A Taxi Driver

This really hit me in a sensitive spot! I had never heard of the tragic Kwangju massacre before, so I was glad to expand my horizons. Kang-ho Song was excellent as always; this actor guarantees a certain level of quality in a film. The others were also impressive, especially Thomas Kretschmann, who was a strong supporting presence. But honestly, the first two-thirds of the film dragged in places. I understand that the creators wanted to portray the characters in detail, but at times it was over the top. However, the final third unleashed complete chaos that I wasn’t emotionally prepared for. If the entire film had been in that spirit, it would have easily earned a perfect score. Hoon Jang perfected the ending in terms of directorial skill. Even the real footage of all the protagonists was touching (though I’m not happy that the two never met in real life... that tugged at the heartstrings). Yeah, A Taxi Driver surprised me. Korea has once again excelled. 8.5/10 (15/04/2023)

This is a story of true heroes for me. The Gwangju Uprising got deep under my skin after I read "Human Acts" by the ever popular writer Han Kang. Since then, this unfortunate event has become a very sensitive subject for me, and I want to learn more about it. Even though I know it will hurt. I've always been fascinated by how far human courage can go in the quest for freedom. And that's what A Taxi Driver is about. Plus, it confirmed for me that having Kang-ho Song in a movie means that quality is a given. No one would have been better suited to the role of a taxi driver. (29/10/2019)

Excellent illustration of Korean film art, where a rather unremarkable film turns into a record of one of the most terrifying events in Korean history, which surprisingly didn't come from outside, but from within. The escalation of the film is almost unreal, towards the end you won't even want to watch in some places. A very powerful experience. (06/03/2018)