Shark: The Beginning

South Korea is back! The first action romp from South Korea this year and it's very good. It's such a mix of bullying, prison drama, zero to hero, revenge and martial art flick – all my favourite subgenres in one! The story focuses on a timid nerd who is bullied by a new boxer in his class, who provokes him by poking out one of his eyes with a pen and going to serve his sentence in a teen prison. The boxer then tells him that all hell will break loose when he gets out. The protagonist soon meets a local assassin, who, incidentally, is also a martial arts expert, and begs him for training, and the evolution of the fearful looser into an uncompromising one punch man can begin. 80% of the film takes place in a prison and it's very entertaining. The training is delivered very consistently, the action is shot superbly, the characters are great, the dialogues too, the drama and the relationship between the two protagonists works, and the villain is good too, so the film holds up on almost all levels. I might have added more action to make it more satisfying, but otherwise it's a great show. Story 4/5, Action 4/5, Humor 2/5, Violence 0/5, Fun 4/5 Music 3/5, Visuals 4/5, Atmosphere 4/5, Suspense 3/5, Emotion 4/5, Actors 4/5. 8/10. (01/13/2022)