Arahan (2004)

Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

"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.

As Eastern cinema grows more and more popular in the West, largely thanks to its being aped by such filmmakers as the Wachowskis and Quentin Tarantino, an increasing number of cinematic gems from across Eastern Asia are now arriving in the West. While films like Hero and House of Flying Daggers gain widespread theatrical releases, the more common place to find some of these films is on DVD and that's precisely where I found Arahan.Having never heard of it before I was struck by the synopsis on the back of the box that likened it to Stephen Chow's (he of Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer fame) manic output I took a chance on it and was mildly surprised by what I saw.Directed with confidence and occasional flare by Ryu Seung-Wan, Arahan tells the story of Sang (played Ryu Seung-Bum who you may recognise from Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), a somewhat goofy and ineffective cop who no one can seem to take seriously. After a disastrous attempt to ticket the local congressman's chauffeur for running a red light, Sang spies a purse-snatcher and promptly gives chase. Unknown to him the purse-snatcher is also being pursued by Eui-Jin (played by Yun Soy), a Tao master in training. When Sang is struck by her errant palm blast he finds himself in the care of the Seven Masters (oddly enough there are only five of them). Harbouring a crush on Eui-Jin and a strong desire to kick some ass, Sang begins training under the Masters in the hopes of Maruchi, or enlightened male master.One thing Arahan is not is slow. It moves at a brisk clip while at the same time managing to feel unhurried in reaching it's destination. It also boasts some fun characters. Seung-Bum is delightful to watch as Sang. The unusual combination of barrel bottom self esteem, stubborn pride and impatience is interesting to watch and Seung-Bum manages to carry it off wonderfully without ever letting the character descend into a mess of neuroses which could have so easily happened. Yun Soy makes a suitable foil and displays a lot of fire in her performance but her delivery sometimes falls a little flat. Admittedly she has less to work with as the slightly clichéd girl with great power and responsibility who just wants to lead a normal life has been a fairly common theme in recent years but all in all she acquits herself well. Jeong Doo-Hong is also well cast as the movies icy villain Heuk-Un, a former Tao Master with a neat line in martial arts moves and a PhD in not knowing when to call it quits.In terms of action (for Arahan is a Kung Fu movie so not to mention it would defeat a lot of the object in a review of the film) Arahan manages to pull out some neat scenes, using the full gamut of tricks currently employed in the genre including extensive wire work in some of the later battles, occasional use of CG and a nice mixture of sword and fist fights to lend the scenes some variety. It never truly raises the bar and on occasion the fights can be heavily edited, perhaps to cover some of the performers lack of skill. By and large though it gets the blood pumping and will make you wince at just the right moments, all the ingredients of some decent Kung Fu.Unfortunately Arahan does have one fairly large flaw. While billed as a comedy, Arahan can be surprisingly uneven in its tone. Much of the films humour tends to be slapstick although there are some knowing asides to Kung Fu genre in general particularly at the very beginning. The result of this somewhat broad humour combined with the manic performances will bring smiles to all but the most jaded. The downside to this however is when the film wants to get serious it pulls some nasty sucker punches that deaden the otherwise light and bouncy mood so suddenly you'll wonder if you're still watching the same film. Sang's ego destroying beating at the hands of a gang of thugs and any scene where Heuk-Un turns up are good examples of this and it's only toward the movies end that the two distinct tones of the movie begin to mesh any where close to successfully. It's a bit of a shame really. While the humour is welcome and largely on the nose (if a little broad at times), had it been reigned in slightly, perhaps been made a little more subtle, the films jarring changes of mood would have been less noticeable and the film itself doubtless would have been stronger for it.In the end Arahan overcomes its flaws to provide a largely entertaining and irreverent slice of Kung Fu with a sideline in unexpected brutality. It may not be able to go head to head with best of Chow's output, but that it can be mentioned in the same sentence is more than praise enough.

A geekish cop is, unbeknowst to him, a secret chi master: he falls in with the 7 Grand Masters (although there's only five left) who are busy trying, and mostly failing, to find their way in the world. A bad guy turns up who wants a magic key that will make him God, or some such agreeable nonsense: our hero and his friends try to stop him. A lightweight, fun Asian action-adventure movie that is what it is, but is a good example of what it is: nice wire work, good fights, a little lowbrow comedy, and a nice slambang conclusion. Some fun is had with the characters trying to adapt to changing times: a sequence with the Grandmasters on a television show is priceless. Manages to entertain without getting in the way of itself; recommended.

With a tag line of "Urban Martial Arts Mayhem", and featuring a villain that comes pretty close to being an evil Korean Jesus, how can 'Arahan' not be awesome? It may not be quite as awesome as the trailer made out, but it still manages to be pretty cool.Sang-Hwan is in a fix. He is a rather ineffective police officer who seems to go out of his way to get beaten up. The Seven Masters (of which there actually five) are in a fix. The kids don't believe in the Tao anymore, and the ability to levitate seems only useful in changing light bulbs. After Sang-Hwan ends on the receiving end of a palm-blast from Eui-Jin, she takes Sang-Hwan back to the Seven Masters (of which there are actually five) where they discover his un-tapped chi-potential. The Masters want to train Eui-Jin and Sang-Hwan as replacement Masters, and Sang-Hwan just wants to learn how to perform a palm chi-blast. However, Evil Korean Jesus has been accidentally released from his prison, and now seeks (among other things) revenge against the Seven Masters, and world domination. Ambitious.If I could one major fault with 'Arahan', it is that the movie takes itself too seriously at times. On the other hand, 'Volcano High', despite being presented in a serious way, was non-stop fun. 'Arahan' sometimes drags on, giving away few laughs, but then makes up for it with scenes of awesomeness.Complaints aside, it was generally a funny movie, with some nice visual effects and some pretty cool fantasy fight scenes. 'Arahan' is an enjoyable action / comedy - 7/10