Helpless (2012)

This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Great Film overall

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Helpless is a true "nothing is as it seems" type of mystery that takes you down the rabbit hole and never disappoints along the way. At it's core is a well organized plot that make you feel like you're investigating right alongside the characters. Their surprise is your surprise - Their dead end in is your dead end. When you think you have the missing girl all figured out, the story opens completely up and shows you exactly what you hadn't thought of. The action is both believable and unexpected, all the while making sense instead of how movies normally make you go "seriously?" As far as Korean flicks go in general, this one wasn't overly emotional. It was a GREAT watch. An intelligent mystery riddled with suspense and void of stupid mistakes. A must see for mystery lovers and Korean movie fans.

It's getting to a stage where I'm perusing South Korean films and watching each and every one I'm able to get my hands on. I've seen a few bad ones but I've seen dozens upon dozens of brilliant ones.This one starts of pretty simple but then twists and cycles into something complex and riveting. It shows a harsh world that shapes people into what they are and touches you with a background story that makes you want to forgive.It's very well done.I would not put it in my top ten of South Korean movies because we are looking at a massive amount scoring 9 and 10 out of 10 but if I had not seen any other Korean movies and watched mainly American Movies this would be close on the top of my list.

by the tight Korean production professionalism that is.The story origin is an Japanese crime genre novel. I think there was a Japanese series of movie once. I did not see that.Story is around the sudden disappearance of the fiancé of the male lead when they were on the way to meet the in-laws. This all happened at a gas station. Then the relentless of the male lead, hooking up with his estranged cop(ex?) brother who is very detail oriented, try to find out what happened. And the more they go, the more unknowns were uncovered.The title, as used so many other before, implies the inevitable that will come. The foreseeable ending and that truth will always come out, if you dig hard enough ? But is this movie good enough? I was swaying between a 7 and 8.7 because , the male lead , for me, is a bit over the top. The cop brother slightly better. 8 because of the tightness of the story.I get that the movie wants you to be in that shoe of helpless, not knowing what happened to your most significant other. But he really didn't know her from the beginning. So the emotional hook wasn't really there ?

SPOILERS, SPOILERS, SPOILERS.Helpless is a 2012 Korean movie that somewhat got lost in the wash of a number of other Asian mystery/thriller/crime films that year. It's a low key tale that takes its time going from point A to point B, but, it is a pretty effective story that makes for an entertaining & worthwhile watch IMO.Story: Successful veterinarian takes a liking to a pretty kind girl who frequents his animal clinic. They date, fall in love, and decide to get married. On the way to meet his parents, the young bride-to-be suddenly vanishes in broad daylight after receiving a seemingly innocuous phone call about some credit debt. Distraught and fearful that his love has been abducted, or worse, our young male protagonist sets out to search for her and find out what happened. The vet who's searching for his missing fiancé is played by Lee Seon-Gyun. He does a really nice job of portraying the desperate and "helpless" man trying to find his love. He'll do whatever he needs to solve the mystery using his smarts & determination, and, by roping in various friends & acquaintances who can help him along the way. The friends & acquaintances who help him in the supporting roles all give solid performances (particularly so in regards to his Vet assistant, and, even more so in regards to the washed up former police detective friend of his).As the efforts to solve the fiancés disappearance unfold, it becomes more and more clear that this woman was not who she claimed to be. The fiancé is played by Kim Min-Hie…I've never really been a huge fan of her work in the past…I never hated her performances either, but, she's always struck me as a somewhat distant or disengaged person (and actress), or what have you. She absolutely rocks this role though, and makes for one downright (potentially) scary antagonist. Most of her scenes are smartly done via flashbacks and various speculations & re-imaginations, so you never get to know who her true character until the pieces of the story puzzle eventually start to fall in place…In the meantime, she gets a lot of juicy set pieces to act out (in which she is often incredibly effective). As the story unfolds, it's just a matter of following along to figure out what is exactly going on with all the characters involved, and where the story is headed as a result. Can the Vet find/save his fiancé???, is the fiancé really evil???, what will happen???, etc, etc…There you have it…Frankly, I think this flick is a bit underrated and under appreciated...I ain't saying it's great or anything, but, I did find it to be a very watchable and entertaining diversion…It's worth checking out!A solid 7 out of 10 stars!