Memorable, crazy movie

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

"Arahan" is labeled as an action comedy, however, I think they held back on the comedy part, because this is far more action than it is comedy.The story was actually quite good. Clumsy police officer Sang-hwan (played by Seung-beom Ryu) witnesses a unique palm strike from Wi-jin (played by So-yi Yoon) and is introduced to the art of Tao. He have to struggle to come to terms with this way of life and have to find himself, while the seven masters are keeping a key from Heuk-woon (played by Doo-hong Jung).The action sequences and the fighting sequences in "Arahan" were actually quite good. Lots of really nice fight choreography here. And the scenes are very adrenaline-filled and straight to the point. Being an Asian action movie, of course you have to except there will be some over-the-top sequences thrown into the sequences to make it special.The actors and actresses in "Arahan" were doing a good job with their given roles. However, I will say that the movie was carried by So-yi Yoon and Doo-hong Jung. Personally I found Seung-beom Ryu's Sang-hwan character a bit too goofy.I was thoroughly entertained by "Arahan" and am glad that I have added it to my DVD collection. However, there was just something missing from it to make it stand out in the Asian market of similar movies. But still, not a bad movie all together.

In a similar style and tone of Wilson Yip's "Lung Fu Moon" (Dragon Tiger Gate, 2006), we find ourselves immersed in one of the most sensational fantasy-action martial arts films that truly becomes a symbol of both artistic vision and amazing confrontational sequences. Each piece of this film is brilliantly played as we eagerly watch the development of Sang Hwan's character. The music that accompanied many of the fight sequences created such a tense and exciting backdrop - every scene was as stunning as the next. In addition to the incredible martial arts display, this film presents a strong sense of comedy that is interspersed at just the right moments. The fact that the movie was a very urban, down-town city setting added to the overall enjoyment - especially considering the strange mix of fantasy-action and the realism of metropolitan city streets.I highly recommend this film to those wishing for a fun, thrilling, fantasy-action martial arts journey. It was so amazing!

I ain't no fan of chop-socky Asian martial arts movies. You could run off a list of any of the 1000 films Jet Li made before going to America and I'd say, 'Um...Kiss of the Dragon?' So, that's how bad my knowledge and devotion is. It was surprising therefore to discover that Arahan is actually a very funny and very exciting movie that zips along loud, fast and funny.Sang-Hwan is a lowly beat cop. He's clumsy, accident prone and bumbles more than the average bee. He doesn't believe he has any special powers, but when he makes friends with a group of five old masters, they recognise his potential and recruits him to help preserve the balance of the world from evil...or something. Which is great timing, because an ancient bad guy has come out of a long, long hibernation to seek the key to the ultimate nirvana and spread order over the whole world...or something.Yes, it's gobbledygook. In fact, it's alarmingly similar to Bulletproof Monk, only not total crap. There are loads of laughs to be had. Arahan has a great sense of comic timing and the ability to jump from silly gags to serious action in just a few seconds.When it comes to plain old hands-and-feet fighting, Hollywood movies seem to be lacking of late. It's all CGI and spandex. Eye candy it may be, but it's good to see something filled with practical fighting effects, despite the final showdown going on a bit.The one bad thing that costs it half a star is the nasty Eighties synthesised score. Doesn't Korea have anything better than those shoddy Yamaha keyboards that I used in music class in high school? Hell, I could do better myself.You can criticise the film for being mindless - hey, just because it's subtitled doesn't mean it's artsy fartsy - but for two hours of fun, Arahan will do nicely.

I had a chance to view this film during the NIFFF 2004 (Neuchatel International Fantasy Film Festival) in Switzerland. Far Eastern Films are very popular this days (at least in Europe) and offer a different way of telling stories than the big US-productions. The naive downtown policeman Sang Hwan helps the good and punishes the bad. He is discovered b a martial art master and trained to unleash the powers within him, in order to fight the ultimate evil Heung Un and save the world. This South-Korean film is combining humor, action and special effects a little bit in the tradition of Jackie Chan-films. "Arahan" is based on a Korean cartoon. 3 out of 5 *