Korean Cinema's action kid is back for a final punch! Known for his passion for Jackie Chan and Shaw Brothers films, Ryu Seung Wan, director of 2005's Crying Fist, has shown over the years that he's much more than a director of action flicks. Before moving on to other things, however, the young director is giving one last heartfelt salute to his beloved genre with The City of Violence, Ryu's first and probably last pure action film.

The City of Violence marks the first full-fledged starring role for Korea's best action director Jung Doo Hong, whose action choreography can be seen in many films including Taegukgi, Silmido, and No Blood No Tears. It also marks a return to acting for director Ryu since his masterful debut Die Bad in 2000.

After spending most of his adult life in Seoul, detective Tae Soo (Jung Doo Hong) returns to his hometown in Chungcheong Province to attend an old friend's funeral. He meets some familiar faces, including Seok Hwan (Ryu Seung Wan) and Pil Ho (Lee Bum Soo from Forbidden Quest), who is now a very ambitious gangster. When he learns the details of his friend's murder, Tae Soo teams up with Seok Hwan to find the culprit and bring him pain - Ryu Seung Wan style.

With clear similarities to movies such as KILL BILL and a Better Tommorow it might feel like a Deja vu but it stands by itself as a modern ,fresh action movie. Ryu Seung Wan seems to never dissapoint as time goes by and this is the best example. 70's direction and editing straight forward scenario and great music are the building blocks for this movie.

Almost a cinema classic if strangely enough( for a korean movie) didn't fail at the drama department. The wife and the brotherhood lack emotion and that is mostly the directors fault for not trying to hit that difficult balance of emotions without losing its action orientation.

Good point is the baseball furies from The Warriors ,one of the best gang movies ever made ,another example of how eclectic the director's inspirations are.