masterly master lee
a home for forgotten and famous korean pulp, its heroes, its heroines, and its pulpeteersDeadly Angels AKA The Bod Sqaud 俏探女嬌娃 1977 review
The Master was thoroughly entertained by this Charlie’s Angels rip off, that is much better than the original in all respects. Goofy effects (often unintended, but that’s what 30 years having floated by will do for you) are offset by the grim, gritty atmosphere. The 70s yellow plastic visors on the space helmets of the robbers during a jewelry heist dressed as security guards don’t look so funny anymore after they start killing people almost indiscriminately. Read the rest of this entry »
Run Away 런어웨이 1995 review
Oh yummy, a very early Kim Seongsu 김성수 movie! He’s the pulp master that brought us Musa (Musa: The Warrior) 무사, There Is No Sun 태양은 없다, and Beat 비트. And this one features as martial arts director the unsurpassed Jeong Duhong 정두홍.
Yi Donghui (Yi Byeongheon 이병헌), a handsome game designer, and Choe Miran (Kim Eunjeong 김은정), a pretty free-lance illustrator (who lives in an impossibly large loft), have a steamy one-night stand, Read the rest of this entry »
Girl Scouts 걸스카우트 2008 review
The Master just saw the movie Girl Scouts (2008) and he was impressed. No, boys and girls, despite the title, this is not a seedy movie about barely legal pretty girls strutting their stuff and doing naughty things with balding, fat males. This is an action comedy (a genre the Master usually doesn’t have time for) about four women who get swindled out of significant amounts of money (needed among other things to pay for the surgery of a young son) and decide to chase the culprit (pretty hairdresser cum swindling femme fatale Im Ji-Eun 임지은 who looks suitably sexy-vulgar here, ready to do anything to get her way) Read the rest of this entry »
An Emperor Of The Underworld 암흑가의 황제 1994 review
An Emperor Of The Underworld, directed by Hwang Jang Lee 황정리 (who also convincingly plays the überbaddie here) is a very solid action vehicle for Dragon Lee 거룡, his chubby and funny sidekick Yi Jin-Yeong 이진영 and the very, very pretty and voluptuous Kim Mi-Yeong 김미영. Dragon and his chubby friend are ex-commando’s, forced by the police to take on evil crime lord Hwang Jang Lee. This they do. Read the rest of this entry »
Bloody Mafia 붉은 마피아 review
This is the last movie directed and starred in by action legend Wang Ho 왕호 better known as Casanova Wong 卡萨伐 from his many, many, many Hong Kong action flicks. OK, OK, not his last movie, I mean, this ex-marine also helmed the South Korean Ministry of Defense propaganda flick Read the rest of this entry »
Action Boys 우린 액션배우다 2008 review
Master Lee was thrilled to see this documentary about the daredevils who do the stunts and bodydoubles for Korea’s famous (action) stars (not for the Master of course! He invented action cinema). Action Boys follows the careers of the 36 young men who made it passed the 2004 auditions for the 8th class of the Seoul Action School 서울액션스쿨. Within a month 10 of them dropped out due to the extreme physical and mental demands made on them Read the rest of this entry »
Fate 숙명 2008 review
Can you say ‘overacting’? Then you can say Fate. Violent glares, emotional outbursts, screaming contests, ten minute swearing sessions, extreme action, one man beating up tens of tough gangsters, overcooked romantic (?) liaisons, sentimental flashbacks… Read the rest of this entry »
Private Eye 그림자살인 2009 review
What is it about Korean soundtracks that makes them instantly recognizable? Is the ever-present accordion? The dramatic yet light-footed rhythm of the intro (think dancing bears), the canned strings? The Master isn’t sure (which as you know doesn’t happen very often), Read the rest of this entry »
Kill The Shogun 무장해제 1975 review
In 1592, the Japanese shogun Hideyoshi failed in his attempt to invade Korea (and later, China through Korea). This Hong Kong kung-fu thriller is loosely based on that historical incident. Since the real Hideyoshi is not an issue, and kung-fu is the star of the movie anyway, historical narration does not overpower the action. Basically, the movie shows the Koreans fighting the Japanese against all odds Read the rest of this entry »
Hera Purple: Devil Goddess 헤라버플 2001 review
A great beginning for the movie publicized as ‘the sexiest and most shocking movie in Korean cinema history‘: a naked crucified body. Then a priest in a church, looking increasingly frightened by two books in front of him that are leaved through by an invisible force, stopping at a page with a picture of Greek goddess Hera. And it gets better. Very pretty ajumma Yi Hyerim Read the rest of this entry »
Rainbow Eyes 가면 2007 review
Rainbow Eyes didn’t immediately
appeal to Master Lee and the box it came in didn’t help (come on, how many contrasting colours can you get away with?). When he put the disc in his trusty DVD player he had his thumb firmly on the fast-forward button. But lo and behold, he never touched it! Read the rest of this entry »
The Terrorists 테러리스트 1995
A gangster movie with Choi Min-su (Choe Minsu 최민수)? Master Lee is paying attention. Choi Min-su is one of the few truly believable gangsters out there in movie land. Not as believable as the Master, of course, but that would be asking too much, wouldn’t it now? It starts off well… really fake-looking camera shot of police trainees storming through a wood, screaming their lungs out (and screaming “we’re underpaid extra’s… no f*#&$ing way we’re gonna sound convincing to you!). Read the rest of this entry »
Bungee Jumping of their Own 번지점프를 하다 2001 review
‘Bungee Jumping of their Own’ is a most unusual story about true love, and one that has haunted Master Lee for quite some time. The movie introduces us to a student, Inu, played by heartthrob Lee Byung-hun, who falls madly in love with a beautiful girl, Taehŭi (played by Lee Eun-ju), who studies art at the same university. Read the rest of this entry »
Shanghai Blues 샹하이 부르스 1969 review
Shanghai Blues by director Kim Kidŏk (pictured; no, not the guy who hates women) is a colourful gem among Korea’s less serious features (and Master Lee wonders why it has not yet been brought out on DVD, whereas terribly forgettable movies such as 갯마을 have). Why? Read the rest of this entry »
Korea’s official romanization system seoks
Okay, so you still wonder why foreigners remain wary of Korean officials telling them how to romanize Korean sounds in their own language? Well, here’s why: Read the rest of this entry »
Green Chair 녹색의자 2004 review
Park Chul-soo once, in 1995, made 301-302 and at the time Master Lee thought it was quite a cool film. Although the scenes of abuse were a little unnecessary at times, it had Hwang Sin-hye, and her beauty, silent defiance and suffering worked brilliantly. Although not much happened, there was a lot to be learnt (not enjoyed, mind you) from carefully observing the women. Park obviously felt he could get a similar effect here. Read the rest of this entry »
USO Shows in Korea 한국의 미8군쇼
Since the 1940s the USO has organised all kinds of shows for its servicemen. In the 1940s and late 1950s, the men serving in Korea were on average very young. Whereas the stationing of troops in Japan had been much better planned and prepared (a number of American servicemen sent out spoke Japanese), the occupation of Korea’s southern half was much less so. Read the rest of this entry »
New web-based resources on 1950s-1960s
Master Lee has recently come across a few relatively new websites that offer some downloadable pictures and other resources from the 1950s and 1960s. The first one is the Ararian website The other one is that of the online Bell museum For more useful links, check the “useful links” link (we thought long and hard about the name for that link…).
Once Upon A Time 원스 어폰 어타임 2008 review
Movies about the colonial period in Korea are getting more and more popular. And they are looking real good as well. Master Lee was impressed with the production values of these movies: Radio Days, Epitaph and the movie he saw just now, Once Upon A Time.
The best way to describe Once Upon A Time 원스 어폰 어타임 Read the rest of this entry »



