Description

One wouldn’t expect a professional murderer to be the most talkative fellow, but Killa goes further—he never utters a word. The reason is, his deformed tongue is too short, and he’s mortified by the idea of being heard speaking. His only hope is an exorbitantly expensive operation, but to make that kind of money, he has little choice but to capitalize on his facility with knives and enlist with an oddball band of hitmen. He doesn’t murder with the magical grace of his best buddy, a former ballet dancer whose career was derailed by injury, but he can certainly get the job done, quickly and effectively. His one rule, though, is he only kills bad people, those who treat others with contempt or worse.

Fate has a way off tossing complicated twists in our paths, and for Killa, they arrive as a hard-drinking, domineering, verbally abusive and utterly irresistible young woman, as well as a bold and tenacious street urchin, and soon he’s stuck with a strange little nuclear family in his threadbare flat. And that’s only the start of the headaches he’s got coming to him…

There will be no mercy for any self-described fan of quirky Asian action-comedies who misses the chance to see NO MERCY FOR THE RUDE on the big screen! The debut feature from director Park Cheol-hie, who’d previously worked under Lee Jang-wo and Jang Sun-woo, and scripted the supernatural thriller GHOST, has generated astounding buzz worldwide, and is sure to go down in history as a major moment in the evolution of Asian pop cinema. Much credit can be given to the lead actor Shin Ha-kyun—he delivered an impressive turn in the distinctive and original SAVE THE GREEN PLANET!, and here succeeds in projecting tremendous charisma in total silence (though he does narrate the film). Add to that a hip sensibility, stylish art direction and of course that lovably cantankerous humour that Korean excel in, and you’ve got a winner you can raise your voice about!

—Rupert Bottenberg