Park Hoon-jung's "New World" is a top notch crime drama from South Korea. Overall it's a film that can be enjoyed by anyone that likes gangster films, undercover cop films, or just a film with a good script in general. It brings about quite a bit of twists and turns, especially when it comes to the characters inner being. The plot is enticing, cool and absorbing. Sure it does have all the typical Asian gangster elements but it's also a different gangster film. While watching this film, I wondered about those Hong Kong undercover cop flicks and thought.What if it went in a different direction? And that is what this film brings out. The plot is about a undercover cop that is caught in a dilemma while being in a notorious crime organization in Korea while also being a cop. But how well done the intentions and direction is. Watching this film made me think of the Chinese film "Infernal Affairs" not because of the similarities when it comes to the characters and story.
The story brings out the corruption, the manipulation, the scheming, human ambitions and how the environment can have a effect. There are hidden colors for each of them. What I especially liked about this flick is how, just about all the characters aren't just set in stone. All the cast in this did a fantastic job or at least fit the roles totally.
But for the direction it goes, it just doesn't have much other alternatives. Sure the story maybe a bit far-fetched and unrealistic. This is one of the best Asian gangster film I seen. Most impressive and the like of which one always hopes for when a good writer turns to directing. As I say, the violence is brutal and most visceral when it comes but the tangled and well told tale will have you spellbound both by the content and the fine way it is photographed and paced with considerable precision. One particularly agreeable feature for me was how distinctive the participants were both in looks and in character, which made it so much easier to follow this complex story of police efforts to infiltrate and mitigate the effects of corruption of the all-powerful syndicate. Min-sik Choi gives a fantastic performance as the Police section head and Jung-jae Lee and Jung-mia Hwang his seeming saviour and major thorn in the side, respectively. Not peppered with brutal action throughout, although when it comes you will flinch, instead there is considerable character development and with all the twists and turns and mixed allegiances that in itself is a considerable achievement. Yes, it is another tale involving a South Korean crime syndicate, this one, however, truly demands attention.
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