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Cast: Jung Jae-Young, Jung Joon-Ho
When he learns that his gangster boss has betrayed him by putting out a contract on his life, convicted mafia goon Chi-sung (Jae-yeong Jeong) plots to escape from prison and punish his treacherous former employer. But first he'll have to betray his best friend.
Over the years Asian cinema took a slight shift away from the traditional Martial Arts genre to more mainstream action and thriller themed films. Righteous Ties is a 2006 film from Korea that is now on DVD in the U.S. and it is an example of the new wave of films coming out of Asia. The story is about a pair of gangsters, one who ends up having to go to jail and is betrayed by his mafia boss and his childhood buddy, who remains loyal to the gang, despite discovering this. Director, Jin Jang is no stranger to the genre and his films have always had a great sense of humor added to them and this one is no different. Jan does a great job at mixing the humor in with the drama along with some great fight scenes. Normally I like to keep my comedy separate from an action flick but it works well here, the near invincibility of the bad guys was fun to watch. I did find a few spots in the film during the drama scenes where things got a little confusing but the film gets you back on the same page in no time. The actors were great and convincing in their roles and the production values such as the cinematography were fantastic as always which is something I have come to expect from Korean cinema. Over-all this is a highly entertaining action flick that should please any fan of the genre, the DVD comes with the original Korean Language and English Subtitles. If your an action fan or enjoy Asian cinema I suggest picking this one up, I had a great time watching it.
Released by Virgil Films and Entertainment
**** Out Of *****