New World

There is no doubt about the tone of this film from the first seconds as we open with a torture scene. We are introduced to Jeong, a top level boss in the Korean mafia boss who is "questioning" a suspected mole in his operation. Brutal. We are also introduced to Jung, the top level Chinese boss, and member of the same international criminal conglomerate. When the big boss is killed, a succession battle is in order. The interest comes from our protagonist, Ja-sung, who is an undercover cop directed to push the succession in a specific direction. Ja-sung needs to process his own loyalty (what is his duty, what is owed to him) and his own identity (undercover for 10 years). The characters are quite well played, with a little bit of comic relief amidst the brutal violence of a mafia clan war. Again, similar to themes explored in A Prophet, a player is put into an impossible position and must make decisions that contradict their self-identity. And we as viewers are forced to think about that small word - must. Were the decisions made the only decisions possible? Can we imagine a world where different decisions are made? Well done, you made me think.

4 stars (out of 5)