Lee Myung-sae has been called the "Korean Wong Kar-wai" for his visual creativity, irreverent genre deconstruction and unconventional narratives. Here he steps out of the romantic comedy genre and creates this exciting, visually stunning exercise in style. It revived Park Joong-hoon's career, and gave hope to those who want something more than another Heroic Bloodshed clone or the umpteenth Young and Dangerous spin-off.
For years, reality wasn't marketable for action movies. Directors were more interested in showing unrealistic icons or glamorizing young delinquents. That's until Lee Myung-sae entered the arena with Nowhere To Hide, and it became the fourth most watched film of the year in Korea. Soon, the film was met with acclaim from Festivals all over the World, and a US and European release followed.
Nowhere To Hide shows what other action movies are afraid to: real life. Cops aren't any better (or worse) than criminals, and they don't necessarily have heroic values behind their actions. It's just a job which mostly consists of waiting, waiting and waiting some more. Lee explores the full range of cop emotions with this film, from adrenaline rushes to "boring" stakeouts, and from intense, wacky anime-like fights, to cops and criminals eating ramen noodles together.
Directed by: Lee Myung-sae
Cast: Park Jung-hoon, Ahn Sung-ki, Jang Dong-gun, Choi Ji-woo
