Is it me or Asians are great storytellers? I've seen so many Asian movies and they are amazing. This is yet another masterpiece in storytelling that is intriguing and captivating at the same time.

A young boy witness the horrific murder of his father, brother and sister at the hands of military men. Fast forward 50 years later, he hasn't forgiven nor forgotten this tragedy and seeks out revenge. We follow the movie as we watch this ailing old man maneuver through securities in his quest to bring justice to his deceased family. He hires the services of a young clueless lad to drive him around. This lad ends up saving his life.

It's an emotional movie full of twists and turns. Abit over the top in some scenes where you knew this is just not realistic, but being an old man, you have to give him the benefit of doubt, right? Also some scenes were dragged far long and I got bored but it quickly picked up pace again a little while later. The acting was on point, the action sequences were really good too. And it's definitely a must watch if you love Asian movies.

Remember is a South Korean drama thriller inspired by an Atom Egoyan movie released seven years earlier. However, this film isn't an unimpressive remake but tells a very fascinating story of its own. This movie is about an Alzheimer's patient in his eighties who lost all his family during the Japanese colonial era. Once his wife has died, he decides to assassinate all those who have brought suffering upon his family and himself. The friendly elderly man tattooes the names of his targets upon his hand and goes on a killing spree with an unsuspecting work colleague from a restaurant in his early twenties. Soon enough, media, military and police are hot on their trails. Will the elderly man be able to see his vengeful plan through before he can be stopped?

This movie convinces on numerous elements. First of all, the sinister story finds the perfect balance between a drama and a thriller. This movie has genuinely caring, saddening and tender moments but also quite brutal, graphic and sinister sequences. This combination makes for a highly entertaining rollercoaster ride that goes by in a heartbeat.

Up next, the two main characters have excellent chemistry despite their obvious significant differences. Elderly Han Pil-joo is senile, gentle and fragile on the outside but actually clever, determined and organized on the inside. His dynamic character development is intriguing from start to finish. Park In-gyu on the other side looks stylish, helpful and confident on the outside but soon appears to be fearful, gullible and naive on the inside. His changes are nearly equally intriguing and contribute to a spectacular finale. Veteran actor Lee Sung-min and youngster Nam Joo-hyuk complete each other splendidly and deliver what might be the best performances of their respective careers.

This movie has a lot of intense scenes involving car chases, intellectual confrontations and obviously diversified killing scenes. The brutality is however never shallow and always serves a purpose. The film avoids unnecessarily exaggerated special effects and focuses on terrifying atmosphere instead which will keep viewers on the edges of their seats.

As you can read, dramatic thriller Remember is a feast for anyone who appreciates contemporary South Korean cinema of the past twenty-five years and counting. Anyone who likes movies in the key of I Saw the Devil, Oldboy or Memories of Murder should certainly give this overlooked and underrated film a try as well. This movie convinces with wonderful depth regarding its characters and gritty intensity concerning the killing spree. While this film might not be a good choice for a particularly sensitive audience, it should sit very well with most people who appreciate vengeful thrillers with a gritty twist.

Where the story's heading is satisfying, but how the movie tells the story is too easy and too accidental. I will set aside the facts that eighty something years old man can be physically strong and nimble enough to give well-trained police officers the slip. (I could even believe he formerly worked for CIA.) Many movies have that one leap of faith to make the whole picture work. However, it becomes a problem when it works out too easily, perfectly, and timely for all obstacles to the extent which it loses a sense of reality all together. I like the fact 'Remember' has the structure of passing down the story AND the history. Two characters' age gap seems impossible to create buddy chemistry at first, but a younger one had to be from gen z which thinks that history that much far from now is irrelevant to him or her when most of people regardless of generation still live under the influence of 'Chin-il pa', traitors, financially and politically even after almost 80 years of independence from Japan. Han remembering the big final moment with the help of a kid and Han revealing traitor's true self in front of his granddaughter support this message as well.