A Million (South Korea - 2009)

[FrighT MasteR]

Thought I'd give this South Korean thriller a chance since the premise intrigued me. The story basically follows 8 contestants in some sort of survival game, where the winner would get their hands on $1-million US dollars.

Naturally the game ends up being more dangerous than the contestants anticipated when the losers turn up dead. It doesn't take long before they realize the director of the game is insane and looking to kill each person who loses in some sort of personal vendetta against them all.

The story isn't the most original by any means, but knowing South Korean cinema, I figured they'd throw in some unique spins on the story. Which was somewhat the case here, when there were some interest aspects that I hadn't seen before in similar-themed pics, but in the end it wasn't anything special.

I especially wasn't too fond of the big "reveal" towards the end when we finally find out what the purpose of everything was. Overall, a decent and entertaining watch (to an extent), but the film doesn't really give us much creativity and the ending was especially underwhelming. Worth a check if you're fond of the premise or K-cinema in general. Otherwise, I'd say skip it.

6/10

http://www.hancinema.net/korean_movie_A_Million.php

[K.I.N.G]

bah, i've had enough of those contestant flicks. I'll pass. I only view 7 and higher ratings from you anyway.

[FrighT MasteR]

Originally Posted by K.I.N.G

bah, i've had enough of those contestant flicks. I'll pass. I only view 7 and higher ratings from you anyway.

For da best

[xxsic4slipknotxx]

I'd still check it out since I still find the premise interesting, but I won't expect much. Any weird or outlandish characters in this flick. The Korean flicks/dramas I watch usually have a pretty unique character in them.

[FrighT MasteR]

Originally Posted by xxsic4slipknotxx

Any weird or outlandish characters in this flick. The Korean flicks/dramas I watch usually have a pretty unique character in them.

Weird or outlandish? Not really, unless you count the director since he's crazy and killing people with this game. There's this "fat guy" of the group that wasn't really even that fat at all, but you know how Koreans are, you don't have to be that fat to be considered fat

[xxsic4slipknotxx]

Originally Posted by FrighT MasteR

There's this "fat guy" of the group that wasn't really even that fat at all, but you know how Koreans are, you don't have to be that fat to be considered fat

Lol, how true!

[FrighT MasteR]

Like in My Lovely Sam-Soon the actress gained like 15 lbs for the role as she was supposed to be "fat" for the character. 15 extra lbs is fat over there?

[xxsic4slipknotxx]

Yeah, they do not know what "fat" is! They never really have to worry about getting new clothes every year since they stay the same size they are now!

[FrighT MasteR]

Koreans

[xxsic4slipknotxx]

The secret may lie in either the kimbap or their sacred kimchi.

[FrighT MasteR]

Actually in this new k-drama I'm watching (Boys Before Flowers) there's a scene where the lead chick (really skinny by the way) is binging on some rice kimchi and the mom scolds her for doing it saying she needs to stay on her diet and watch her figure so she can attract a nice husband

I think that's the only problem I have with South Korea -- they're entirely too self conscious with looks. Everything is focused around physical appearance and wealth. The women are essentially brought up to be proper wives for a potential wealthy husband, while the guys live with their parents until they become businessmen themselves, so they can provide for a possible family. That's another thing, they're all pretty much forced to marry at a certain age, sometimes even deal with arranged marriages.

At least that's from what I've gathered from all these years of watching their shows and movies