Princess Aurora (2005)

For all it has going for it--the potential for a good twist, a unique combination of being a vigilante film and being a detective on the scent of a serial killer film, a plot concerning a woman getting revenge upon some real sleazoids that could have reached I Spit On Your Grave or Stiletto proportions, some great cinematography with a dark atmosphere, and an eerie Sybil split personality ending--Princess Aurora nevertheless ends up missing the mark. It's flaw is that is is not very suspenseful. Perhaps something is lost in translation in the captioned version, but nevertheless, the acting is not very emotional, the murder scenes, although unique, don't come as any surprise, and the plot quickly becomes transparent and predictable. For all the good ideas it has, it still just goes through the motions with only one or two true startles.

The movie started out with one heck of an inciting incident, immediately bringing the audience into the story. But after establishing the characters, it went "Hollywood" and downhill.Some reviewers may get caught up with the story and its content, but its execution is over- the-top and silly.***spoiler alert***When the killer drags the lawyer to the dump where her daughter was found dead, police and media show up for a Hollywood circus that's just too silly. Worst still, her ex-husband cop couldn't figure out where she was going until the last possible minute - and he didn't realize his dead daughter's birthday was coming up? Come on!Even worse, after she's arrested and convicted, she ends up in the same mental institution with her daughter's killer so she could get her ultimate revenge. Ludicrous and stupid. Beyond that, unlike her previous victims who've suffered, she merely taps into his jugular and he peacefully bleeds out when her ultimate rage should have shined through.Save your time and avoid what could have been a fantastic film.

For those of you that like the amount of cruelty and bloodshed in Lady Vengeance, this film will seem subtle.The acting of the female lead is convincing enough to warrant the 106 minutes of it.At first, the movie seemingly revolves around a young woman who kills mercilessly for justice. However, as the story continues, her actions became methodical and preempted. Only at the very end of the story do we actually get to know the angst, grief and pain that forced her into such a state of mind.This movie, although Korean, also reflects on the other Asian societies where wealth, materialism and self-centredness are overshadowing the importance of kindness and virtue.

Okay, so as a fan of the Korean cinema look I brought Princess Aurora... and I have to say that I was VERY impressed. It is a difficult film to watch at times, and it does take a while for the film to get going.I'm not going to put in any spoilers but if you do not want to know anything at all about the film please just accept that it is worth it and stop reading.Im trying not to sound to geeky but imagine if David Mamet (glengarry glen ross, Ronin) wrote for chan Wook Park (old boy, lady vengeance) and you would know what I mean.OK, so half an hour into the film I thought it was just another murder film, but it really is so much more.It is not perfect by any means. the police seem clumsy at times and the film gel as well as it could, but this is all for a reason, and that reason is shown in the 20 minute finale which is better than anything Hollywood can do. It is the type of ending that has you literally hiding behind a cushion one minute, then jumping up and cheering the next.If you liked lady vengeance or dark water, this is a film for you, if you like good cinema that makes you think then again this is a good movie for you.Park may be the fashionable director at the moment, and rightly so if you have seen his films, but Eun-jin Bang who directed this film is definitely one to look out for. Also, you should watch this before Hollywood remakes it, which no doubt it will at some point.I just liked the movie, and I hope more people give it a go.