KineticSeoul There is quite a bit of similar aspects to this movie to "Goodfellas" except "Goodfellas" is a way better movie. This just has constant cursing and random beatings thrown in to the point it loses it's flare and quickly becomes formulaic and repetitive. Now Min-sik Choi is a good actor but he has been playing these similar character type roles for a while. Who is the epitome of a blood sucking leech that manipulates and use people for his own benefit. Now the real world maybe like this as well but his character Choi Ik-Hyun takes it to a whole another level. There is elements to the gangster world that keeps it interesting, like certain codes and hierarchy. But Choi Ik-Hyun is not a gangster but a wannabe gangster and he is very far from being a law abiding citizen. A guy that tries to weasel his way out of anything. Everything about this character is dis-likable so there is a high chance no audience member will have any sympathy for this character. Except that he is sort of a family person. Now the second main character is Choi Hyung-Bae(Ha Jung-Woo) who is a gangster and does have gangster codes. But he isn't really likable gangster either or all that cool per say. He does have charisma but lacks the likable gangster aspect but I guess that is so it can go in a more realistic direction. And for the most part this movie is realistic but it's jumbled with random curse words and beatings that isn't effective nor does it entertain all that much. Their is isn't a single likable character in this movie you can side with. And the ending makes the movie even worse, maybe the director wanted to show elements of the real world. But it just gives off crappy morals and ethics, well there is none in this movie. Overall it's a alright movie that tries to show how some people do business in the underworld of Busan during the 80's. But everything just seemed a bit formulaic and it just didn't have enough scenes that makes this movie memorable or stand out.6.8/10

kluseba As a big fan of current Korean cinema and even more of the amazing actor Choi Min Sik as well as of Mafia and Yakuza movies in general, I was really looking forward to watch this movie. But in the end it all came very different...The only positive thing about the movie is the unique acting of Choi Min Sik. He proves that he doesn't only perfectly incarnates twisted and brutal characters but also the one he plays in here. We talk about a corrupt customs official who works at the port of Busan who finds a haul of drugs and begins to team up with a vicious gangster. The character doesn't seem to be clever at all at first sight. He has no experiences whatsoever, is overtly arrogant and doesn't stop talking nonsense. But thanks to a lot of luck as well as to a couple of good deals and relations, he survives by using his partner, his enemies and even the police for his own issues. Choi Min Sik incarnates the character with a lot of humour. On the other side, it's quite hard to believe that this kind of clumsy character has gone so far in organized crime and the movie overall doesn't feel realistic enough.The movie itself is a biopic with many lengths and a load of more or less important characters. We assist to many meetings at many different places with many different people that are sometimes redundant and add nothing to the story line. Apart of following the career of the main character, there is no truly addicting story that would create an acceptable setting. The dialogues are sometimes quite poor, there is not much tension in the movie and the few action scenes are good but quite rare to find. This movie never gets close to all those big movies about organized crimes such as The Godfather, Once Upon A Time In America, Takashi Miike's Family and so on.In the end, this movie may only be worth a watch for fans of Choi Min Sik who makes this overlong biopic at least watchable. On the other side, he can't save this film from its numerous flaws and lengths. The expectations for this film were quite high but the final result is more than disappointing.

GManfred This is a movie about a wannabe gangster who is a survivor. He repeatedly wriggles out of tight spots without knowing how he got there, or how he got out. He is a civil servant at the docks of Busan, So. Korea, who stumbles upon a robbery, chases off the robbers, and discovers they were after several pounds of heroin. His co-worker is 'connected' and knows a big-time dealer. One thing leads to another (see the above review), and he becomes a kingpin - a neophyte in the drug trade.The film was interesting, but a few things worked against further appreciation of the film. I couldn't grasp the significance of the importance of family relationships and how this could save him from death numerous times. This was very crucial to one's understanding of the story, because in an American gangster movie, he would have been toast quickly, and this would have been a film short.Over and above that, he is beaten up several times and emerges with nary a scratch. In addition, he (Choi) is a rumpled and unattractive man who lacks a moral compass; as a result, I was unable to generate any sympathy or rooting interest, and the supporting cast fell into the same category. I also think there was an occasional continuity lapse. For instance, in one scene, one of the major drug dealers is stabbed in the abdomen and bleeds profusely. In the next scene, he is his old, menacing self, as if nothing happened to him. Many meetings and dinners take place seemingly without relevance or time frame; who are these people, and why are they there? And where are they?I did the best I could to keep up and there were several violent scenes with fights and beatings and apparently no one in Korea uses guns, which would have ended some of those fight scenes pretty quickly. Sound was amplified for the fights and beatings - having seen many gangster pictures, the slaps and blows are never that loud.I rated it a six - perhaps I would have appreciated it more if I had a better understanding of Korean customs and culture. Or maybe if I were given a reason to root for the protagonist.

jt_ktwn1 "Nameless Gangster" depicts the clashes in the Busan underworld when the government declares its war against crime. Former public officer, Choi Ik-Hyun (Choi Min-Sik) and crime boss Choi Hyung-Bae (Ha Jung-Woo) sit in the center of the maelstrom that sweeps the city. In 1982, Choi Ik-Hyun works as a customs officer at the Busan Port. Choi Ik-Hyun and 3 other officers takes bribes, which leads to an internal investigation. The head customs officer has dinner with the 4 men under investigation and asks them point blank for one person to become the fall guy. Choi Ik-Hyun is chosen as the fall guy by virtue of having the least amount of dependents in his family. A few nights later, Choi Ik-Hyun works the nightshift at the Busan Port. He spots two men breaking into a warehouse through the CCTV system. When Choi Ik-Hyun confronts the two men, a physical struggle ensues with the two men eventually fleeing the crime scene. After the two men escape, Choi Ik-Hyun and a colleague go into the warehouse to investigate. They discover massive amounts of heroin packed inside of containers. Choi Ik-Hyun then offers to his colleague that if they sell the heroin, Choi Ik-Hyun will retire from the department and become the fall guy for the bribe taking investigation. Meanwhile, his colleague knows crime boss Choi Hyung-Bae. The colleague tells Choi Ik-Hyun that Choi Hyung-Bae has connections with the Japanese yakuza and can become the facilitator to sell the heroin. The three men then have a meeting at a remote house. Choi Ik-Hyun notices that crime boss Choi Hyung-Bae shares the same family name. The men discuss their respective cuts from the distribution of the heroin. After the deal is agreed upon by all sides, Choi Ik- Hyun informs crime boss Choi Hyung-Bae that they are distant relatives and he knows his father. Due, to the informal manner in which Choi Ik-Hyun addresses crime boss Choi Hyung-Bae, Choi Hyung-Bae's henchman beats Choi Ik-Hyun savagely. They are partners, but Choi Ik-Hyun isn't held with high regard yet. The next day, crime boss Choi Hyung-Bae goes to see his father at his home and finds his father drinking with Choi Ik-Hyun. His father introduces Choi Ik-Hyun to his son and tells his son to bow down to his distant uncle. The two men then begin their partnership in earnest. Choi Ik-Hyun, with his uncanny ability to gain favors from those around him, and crime boss Choi Hyung-Bae, with his physical prowess as the head of a feared criminal organization, are set to take over the Busan underworld, but will it last?