grantss
Joined Nov 2003
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Hanzo 'The Razor' Itami is a police officer and takes a stand against the corruption he sees in the police force, causing friction with his boss. He learns that a banished criminal, Kanbei, is still at large and that his boss may be in on the deception.
A cop drama with a difference. Quite B-grade in terms of plot - it's quite contrived and unfocused - but some some-plots are off-the-charts weird and perverse. This adds a comical aspect to proceedings (not sure if that was the intention, though) which is quite entertaining.
Some good action scenes too as well as solid performances, especially Shintaro Katsu as Hanzo, add to the entertainment and engagement value.
A cop drama with a difference. Quite B-grade in terms of plot - it's quite contrived and unfocused - but some some-plots are off-the-charts weird and perverse. This adds a comical aspect to proceedings (not sure if that was the intention, though) which is quite entertaining.
Some good action scenes too as well as solid performances, especially Shintaro Katsu as Hanzo, add to the entertainment and engagement value.
I enjoyed Season 1 of Squid Game. After a slowish start it developed into something great: excellent action scenes, intriguing plot, heaps of characters depth, making for interesting choices once characters you're engaged in get pitted against each other. Some great, unexpected twists and turns too.
I didn't mind that the final episode of S1 set up a high likelihood of a second season. I probably would have preferred the closure of a mini-series but could see potential in continuing for another season.
Thw way it was set up was that our hero Seong Gi-hun is headed back into the game. I realise it's not as simple as that, hence the need to find the guy who gets people entry into the game, but the plot in this episode seems very unfocussed and more about style than substance. I kept thinking "Come on, get to the good stuff!".
Add in some cartoonish secondary characters - not sure if they're so absurd due to bad writing, bad direction, bad acting or all three - and the opening episode to S2 is quite lacklustre.
I didn't mind that the final episode of S1 set up a high likelihood of a second season. I probably would have preferred the closure of a mini-series but could see potential in continuing for another season.
Thw way it was set up was that our hero Seong Gi-hun is headed back into the game. I realise it's not as simple as that, hence the need to find the guy who gets people entry into the game, but the plot in this episode seems very unfocussed and more about style than substance. I kept thinking "Come on, get to the good stuff!".
Add in some cartoonish secondary characters - not sure if they're so absurd due to bad writing, bad direction, bad acting or all three - and the opening episode to S2 is quite lacklustre.
1945. The US recapture of the Philippines is nearing its conclusion, resulting in a Japanese unit being cut off and lacking supplies. In order to reduce the supply problem Private Tamura is ordered to check into the hospital and, if unsuccessful, kill himself. His trip to the hospital ends up being a harrowing journey.
A Japanese war drama that shows the horrors of war in brutal, unvarnished fashion. As much a survival drama as a war drama - we hardly see the enemy at all during the film - Tamura's experiences are harrowing and realistic.
Not perfect though. The film is quite linear and plodding, which is to be expected for the nature of the plot, but it is too slow at times, feeling laboured. While meant to show the inanity and insanity of war, some aspects of the plot aren't entirely watertight.
Still, a great exposition on the wastefulness and depravity of war.
A Japanese war drama that shows the horrors of war in brutal, unvarnished fashion. As much a survival drama as a war drama - we hardly see the enemy at all during the film - Tamura's experiences are harrowing and realistic.
Not perfect though. The film is quite linear and plodding, which is to be expected for the nature of the plot, but it is too slow at times, feeling laboured. While meant to show the inanity and insanity of war, some aspects of the plot aren't entirely watertight.
Still, a great exposition on the wastefulness and depravity of war.