Nowhere to Hide

Nowhere to Hide, (Korean title, Injeong sajeong bol geot eobtda) is a 1999 South Korean film, directed by Lee Myung-se. Nowhere to Hide was marketed as the Korean answer to Hard Boiled, but the similarities are only slight in that both are cop films made in the far east. The film is set in Inchon in South Korea. The plot of the film is simple, almost formulaic. A murder is committed in the opening reel, and the cops search for the killer. We are ... more

Nowhere to Hide, (Korean title, Injeong sajeong bol geot eobtda) is a 1999 South Korean film, directed by Lee Myung-se. Nowhere to Hide was marketed as the Korean answer to Hard Boiled, but the similarities are only slight in that both are cop films made in the far east. The film is set in Inchon in South Korea. The plot of the film is simple, almost formulaic. A murder is committed in the opening reel, and the cops search for the killer. We are shown the comradeship of the cops, and the aggressive, underhand methods they use to hunt their man. An old lover of the killer provides the link to the wanted man. Opening up in monochrome but with occasional flashes of colour, the first action scene is a disorientating strobe-like affair. We revert to colour for the rest of the film, but there are still enough imaginative uses of montage, slow motion and wipes. Additionally, there are Tarantino-esque homages to past movie greats throughout the film. The opening stabbing on the 40 steps... less