scenes depressed me, and was unnecessary to show this explicitly. It did not contribute to my appreciation.

Like in the real world, no one in this film was 100% good or bad. I saw more than my daily dose of ugly behavior, in fact being a mixture of good and bad. Loosely translated, most people had the best of intentions but less commendable methods to get what they wanted.

The complex relations between the main characters leads to confusion in the story line. It makes this film feel too long for its contents, regardless of the things that are continuously happening throughout the 120 minutes. Hence there should be no reason to get bored. But still, the lack of purpose and direction of what we see happening, does not work out well to maintain our attention.

Satire seemed an essential part of the film. What I found particularly hilarious was how hierarchical lines work in those circles, and how people behave differently when their boss (or even higher) is present. It was way different from what I am used to (warning: I may be prejudiced, living and working in The Netherlands, where subordinates are infamous for their "Yes, but..." type of cooperation).

All things considered I see not much reason to recommend this film, but that is not due to technical flaws or lack of action. What I particularly miss is the logic in the proceedings. I can accept that I'm alone in this, however, and that I did not pay enough attention to catch the plot.

Brilliant and painfully honest cop and criminal case study slyly disguised as an "action film"

[jorgebenavides-95736 · 9/10 · 7 April 2022]

A truly original and refreshingly honest depiction of the complex and tragically flawed individuals who are tasked with navigating the inherently inefficient and sometimes blatantly corrupt criminal justice system in Korea. Deftly blurring the moral and psychological distinction between the "good and bad guys", so we get such a deeply nuanced and often frustratingly human anti-hero this exceptional film consistently and defiantly refuses to resort to typical one-dimensional reductive cops and robbers cliches in both its structuring, and even more impressively with its exhilaratingly executed character development. If you're looking for a mindless, soulless action film you best search elsewhere.

The Unjust : Mean System

[forlornnesssickness · 8/10 · 14 June 2014]

The movie starts with a sensational serial killing case shocking the whole nation(this is probably the third or fourth time I encounter the serial killing in Korean movies in this year). Recently having a prime suspect get killed, the police have lots of pressure from the citizens, the media, and, above all, the President who demands that the case be solved as soon as possible. They must find a way to solving the case or any other ways for retaining their public image.

They choose Choi Cheol-gi(Hwang Jeong-min) as the new chief of the special investigation team. He is a cop with the good record, but that is not the main reason he is chosen for; he is chosen due to his lack of personal connections. If the investigation is failed, his discharge will not hurt anyone in the police. Cheol-gi knows that well when one of his superiors personally asks him to take the case, but he accepts it. He has been always denied promotion(mainly because he did not graduate from the Police Academy) and is willing to bet his career on this murder case.

However, the movie is not about solving the murder case. Under his superiors' silent consents, Cheol-gi does a risky cleaning job. With his men he trusts, he assembles the other possible suspects and analyzes them for sorting out the most plausible suspect. It does not matter whether that suspect is guilty or not. All Cheol-gi has to do is asking Jang Seok-gu(Yoo Hae-jin), a mob boss who has been associated with him, to get the suspect and 'persuade' him to be the serial killer the whole nation is looking for. Their scheme ends up being successful and everybody goes happily along with it. However, the things get messy for them when the case is handled by prosecutor Ju Yang(Ryoo Seong-beom), who also has his own dirty business to be taken care of.

With the original screenplay by Park Jeong-hoon(the writer of "I Saw the Devil", the most controversial Korean movie of this year), the director Ryoo Seung-wan("The City of Violence"(2006)) carefully maps out the positions of his three main characters and others from the start with the subtitles informing the date, the time, and the names. As the plot thickens, the details about their complicated relationships are succinctly delivered to us and we come to understand how they affect each other as well as their motives. Their interests are so entangled with each other that one conflict of interests logically results in other conflict. Or, the one is solved, and then here comes another one. This seems endless until someone is pulled out from this power game.

While closely observing the dynamics between them, the movie looks far more widely at the system and its excruciating mechanism in the Korean society. It is not different from what you saw in HBO TV series "The Wire"; the system is adamantine and the individuals are usually helpless in front of its effects – especially in case of the ones occupying the lower strata. Although there are some shifts in the power game, it is eventually clear that who has the power to wield and who is the nearest at the top and who will remain no matter what happens. Although Ryoo Seung-wan said he was not intended to make the movie as a social critique, the Korean audience will feel lots of familiarity to the society shown in the movie thanks to the recent big scandals associated with the Public Prosecutor's Office. They probably have gut-chilling feeling at the end of movie because they know too well that this is how the system works not only in the movie but also in their reality.

Regardless of whether the movie is a social critique or not, Ryoo Seung-wan makes a compelling urban noir movie. Compared to his previous works, "The Unjust" is a more controlled work with lots of confidence as usual. The pace is brisk in most parts, the humor is well-integrated into the story, and the characters are solid. The world they inhabit is presented realistically as well as stylishly from the filthy garage disposal factory to the luxurious gallery party. There is only one notable short action scene in the movie, but, even with that scene, Ryoo proves again that he is very good at making effective physical action sequence; you can really feel the desperation in their struggle.

A gem hidden under 15 minutes of dialogue heavy introduction.

[iamaricklee · 9/10 · 7 July 2021]

Well, first time I totally hated the film because firstly I'm not a korean speaker and the film is dialogue heavy, specially in the beginning but as soon as you understand the first 15-20 minutes of storyline then the rest keeps you hooked itself.. I've never been happier being proved wrong to myself. A must watch film, specially if you are a crime thriller junky..

A hidden GEM under 20 minutes of thick storyline.

[iamaricklee · 9/10 · 7 July 2021]

If you are a Crime Thriller junky then get a cup of hot tea and follow the film carefully for first 20 minutes or so then the rest you'll find out yourself.