Lee Min-Ki     Kang Ye-Won

Details:Cast: Lee Min-Ki, Jang Ye-Won, Kim In-KwonDirected by: Jo Beom-GuGenre: ActionRuntime: 1 hr and 55 mins.Release Date: July 21,2011
SynopsisKi Soo(Lee Min-Ki), Myung-Sik(Kim In-Kwon), and Ah-Rom(Jang Ye-Won)were members of the same notorious motorcycle gang. They enjoyed their daysroaming the streets recklessly on their motorcycles.
Now, Ki-Soo works as a motorcycle delivery man, Myung-Sik is a motorcyclecop and Ah-Rom is a member of a pop idol group. One day, Ki-Soo has Ah-Romriding on the back of his motorcycle as he makes a delivery. To his surprisethe delivered package explodes as he leaves the building. Ki-Soo's cellphonerings and he hears a voice telling him that there is another bomb plantedin his helmet which Ah-Rom is wearing. Ki-Soo is ordered to take anotherdelivery. If the delivery is late or if he attempts to run away, the helmetwill explode.from: asianwiki
This is Korea's version of Keanu Reeves' movie, Speed, with a twist.If you're looking for an action movie filled with stunts and special effectsand a really cool motorbike then this film is for you. I watched itearly this year and unlike in Speed where the villain is presented to theaudience early on, this movie will leave you to keep on guessing who the bomber is.

Please check out the trailer below.

@pechumori, do you have a link for this one? i want to watch it. the movie seems interesting. thank you in advance

filebook said: @pechumori, do you have a link for this one? i want to watch it. the movie seems interesting. thank you in advance

Filebook said:
@pechumori, thanks for the link, i will watch this one this weekend
filebook said: @pechumori, do you have a link for this one? i want to watch it. the movie seems interesting. thank you in advance

Quick (2011) Movie Review

Written by James Mudge February 8, 2012

“Quick” is a Korean blockbuster in the Hollywood mould, which as its title suggests packs in plenty of high speed action, with a motorcycle courier getting caught up in a mad bomber’s crusade of destruction. The film was directed by Jo Beom Gu (“Three Fellas”) and produced by Yoon Je Kyun (“Haeundae”), and stars Lee Min Ki in the lead as the unfortunate man on the bike, with Kang Hye Won (with whom he co-starred with in “Haeundae”) as his love interest and support from Kim In Kwon (“Fate”), Ko Chang Seok (“The Front Line”) and Yoon Je Moon (“Battlefield Heroes”).

The film kicks off with Lee Min Ki as Ki Soo, a street motorbike champ whose latest race and spat with then girlfriend Chun Shim (Kang Hye Won) causes a huge pile up. Fast forward a few years and Ki Soo is now working as a bike courier in the city, a job he seems to enjoy until one of his deliveries blows up an office building. Soon after, he receives a phone call telling him that there is a bomb in his helmet, currently on the head of his new passenger, pop star Ah Rom – who just happens to be Chun Shim. To save their lives, Ki Soo is forced to deliver a series of explosive packages around the city at the whim of the maniac, with bitter former rival biker turned policeman Myeong Sik (Kim In Kwon) hot on his trail.

With its non-stop vehicular action, mad bomber and Chun Shim’s helmet bomb being set to go off if she and Ki Soo are more than ten metres apart, it’s pretty clear that “Quick” is basically a Korean take on the 1994 Keanu Reeves hit “Speed”. If anything, director Jo throws in even more thrills and over the top set pieces, the film rattling along with scene after scene of Ki hurtling through the city on his bike, notching up the suspense as the timer on the helmet ticks down and his tasks become increasingly difficult and dangerous. Realism and common sense are quickly thrown to the wind, and it’s clear from the opening scene, in which he leaps into through an exploding crashed oil truck, that over the top excess is very much the order of the day. Jo does a great, lively job of constantly upping the ante throughout, with some pretty insane stunts and moments of carnage, the city being treated as a playground of fireballs and mass destruction. Although none of this is even remotely believable, it’s all hugely entertaining and handled with kinetic flair, the budget stretching to some pretty decent CGI effects work.

Wisely, Jo seems very aware of the daftness of it all, and the film never takes itself seriously for even a second. There’s a great deal of comedy along the way, most of it reasonably amusing, with some good banter between Lee Min Ki and Kang Hye Won, both of whom are on charismatic and likeable form, even if they do spend a large amount of the running time screaming at the camera in needless slow motion. In this respect, the film has a similar feel to the popular Luc Besson produced “Taxi” series, with the same wacky sense of silliness, and Jo successfully manages to pull off the difficult balancing trick of combining laughs with genuine pulse racing excitement.

This having been said, the film could perhaps have done with a little trimming, especially during the third act, when the plot suddenly dives off into complex exposition in an attempt to flesh out the bomber’s background and motives. Whilst this isn’t enough to derail what is for the most part a very fast paced thriller, it does needlessly put the brakes on somewhat before thankfully getting back to business with a gloriously gonzo train set final showdown.

“Quick” really is a great deal of fun, and is a guaranteed good time for genre fans looking for an overabundance of carefree, rampaging action, especially those unconcerned with the niceties of realism or common sense. Easily and quite literally the most explosive Korean action film of the last couple of years, what it might lack in grit or hard-edged violence, it more than makes up for in gleefully destructive mischief.

Beom-gu Cho (director) / Soo-jin Park, Youn Jk, Beom-gu Cho (screenplay)
CAST: Min-ki Lee … Han Gi-soo
Ye-won Kang … Ah-rom
In-kwon Kim … Kim Myeong-sik
Chang-Seok Ko … Detective Seo
Jin-mo Ju … Team leader Kim
Byeong-cheol Kim … Detective Park

About the Author: James Mudge

James is a Scottish writer based in London. He is one of BeyondHollywood.com’s oldest tenured movie reviewer, specializing in all forms of cinema from the Asian continent, as well as the angst-strewn world of independent cinema and the plasma-filled caverns of the horror genre. James can be reached at jamesmudge@btinternet.com, preferably with offers of free drinks.

source: http://www.beyondhollywood.com/quick-2011-movie-review

[HanCinema's Film Review] Quick

2011/08/06 

Jo Beom-goo's latest action comedy film "Quick" is currently occupying the number two slot in Korea's weekly box office. There was a significant amount of hype encasing the film but ultimately it's a joy ride you would struggle to recommend as well as recall.

The film's opening scene takes place on Korea's Independence Day as we follow a biker gang spreading chaos and mayhem in the streets of Seoul. The pack cruises through the city streets following their smooth leader Han Gi-soo (Lee Min-ki). Driving along side him is Ah-rom (Kang Ye-won), begging him to pull over and explain why he left her for the tramp that now straddles his bike behind him. Unmoved by her plea, Han charges through an intersection and causes a massive, highly overdone, car pile up with all the clichés you would hope to see. Cars skid and slide out of control, pilling up into a mass of twisted metal and explosions and to end with our action star ramping over the fiery wreckage.

The film put a lot of effort into the special effects and overall production of the high-speed chases, but this opening scene certainly did the film no favours. Instantly we are primed with directorial indulgences that served only as saturated eye candy distracting one from the unimpressive story and flat characterisations. The first scene almost felt like an after thought, one that failed to achieve anything but introduce the film's title.

As Han whizzes around the city to deliver deadly packages on the command of an anonymous puppet master, are attention is diverted from the poor story line and we're forced to consume scene after scene of action antics that were continuously taken one step too far. It's all been done before and without an attractive tale holding it all together "Quick" comes off as superficial flick designed specifically to haul in the summer crowds.

I watched this film with a very excitable women next to me and even her over reactions to every moment were not enough to make me enjoy this film beyond the rotting sweetness of the visuals. That said there are definitely those who will happily consume all that "Quick" has to offer, I was just not one of them.

One thing that still surprises me in Korean cinema is their ability to insert counter emotions that deviate from the expected. There was many a moment where our hero sheds his coolness for a geeky smile or clumsy gesture and moments of tension are displaced by either extreme sadness or laughter. It remains me of, although not to the same degree, "Hello Ghost" as this "2011 Happy Comedy" caused me to shed a tear or two. In the former it works well but here it felt more hit or miss. It was as if the director decided each day what would work in each scene or not, instead of having an overall picture of where the film was going. This criticism extends to the soft motivations of our antagonist, or rather the delayed revelation of intent that sparked this whole storm of adrenaline.

"Quick" is doing well in theatres right now as the summer films make their stand. The other two big Korean blockbusters out now are "The Front Line" and the hugely anticipated "Sector 7", these are probably worth more of you time if you are looking for anything with a little more substance.

-C.J. Wheeler (chriscjw@gmail.com)

source: http://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-film-review-quick-31984.html

@farstrep   Have you seen the movie yet? Is it really the Korean version of Speed?

@myphim: I've watched it. It's a tad similar to "Speed" but I think jasy puts it better. She describes it as a "Phone Booth" on a motorbike.

farstrep said: @myphim: I've watched it. It's a tad similar to "Speed" but I think jasy puts it better. She describes it as a "Phone Booth" on a motorbike.

class="date-header"Thursday, January 12, 2012

Quick (퀵, Kwik) 2011

Source: http://www.modernkoreancinema.com/2012/01/quick-kwik-2011.html

Bikes

Having more or less caught up with all of the this past summer’s major Korean releases, the first thing that comes to mind is that if I ever see a motorbike in a Korean film again, it will be far, far too soon.  The two main culprits in my eyes are Sector 7 and Quick, and the thing that they share in common is Yoon Je-kyoon, the producer who was also the director behind such hits as My Boss, My Hero (2001), Sex Is Zero (2002), Miracle on 1st Street (2007), and Haeundae (2009). Not too long ago I decided to savage Sector 7 in my review as I felt it was a disaster that needed to be called out for the contempt it showed its audience, thinking moviegoers would be content with novel 3D effects at the expense of a solid story and engaging characters.  Thankfully spectators rejected the film as it suffered one of the most calamitous post-opening weekend drops in Korean film history.
Quick is not as bad a film but it does demonstrate a similar lack of respect towards its viewers.  What I mean to say is that it’s an overburdened everything-but-the-kitchen-sink comedy-actioneer that is designed to appeal to everyone but could never hope to satisfy anyone.  There is very little that the filmmakers didn’t throw in to the mix in a bid to attract viewers.  There’s k-pop, gangsters, biker gangs, youth violence, washboard abs, scantily clad women, inefficient police, romance, and of course melodrama, all that in addition to the heavy doses of action and comedy.

Flying bikes

Gi-soo is a former bike gang leader who now works as a speedy bike messenger.  One day he is sent to pick up Ah-rom, a major k-pop star, who turns out to be his ex-girlfriend.  She puts on his helmet but while he was away, someone has put a bomb in it.  Now he must do an unknown man’s bidding with the police and an old rival on his tail.
Quick is primarily an action film and it borrows its concept from the popular 90s Hollywood summer blockbuster Speed (1994), starring Keanu Reeves, it has more or less borrowed its name too.  The action is relentless and the filmmakers cram in pile-ups, explosions, and as much speed as they can into the narrative.  I must say that the action sequences are for the most part convincing but they are just variations on a theme and don’t offer us anything we haven’t seen before.  There’s also a tendency to blend the comedy in with the action, these efforts, rather than add up to something better, mostly fall flat.

Funny bikes

Comedy is a large part of Quick but I think it was either a poor choice or badly handled as it is the cause of most of the film’s many problems.  It’s not particularly funny and, as I’ve already mentioned, it doesn’t blend well with the action, but beyond that it poses two significant issues.  Since a lot of the film is played for laughs, there is no real urgency and the stakes feel very low, a big no-no for an action film.  Secondly, I found the two leads to be terrible, mainly because they have no comic timing.  I know that Lee Min-ki’s new film Spellbound as been received very enthusiastically but here he’s just a pretty face and his performance is hamfisted but also very unbalanced, Gi-Soo never felt like a character.  Kang Ye-won’s is not someone I was very familiar with beforehand but I do recognize her from last year’s Hello Ghost and she seems to be a Yoon Je-kyoon stalwart, this being the fourth film of his she has starred in.  Again she is a pretty face who only seems capable of overacting and her grating performance quickly overstays its welcome.

Sexy bikes

Quick does feel like a missed opportunity though.  At times, with all the different factions facing off against eachother, I felt this could have been like an anarchic Kim Sang-jin (Attack the Gas Station, 1999; Kick the Moon, 2001) film but it’s far too consumerist and cynical to pull that off.  The film lacks a raison d’être, it is merrily an excuse for fast vehicles and pyrotechnics but rather than reinvent the genre or offer up an original style from its mise-en-scene, it expects the money being thrown at the stunts and explosions to impress rather than the way in which they are presented.
Forgive the bad pun but I think the film was made a little too quickly, elements designed to draw in viewers were thrown together, explosions littered the marketing, numerous mid-level stars were cast in small roles but at no point was any effort put into the story, the characters, or the style of the film.  What we’re left with looks more like a drawn-out music video than a feature film and that is definitely not what I go to the movies for.

★★☆☆☆

Money shot

Phone booth on motorbike... Yup, in a nutshell.  What goes around comes around - on a motorbike, quickly (another bigger nutshell).  A fun watch, not to be taken too seriously.  Lots of over-the-top stuff that leaves you thinking, "Yeah, right!  No way!  Still alive?"  But then again, I don't think the intention is for us to believe all the stuff they do in this film is for real, as it is with many films.  Pure entertainment.  One of those "Sit back and enjoy the ride!" movies.

2011-06-21 16:25

Quick promises fastest Korean blockbuster ever

From left, actors Lee Min-ki, Kang Ye-won, Kim In-kwon and director Jo Bum-gu pose at a promotional event for their new movie “Quick” at CGV Apgujeong, southern Seoul, Monday. / Yonhap

By Kwaak Je-yup

You’ve seen them on the streets of Seoul. They zip past your car, driving in the narrowest of spaces with the most unimaginable speed. These “quick service” delivery motorcycles, the most frightening presence on the road, are about to make their deadliest turn yet in a new blockbuster.

“Quick,” the latest offering from the team behind one of the highest grossing Korean movies of all time, “Haeundae” (2009), promises another action-filled feature film, helped by “the fastest speed captured on a Korean screen,” according to the filmmakers.

The straightforward motorcycle-themed thriller follows the delivery of a bomb by Gi-su (Lee Min-ki), who is blackmailed into the job while on another mission to transport girl group starlet A-rom (Kang Ye-won). If the driver does not oblige, a bomb planted in the passenger’s helmet is going to explode.

At a promotional press conference in Seoul on Monday, the filmmakers touted the technological advancements formerly unavailable in the country. If all the claims are true, they should compensate for the relative lack of A-list star power in the cast.


“When we were planning the scenario, I told (director) Jo Bum-gu that if we cannot surpass the American ‘Speed’ (1994) or the French ‘Taxi’ (1998), we shouldn’t make it,” said executive producer Yoon Je-kyoon, director of “Haeundae.” He continued, “If I weren’t confident, I would have never taken on the project.”

Yoon also said he wanted to push the boundaries of “mainstream action/entertainment cinema” with the latest release.

To back up the bold claim, the filmmakers brought in a big gun from the States: a camera specifically designed for high-speed situations and used the so-called Doggicam Sparrow Head 200 (SH 200), from Doggicam Systems in Burbank, Calif. It was used in “Fast & Furious” (2009).

For a Seoulite moviegoer, this is bound to be a special experience, as the filming equipment allowed capturing hair-raising chase scenes at 150 kilometers per hour on average, on readily recognizable roads that locals use on any given day.

Lee’s German-made 1000-cc bike throttles, for example, through Myeongdong and along the Gangbyeon Expressway in two of many chase scenes. The camera was mounted onto another motorcycle and operated by remote control to capture every moment up close.

The wish to break new ground was also translated into an ample use of digital enhancements, using the technology on more than a quarter of all outtakes, according to Jo.

On the casting choices, the director said he picked two of the main trio — Lee, Kang, and Kim In-kwon, who plays chaser policeman Kim Myeong-sik — based on the“great chemistry” he observed on the “Haeundae” set.

Though tickets will not sell just based on their second-tier names, each has a solid background in film and TV beyond the 2009 blockbuster.

At the press conference, the trio all praised the director, saying his attention to even the smallest detail helped them perform stunts without body doubles and no major problems.

“Quick,” distributed by CJ E&M, will open in theaters on July 21. jay@koreatimes.co.kr

source: http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2011/08/141_89309.html

class="headline" Review: QUICK Matthew Lee




Jo Beom-Gu's Quick is the kind of action film that needs a fairly steady hand on the throttle to stop it lurching into self-parody, and it's a continual source of frustration that the director never really manages this for as long as he ought to. What we've got here is very loosely Speed on a motorbike, and say what you will about Jan de Bont, before his career succumbed to sequelitis and middle-aged spread he was plainly aware how ridiculous his feature début was, yet how straight he needed to play Graham Yost's script to sell it.

Quick is frequently thrilling stuff, genuinely, slyly funny and even surprisingly clever here and there, but Jo Beom-Gu seems far too self-conscious he's making a daft popcorn feature for his film to really impress, with too many lapses into self-conscious wackiness and not enough opportunity for the viewer to get invested in what's happening. Quick is definitely way ahead of much of the competition, but it could have finished even further out in front.

Quick stars Lee Min Ki as Ki-Soo, a biker who's quit running wild to work as a motorcycle courier, flouting speed limits across the country to deliver his cargo on time. First he's handed a seemingly innocuous package that demolishes a downtown office block moments after he's dropped it off. Then moments after being reunited with Ah-Rom (Kang Hye Won), an ex-girlfriend from his days as a bad boy, a mysterious caller informs Ki-Soo there's a bomb in his crash helmet.

Problem is, Ah-Rom's just put the helmet on; so the caller promises he'll detonate the bomb unless Ki-Soo continues to drop further explosive packages off across the city. Off go the terrified couple, leaving a trail of destruction behind them while they try to work out who could be doing this and why - with the police left to wonder what the hell's going on.

Quick certainly has a pedigree. Produced by Yoon Je Kyun - who was also behind tsunami blockbuster Haeundae, which may set off warning bells for some - while there's nothing here as wildly over the top as a giant wave laying waste to everything in its path there's enough pyrotechnics, impossible stunts and quick-fire bickering from the leads to make for quite a ride. The trouble is, while Jo plainly wants to get the audience to identify with Ki-Soo and his girl, he doesn't seem to be able to make up his mind what the best way to do this would be.

Witness the opening scene, a flashback that's supposed to set up the leads' character arc, as well as several of the supporting cast. Yet it's played for laughs, from the way Ah-Rom and Ki-Soo's relationship crashes and burns, to the bumbling detective who's always left one step behind the real action, right up to the horrendous accident that prompts Ki-Soo to take up a slightly more legitimate career.

Which brings us back to the main problem - no matter how much you suspend your disbelief it still sets off all kinds of mental flags when a film like Quick treats the consequences of its ridiculous showdowns with this much cavalier disdain. Okay, there probably aren't that many people who expect a popcorn action flick to be realistic as such, but you can easily convince yourself people are dying when Michael Bay levels another American landmark.

It's hard not to feel Quick isn't even taking things that seriously when you plainly see people walk away with nothing more than a few scratches from the kind of high-speed collision that would have their face smeared along the tarmac in real life. No matter how impressive the choreography, every time something else blows up and no-one gets visibly hurt (save perhaps the odd bad guy who clearly deserved it) the temptation is to facepalm in despair, and the repeated mugging to camera doesn't help much.

Which is a shame, because once the villain's mad scheme gets under way things do start to improve. Despite the misguided slapstick, Wacky Races attitude to danger and over-reliance on comic relief, even the weaker stunts are still pleasingly inventive. Watching Ki-Soo fling his mount over, under and through collapsing buildings as a parade of cop cars trail behind him like a Blues Brothers tribute band is a lot of fun despite the obvious CG.

The lack of realism is frustrating, yes, but it also lends a cartoon energy to a lot of the action, from the scale and scope of the devastation to how gracefully the roaming camera whips around the set pieces. By the time we're into the home stretch, with Ki-Soo facing off against the bomber on a speeding express train, Jo's managed to up the tension quite some way, cutting back and forth between multiple viewpoints for the final fight and briefly coming off like a Korean Fred Cavayé (Point Blank, For Her).

It's also worth noting that despite the dumb comic interludes, the character development is surprisingly engaging stuff overall. Quick is still popcorn fluff for the most part - it never works itself up to fever pitch the way Point Blank does. But Ki-Soo and Ah-Rom are likeable, for all they're shrill. Lee Min Ki and Kang Hye Won are both different enough from conventional supermodel K-stars to hold your attention (he, rangy and thin, she more like an actual human being than a Barbie doll).

And they manage to sell the sense of desperation pretty well, for all the tone skips back and forth. You may not believe they're going to die, but you can buy that they believe they will. When it stops mugging, Quick can be smart, witty, even genuinely emotional - the Big Reveal in particular makes you wish Jo and Yoon had pushed this aspect of the story much, much further.

Disappointing, then, but still solid, unpretentious fun that sneaks in the odd moment of actual intelligence, Quick could have been much better than it is but what we get is more than throwaway multiplex fodder all the same. There's no message or bold statement, but for all the superfluous pratfalls, bug-eyed double-takes and physically impossible stunts this is still a movie where the director understands the merits of pacing and dynamics, the impact of a well-placed quiet joke before the next explosion and a cast worth caring about.

Quick is way too obviously product to be great, and it's very unlikely to win over viewers who don't like blockbuster film-making, full stop - but for anyone with a taste for slick, big-budget action with a dash of real invention, this is a nifty two hours of breakneck escapism that comes definitely recommended. March 20 2012, 7:02 pm

source: http://twitchfilm.com/2012/03/review-quick.html




==========================================




class="headline" Blu-ray Review: QUICK Is SPEED On Speed (Shout! Factory) J Hurtado, Contributing Writer




I'm not going to sugar coat this review. Quick, the Korean motorcycle action extravaganza, is dumb. It's dumb. Not smart. This isn't a thinking man's action film, it is the very definition of a silly, drop-your-brains-at-the-door explode-a-thon. But I'll be damned if it isn't loads of absolutely ridiculous fun. The cover of the Blu-ray (at left) proudly proclaims that Quick comes from the makers of Tidal Wave (Haeundae) and Sector 7, but Quick is, for my money, easily more fun than either of those films. Shout! Factory's latest foray in to Asian cinema with Soi Cheang's Accident, Sector 7, reaches its ridiculous apex with Quick, and this disc is among their better releases.

Normally I'd put a synopsis of some kind in the second paragraph, but in this case, it seems a bit superfluous. Guy rides motorcycle. Girl rides motorcycle. Things go boom, Guy and girl watch things go boom. Police are stupid. The end.

If you need a little bit of subtext to go along with your action, you're barking up the wrong tree. However, if you're in the mood for big dumb fun, I think you'll enjoy Quick. Everyone involved in the film seems to be on the same page in their idea of what Quick should be, and that certainly helps it's overall success. In the title of this review I, quite cleverly, make reference to the mother of all slow-down-and-die action films, Speed, and Quick sits proudly beside that landmark film, not behind it.

I was fortunate to first catch this film on the big screen at the Dallas International Film Festival back in March, and that really is the ideal way to watch this over the top action bonanza, but this Blu-ray does an excellent job of recreating the experience in your home, and I can easily recommend it. The CG explosions and action enhancements don't really detract from the experience, and it is clear from the fact that several stunt drivers were injured on the set that a lot of the stunt driving is practical. I obviously really enjoyed this film, but please, go in with an open mind and the ability to let go of logic, otherwise you're in for a long night.

The Discs:

Shout! Factory typically does very good work. Their Blu-ray of Accident was absolutely atrocious, but Sector 7 was an improvement and Quick is probably the best of the three. The video is sharp, colorful, bright, and contrasty. I have nothing to complain about in that department. The audio, as is fitting with an action film of this caliber, is also insane. The use of the sound field in the numerous crazy action sequences is very effective, and all of the explosions will leave your subwoofer gasping for breath. This is an excellent A/V specimen.

Shout! Factory have also included plenty of decent quality bonus material to go along with this really awesome disc. There is an hour long making of featurette, not quite edited to perfection, but still features lots of behind the scenes footage and plenty of footage of the stunt drivers doing their thing. There is also a twenty five minute featurette on the usage and creation of CGI in the film, which is nifty. I really didn't notice it until the final set piece, at which point it becomes painfully obvious, the the amount that was used it pretty impressive for how unintrusive it is. Rounding out the extras are a couple of short featurettes including one spotlighting the poster and some trailer footage. Overall a pretty decent package that I was happy to see find a home in the US.

Quick is a lot of fun, but don't squint while you're watching it or you're bound to see the seams. Definitely recommended.
Special Features:
- The Making of Quick
- Theatrical Trailer
- CGI Featurette
- Stunt Featurette
- A look at the creation of the movie poster

source: http://twitchfilm.com/2012/08/blu-ray-review-quick-is-speed-on-speed-shout-factory.html

Review: ‘Quick’ is born to be mild

REVIEW BY BURL BURLINGAME / bburlingame@staradvertiser.com

It’s far too snotty to refer to this motorcycle-mania movie as entirely “pedestrian,” but there you go. It is. It’s wall-to-wall car crashes, cycle stunts, briefly funny asides and way, way, way too many ear-splitting scenes of people screaming in terror.

They’re supposed to be funny. Maybe they are for a few shots. But this seems to go on forever. Even the very last freeze-frame has the stars screaming. In terror? In relief? Maybe the audience is screaming by this point and running from the theater. It’s difficult to care.

The plot relies on tiny bombs the size of a Rubik’s Cube that can level entire buildings. The script demands that they be that small so they can fit in a motorcycle courier’s saddlebag. Otherwise there’d be no movie.

The plot — ahem — is about a motorcyclist and his former girlfriend, and how they’re manipulated by an evil bomb-making genius to race all over Seoul with the police in pursuit. This results in lots of car crashes and screaming. Fun!

That is, until the evil genius reveals how he’s evil, and the revelation is a dash of icy reality into the fast & furious goings-on. Maintaining a consistant tone is the least of the film’s problems.

The two leads are played by Lee Min-Ki and Kang Hye-Won, at least I think they are. They actually resemble anime cartoons played by stick figures.

That’s pretty much it. It’s heartening to discover that the Koreans can make stunt movies as dim-witted and as attention-deficited as Hollywood. The best part is when they Jackie-Chan the end credits and you see how all the stunt people got injured on the job. Ouch.

It’s also fun to discover that, in Korea, motorcycle gangs include members who are Papa John’s Pizza delivery boys on putt-putting scooters. Hey, even gang members need a slice now and then.

———

Burl Burlingame is a features reporter at the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Email him at bburlingame@staradvertiser.com and follow him on Twitter.

source: http://www.honolulupulse.com/movies-tv/review-quick-is-born-to-be-mild

Making of the movie:

Snippets of the movie:



Quick OST
Ok girls - Crazy Boy

Quick

Story:

Being a legendary biker back in the day Han Gi-soo (Lee Min-ki) is now earning his money as a courier. When one day he is supposed to get a girl to her destination point as soon as possible a crazy bomb planter contacts him and forces him to deliver bombs to certain addresses. Should he not follow his orders he would detonate the bomb that is placed inside his motorcycle helmet. However, instead of him the girl with him happens to have put on the helmet and so she has to accompany him on his breakneck tours through the city. Apart from that the two already know each other as the girl, Chun-shim (Kang Ye-won), was once the girlfriend of the biker. When the police can track down a trail from the first bombing to Gi-soo policeman Myeong-sik (Kim In-kwon), who was a biker himself once, recognizes his old rival and Chun-shim, who he still is in love with. While the police is doing everything in its power to stop Gi-soo in a wild chase more and more people fall victim to the bombings. Slowly there are dots revealed which can be connected and point to the one pulling the strings of this deadly game. 

Review:

True to the spirit of Hollywood's motto "bigger, faster, louder" Korea delivers a showpiece of an adrenaline-loaden nonsense action blockbuster here. "Quick" is bullocks that cries out to heaven and the first condition it sets is for the viewer to check his brain at the entrance. For this sole purpose alone the introduction seems to be unnecessarily over the top. However, if you happen to survive it without turning the movie off you can relax. The movie doesn't continue to be as stupid as here. Well, in a certain way it actually does, but still in portions that are more easily digestible if you are willing to abdicate any form of logic or believability in a movie. "Quick" comes clean with the viewer right from the start and so you can only hold its obvious flaws against the film to a limited degree. That is also because the movie itself makes fun of them, too.

So what flaws are we talking about... First of all there are so many coincidences and scenes that arised from their own necessity that you constantly have to slap yourself on the forehead. Then there are also some bumpy parts in the screenplay. Wait a minute, how exactly did the bike get on the roof of that building again? Doesn't matter, Gi-soo must have driven it to the top somehow because he needs to fly across to the next building and jump through the window of a company building! Yes, a motorcycle that flies over rooftops and through the sky is absolutely nothing special in "Quick" from a certain point onward. Either you can live with that or you can't. Admittedly it hurts in the head incredibly when seeing this nonsense the first time but at some point it actually starts to be fun.

It's the kind of guilty pleasure "Quick" features that may divide the audience. You certainly can't call this quality cinema, for this the script happens to be too stupid, despite some minor efforts to make the story more complex later on, which isn't that complex at a closer look after all. But to make up for that this action flick doesn't take itself too serious at any time. There are a few moments during which this doesn't work out that well because Gi-soo's reckless speeding apparently leads to several deaths on the road. Accidents and explosions are the order of the day. Why a truck has to lose several propane cylinders just when Gi-soo and the police are driving behind it naturally remains a complete mystery as do many other ridiculous coincidences, but in the end this leads to a domino effect that causes a true horror crash on the highway, even though the film never makes it look that way but like a funny firework display.A cheerful atmosphere is the top priority in "Quick" right next to breakneck stunts. The consequences of the whole chase shouldn't be considered. The one time it actually is talked about it seems really out of place, of course. Sadly, there are also a few scenes where the slapstick humor doesn't work out that right. However, most of the time the film is surprisingly funny, which means that awkward scenes are pretty much the exception and that you are otherwise entertained nicely.

Naturally the individual characters remain caricatures of themselves all the time. Lee Min-ki ("Oishi Man") plays the courier who isn't really a bright light which the movie also makes fun of during a scene towards the end. Kang Ye-won ("Haeundae") is occupied getting worked up or yelling. Whatever necessary to get loud. Kim In-kwow is the funny supporting character, but actually he is also the most interesting one in the movie.

"Quick" is a mix of "Speed", the video game "Crazy Taxi" (anyone still remembering?!) and of course also reminds us of the Luc Besson produced "Taxi" with which it shares the same wacky over-the-top action. It never steps on brakes, sometimes it's pretty innovative thanks to well done camera work and is excellently supported by subtly worked in special effects. A true action fest that is simply fun to watch. When the credits roll there are some of the stunts and injuries shown just like in good old Jackie Chan movies. If it were just about the action and the entertainment value "Quick" would have deserved a better rating. The ridiculous screenplay and the shallow characters on the other hand would have deserved a worse rating. Therefore, I will go for a very entertaining "averagely good".

source: http://www.asianmovieweb.com/en/reviews/quick.htm

Wow, so many reviews and not all of them are good. )  Are we watching this weekend or next weekend?

@Anomalous: Take the reviews with a pinch of salt. It's clear this movie is not meant to be taken and analyzed seriously. ) Just enjoy the ride and suspend your belief while watching it. It's next weekend.

Some posters of Quick:




source: hancinema.net