Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Crime. Show all posts
Movie Review: Midnight Runners (青年警察)
Melody

Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul played two young police cadets in this action comedy and I've to say aside from their cuteness overload, it's also a story of their friendship, their dreams and passion as well as to right the wrong despite their inexperience and various bureaucracy obstacles.

The story opens with the two of them admitting into Korean National Police University where they learn to be a cop and master various martial arts. However, most of the things they've learned are mostly textbook theories and in spite of their two years training, they still find themselves at a loss and just when they're having doubts about being a cop as their career, they witness a kidnapping when they're out partying one night. They manage to track down the location and the kidnappers eventually but they're faced with several obstacles - lack of evidence, inexperienced and such cases have to be dealt with the appropriate departments and bureaucracy. They decided it'd be too late by then and the only option they could come up with is to take matters into their own hands.

(L: Kang Ha-neul, R: Park Seo-joon)
I've been a fan of Park Seo-joon (Fight for My Way and Hwarang are some of his works this year) so naturally this movie captured my attention. While Kang Ha-neul is no stranger to me, I've to admit I'm not really familiar with his works since I can be selective when dramas/movies are concerned and this explains why I may have missed him while choosing a new drama to watch. That said, I was quite impressed with his acting here as a quiet, nerdy cop as I understand he is actually an easy-going guy and one who smile a lot. I totally loved the rapport and the guy bonding moments they've for each other. But of course what moved me most is their passion and their enthusiasm in pursuing justice (human trafficking and selling of young women's eggs to illegal fertility and surrogacy agency are the cases they're investigating here and I think these topics will further raise the awareness considering the seriousness and a problem the world still face today.) Overall I enjoyed the movie and I'll definitely keep an eye on Kang Ha-neul's future works. 


© 2017 Melody's Reading Corner (https://mel-reading-corner.blogspot.sg/), All Rights Reserved. If you are reading this post from other site(s), please take note that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.

Labels: , , , , , 4 comments | edit post
Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes
Melody

ISBN-13: 9780062276049
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publication Date: 24 February 2015
Format: Paperback, 400 pgs
Source: Purchased


Elizabeth Haynes' Into the Darkest Corner has left me a deep impression. Pumped with full intensity and a suspense that leaves you waiting at the edge of your seat, it is one of my top reads in 2013. When I heard she has a new series out I knew I have to read them. 

Under a Silent Moon, the first book of her Briarstone series follows DCI Louisa Smith's first investigation case. Truth be told, Lou isn't anxious to prove her efficiency a month after her promotion so she is hoping it'd be a straightforward case. She didn't get what she wished. The victim, Polly Leuchars, was brutally assaulted in her home, Yonder Cottage. She worked as a groom at Hermitage Farm and Yonder Cottage is part of her employer's estate. 

On the other end, the police also responded to a suicide case at the same time. Barbara Fletcher-Norman's car is found at the bottom of a local quarry near where Hermitage Farm is. At first glance, it seems too much of a coincidence but as Lou and her team gather the evidence they realised that the two cases might be linked. 

Author Elizabeth Haynes has once again written an intense suspense that had me hooked from the beginning till the end. As this book is more of a police procedural, readers are offered more than a glimpse of how the story unfolds as Ms. Haynes included case documents such as police dispatch logs, witness statements, intelligence reports etc to make it look more like an authentic murder investigation. Ms. Haynes knew all the works as she worked as a police Intelligence analyst for many years. 

I find her characters in this book engaging; and I enjoyed reading the exchanges between Lou and Jason Mercer, the analyst. The rest of the team consisted of some interesting characters too; like DI Andy Hamilton who seems to be a natural charmer with women and DS Sam Hollands for a strong female character aside from Lou. I know I'd be reading more of them in this series and I look forward to learning more of them. Suspense wise, I was actually glad I was correct to pinpoint the killer after reading a while but that didn't take away the fun of reading this mystery till the end, as I find the police procedural all so interesting and intriguing. Behind Closed Doors is the next book of this series and needless to say, I'm looking forward to reading it. 
Labels: , , , 10 comments | edit post
Drama Review: Who Are You? (你是谁?)
Melody


I don't know about you, but I love watching crime mysteries with a tinge of horror. The latter does not have to be scary ghosts that haunt people but specifically more towards spirits which would help the living people to solve cases and release them from sorrow and give them the rightful justice if they were the victims. Who Are You? is such a drama and I enjoyed it very much, given that there is even a romance theme in it.

Detective Yang Shi-ohn (starring So Yi-hyun) has somewhat lost some of her memories after awakening from a six-year coma. She has no idea what happened to her and this upsets her; but what really troubled her is she discovers that she has gained the ability to see ghosts connected to the objects left behind there. Assigned to the lost and found department after her accident, she and rookie cop Cha Gun-woo (starring Ok Taecyeon) are partners to solve cases which involved the dead. No one knows Shi-ohn's ability to see ghosts, not even Gun-woo who always believes what he can see but after matching the information from what Shi-ohn has told him, he couldn't help but to believe her. 

They cracked several cases through Shi-ohn's supernatural ability but there is a case which both puzzles and troubles her. It involves a passing coworker who died from a gunshot while he was on duty. She also noticed a ghost who seems to be following her on and off, and it takes her some time to remember that the ghost was none other than her ex-boyfriend, Lee Hyung-joon (starring Kim Jae-wook). It appears that Hyung-joon's death had something to do with a crime syndicate and someone had shot him to silent him. Shi-ohn was there on that fateful night but she failed to see the killer. The next thing she knew was her awakening from a coma which was caused by a head injury. 

Determined to unravel the truth, she goes around digging for information with some help from Hyung-joon. On the other end, Gun-woo finds himself falling for Shi-ohn but he has no confidence in winning her heart, after all how could you compete with an ex-lover who was dead? 

Who Are You? reminds me a little of Master's Sun, another South Korea drama which the heroine also has the ability to see ghosts and help them to solve cases before they rest their souls. However, the difference between the two dramas is the former focus more on police procedural while the latter is more on the heroine's attempts to help the ghosts despite she is scared of them. It is also through these acts that she allows herself to fall in love with a rich yet arrogant businessman and how she had slowly changed him the more they are together. 

Aside from the police procedural, what I enjoyed watching Who Are You? is the chemistry between Shi-ohn and Gun-woo. Gun-woo is a quick-tempered cop who always act first before anything else, while Shi-ohn is the coolheaded one. She always act on rational thoughts and no matter how dangerous the case may lead her, she always allows her instincts to guide her. 

I have to say I was quite thrown off by the ending though, but still it was a satisfying ending. After all, I could think of no other ending which would suit better than that.

Labels: , , , , , , 1 comments | edit post
The Thief by Fuminori Nakamura
Melody

























ISBN-13: 9781472106957
Publisher: Corsair
Publication Date: May 2013
Format: Paperback, 224 pgs
Source: Personal Library
Translated from the Japanese by Satoko Izumo and Stephen Coates


I have to say when I first saw this book, I was attracted to its bright cover and the cover quote by Natsuo Kirino (author of Out) as this book being "fascinating". Fascinated by the theme and Natsuo Kirino's quote of course, I picked up this book with high expectations, since the back cover stated that this book is taut, atmospheric and cool and will steal my breath away.

Told from a first person perspective, The Thief is a sad story about a seasoned pickpocket named Nishimura. A loner with no family, friends or any other connections, he weaves through the crowded streets of Tokyo in search of potential targets. His targets are usually the rich; and his stealing skills are so good that stealing becomes a natural to him. At times, he does it with needs; and there are other times he does it subconsciously. No matter the circumstances, he always never get caught. Just when he wonders about his pathetic life, he encounters a young boy by chance. Like him, the young boy steals stuff but that is because he is being instructed by his mother. Raised in a single-parent family, the young boy lacks the care and love by his mother and is often abused by his mother's 'boyfriends'. 

Nishimura couldn't help but feel sorry for the young boy, and since then they became friends and even teach him a few tips on stealing. It is also about this time that Nishimura's past catches up with him when his old partner-in-crime, Ishikawa reappears and offers him a job he can't refuse. The mastermind behind the job is a gang leader named Kizaki, and what he wants Ishikawa and Nishimura to do is to break into a wealthy old man's house and raid his safe. Thereafter, they would get some shares of what they have stolen and their task would be accomplished. 

However, that is not what Kizaki has in mind from the start. After Ishikawa and Nishimura have done their job, they are shocked to find that the old man they had robbed is no ordinary man and most of all, he is eventually killed by Kizaki's men. 

Nishimura soon finds himself caught in a web when Kizaki offers him another three tasks and that he couldn't say no. What's worse, should he fail the tasks, Nishimura would be a dead man. 

As a noir thriller, I would say that The Thief has great characterisations and readers could feel the cynicism and the moral ambiguity about today's society. As much as I find the plot tense and engaging, what disappointed me is the ambiguous ending which I feel is somewhat anti-climactic. Still, it is a thought-provoking read and it had allowed me to get a glimpse of how a pickpocket's life is. 
Labels: , , , 1 comments | edit post
Korean Drama: Miss Ripley
Melody
Starring: Lee Da Hae, Park Yoo Chun of JYJ, Kim Seung Woo and Kang Hye Jung
Language: Korean (with Chinese, English subtitles)

I have been watching a few Korean drama series lately; and I have to admit I am addicted to watching them. 

Miss Ripley (미스 리플리), the latest drama I watched, is a story of a young woman, Jang Mi Ri, who lies to get her way and how her greedy ambition has lead to the downfall of two men who has fallen in love with her. 

Mi Ri was abandoned by her mother when she was nine. Her mother had chosen to leave the family and to marry a rich man. After the death of her father, Mi Ri was sent to an orphanage where she befriended Moon Hee Joo. 

One day a Japanese family wanted to adopt Hee Joo, but Hee Joo had a stomach ache and the orphanage decided to send Mi Ri in her place instead. Mi Ri was then sent to Japan and she had a miserable childhood living with her adopted parents. They treated her badly and worst of all, the father had a huge gambling debts to pay and Mi Ri was forced to work in a bar when she was nineteen. She worked there for a few years under a man who called himself Hirayama. Hirayama had made her as one of the top bar girls but Mi Ri had been plotting ways to leave him once she has gotten back her passport and the contract she had with him. After much efforts, she managed to leave him and returned to South Korea. 

Staying in a run down residential motel, she encountered a young man Song Yoo Hyun. Yoo Hyun also arrived from Japan recently and though he came from an affluent family, he always believed that one has to be independent and learn/earn things on his own. Yoo Hyun liked Mi Ri but the latter wasn't interested. She has bigger dreams to follow and most importantly, she needed to find a permanent job before she is deported to Japan. Unfortunately, finding a permanent job was a challenge due to Mi Ri's educational background as she only had a high school degree. 

Meanwhile, Jang Myung Hoon, a hotelier needed someone who was able to speak the Japanese Hataka dialect to serve an important customer at the hotel. There was no one to fill up the position as the spoken dialect was extremely rare in South Korea. It was during a chance encounter with Mi Ri that Myung Hoon decided that she was the best person to fill that position. He offered Mi Ri the job on a temporarily basis but time was running out for her. Mi Ri had to decline the offer and muttered that even if she was graduated from Tokyo University, it would't change much of a thing for her. Myung Hoon misunderstood her remark and then told her that there was no reason for them not to hire her based on her qualification and that was where all her lies began. 

In a nutshell, Miss Ripley is a romance story with a hint of crime. The characterisations and the plot development are great and there are several intense moments that made me watch with both anxiety and anticipation. Lee Da Hae, the actress who played Mi Ri, is magnificent for her acting skills in portraying the greedy young woman and you couldn't imagine how many times I cursed while watching her meddling between Myung Hoon and Yoo Hyun. As you can tell, Mi Ri isn't a likeable character but from another perspective, I couldn't help but to pity her too. From her point, I began to understand why she lied although what she did is absolutely wrong. 

Myung Hoon and Yoo Hyun are two men whom I feel many women will fall in love with as they are both kind-hearted people and are so selfless, despite the prestigious positions they held. 

I wouldn't say I liked the ending, though there is a twinge of bittersweet to it.  In my opinion, bittersweet can be beautiful because one can always hope; and because it is not perfect, this what makes the memories more cherishable and unforgettable. 
Labels: , , , , 2 comments | edit post