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Bin Won, Kim Sae-ron, Sae-Ron Kim, Hyo-seo Kim

A retired special agent forges an unlikely bond with his neglected young neighbor, and vows to bring the girl back home safely after she's kidnapped by violent criminals. When Tae-Shik hung up his gun... read more read more...s to open a small pawn shop, he also shut himself off from the world. Tae-Shik prefers to live in solitude, yet he still takes a liking to his precocious neighbor So-mi, whose mother pay her little attention. When So-Mi's mother crosses a local gang of criminals who respond by kidnapping the desperate mother and daughter, Tae-Shik realizes that he may be their only hope of making it out of the situation alive. After entering into a tenuous agreement with the local mob, Tae-Shik becomes the target of an intense police manhunt and finds himself besieged on all sides. Now the closer Tae-Shik gets to So-Mi and her mother, the more his dark past finally begins coming into focus. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Flixster Users

88% liked it

2,600 ratings

Critics

48% liked it

21 critics

R, 1 hr. 59 min.

Directed by: Jeong-beom Lee

Release Date: September 30, 2010

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DVD Release Date: March 8, 2011

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Flixster Reviews (597)

  • stuartb1234
    March 29, 2012
    stuartb1234
    Easily one of the best films to have come out of Asia in the last few years. Makes "Taken" look like a kids movie. Action, blood, guns and a great storyline.
  • skactopus
    March 24, 2012
    skactopus
    Jeong-beom Lee's The Man from Nowhere goes somewhere and turns out to be one solid Korean crime thriller.

    Granted the plot's lack of originality, but that doesn't mean that this film is no good. The pace is slow at times and the initial setup is quite long, which in tur

    ... read moren contributes to a total run time that approaches two hours, but the film's final 40 minutes delivers with thrills and satisfaction.

    The action isn't highly stylized, although it does get better and more enjoyable as the film progresses; thus leading to a finale that contains some high grade activity. When it comes to the violence, it is bloody and sufficient enough for an R rating.

    Won Bin has a monotonous character; however, and while this still drags the film down a bit, it fits in with how he is written into the plot. The young Sae-ron Kim is a joy to watch, especially when in the presence of Won Bin.

    The Man from Nowhere succeeds in what it sets out to be; a solid picture out of Korea.
  • paulkoh110
    March 17, 2012
    paulkoh110
    I thought this was just amazing! It felt like Drive on steroids. The acting was solid and the story was just heart breaking at times. Some scenes feel like a sucker punch to the face since the stunts are just fantastic! Loved it and would watch it again!
  • fb1463751009
    March 9, 2012
    fb1463751009
    The first half has the grittiness and the typical yet engaging plot of a Korean gangster flick, but the second half completely falls apart. Not to mention, the movie follows all the cliches of a Korean gangster and drama movie. Also, the action scenes are deliberately taken from ... read morethe Bourne series. Entertaining but very disappointing.
  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    October 2, 2011
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "I only live for today. I'll show you just how fucked up that can be."

    A quiet pawnshop keeper with a violent past takes on a drug- and organ trafficking ring in hope of saving the child who is his only friend.

    REVIE
    ... read moreW
    The Man from Nowhere isn't exactly the most original film ever, especially in its rather simple story, but where it's not necessarily that impressive in its story framework, it is loaded to the gills with great action sequences and enough suspenseful moments to provide a strong enough degree of visceral entertainment to make up for its faults.

    The story itself mimics a number of other action-oriented pursuit films: the professional killer and little girl setup of Leon (absent the girl for much of the film), the violent revenge action of A Bittersweet Life with less flash and the investigation of The Chaser, but with less bumbling and thrills. Ultimately, I'd say the film captures the melodramatic tone of Leon with a lot of blunt heartstring jerking moments. Although it's quite transparent that the film isn't working too hard to create much in terms of a story, I think that the skeletal story very effectively sets up the motivation for our badass to get into a number of brutal fights and even throws in a couple twists here and there (nothing big, but smart enough that they aren't obvious). It's not so dumb that you need to check your brain at the door, only your black-hearted cynicism for the melodrama.

    You may want to compare this with, or see shades of the film from the likes of Luc Besson's The Professional, Pierre Morel's Taken and Tony Scott's Man on Fire, with the common running theme of a highly skilled operative taking it upon himself to rescue someone they love from the clutches of devious villains, and executing a brand of vengeance without remorse as he ploughs through and single-handedly demolishes all who stand in his way. The Man From Nowhere is South Korea's answer to this sub-genre, and does so with aplomb both in providing that emotional punch to the highly choreographed set action pieces.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    September 25, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    The man from nowhere could use a plot from somewhere else beyond clicheland. Mr Won Bin is a fine actor, and the movie has well made action pieces, but there are several problems with the script and feel of the movie. From the movie's obsession to present the lead character as th... read moree most dangerous man who ever walked the planet, to useless characters like an obnoxious detective who adds nothing to the plot. The melo-cliches, and the movie trying a bit too hard at times to be like Leon, doesn't help either.. Because Won Bin is presented as this super effective killing machine the action sequences lack tension, he always destroys everything and everyone with no effort whatsoever. An ok time waster, nothing more.
  • itsjustme2004
    September 18, 2011
    itsjustme2004
    Fantastic movie!!! Intriguing, Dark. Gritty. Touching, Thrilling. Intense...and, of course, being a 'Revenge Flick'...Violent. Extremely well done. Great dialogue. I am adding this one to my all time favorites list! :)
  • fb1216165431
    September 10, 2011
    fb1216165431
    The Man From Nowhere is a dark revenge film with a good dose of balanced violence and meritorious themes. Credible acting from Won Bin, who has proved to be an actor of top caliber much more than of good looks. Satisfaction guaranteed.
  • axadntpron
    August 29, 2011
    axadntpron
    Does anybody in South Korea smile? If they do, I certainly haven't seen it. In fact, the only glimpses I get of Seoul recently are very grim and uncompromising. I should at least be thankful that the recent slew of South Korean cinema is a cut above the rest of the world's fare. ... read moreIn this film, very much in the same vein as Man on Fire and Taken, an ex special agent uses his special training to save a little girl with whom he has a paternal connection with. The acting is for the most part solid, but the action scenes are very well constructed and are what really gives this film its spark. They are well shot, brutally realistic, and the director takes some rewarding chances. One in particular is when the main character leaps through a window and lands on the street below with the camera following him the entire time. What could have been gimmicky is pulled off rather smoothly here. In fact, I think that last sentence could be applied to the film as a whole.
  • imrealgod
    June 10, 2011
    imrealgod
    Falling in the veins of "Man on Fire" (which I haven't watched as yet having watched its Bollywood remake) and Taken, this one just didn't work for me. Besides the familiar plot, the action sequences weren't so cool either. Probably it's just me (since more than 80% Flixster User... read mores have liked it) who also found it to be an intolerable drag after the first hour or so. And the ending was a bit too nonsensical to digest.

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Critic Reviews

Matt Singer
March 29, 2011
Matt Singer, IFC.com

The man might be from nowhere but this film could only come from Korea, the land of a million stories of revenge. Full Review

Sean Axmaker
October 7, 2010
Sean Axmaker, Parallax View

... in the realm of humorless South Korean action conventions it?s well constructed, suitably dark and dangerous and filled with well-honed, visceral scenes. Full Review

Melissa Anderson
November 2, 2011
Melissa Anderson, Village Voice

Click to read the article Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
October 29, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

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Joe Morgenstern
October 29, 2011
Joe Morgenstern, Wall Street Journal

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James Berardinelli
October 29, 2011
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

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Gary Thompson
October 28, 2011
Gary Thompson, Philadelphia Inquirer

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Todd McCarthy
October 28, 2011
Todd McCarthy, Hollywood Reporter

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Linda Barnard
October 28, 2011
Linda Barnard, Toronto Star

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Steven Rea
October 28, 2011
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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    • So-mi: Mister? I embarrass you too, right? That's why you ignored me? It's okay. My teacher and all the kids do that too. Mom said that if I get lost, I should forget our address and phone number. She gets drunk and says we should die. Even though that pig called me a bum... you're meaner. But I don't hate you. Because if I do, I won't have anyone I like. Thinking about it hurts me here. So I won't hate you.
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Man From Nowhere Trivia

  • Who was the real heavyweight that came from nowhere to go the distance with the champ, the man that Rocky was based on?   Answer »
  • Calm yourself. Man who argues with cow on wall is like train without wheels: very soon get nowhere. What movie did this quote come from?  Answer »
  • The Thing Garry: You reach anybody, yet? Windows: Reach anybody? We're __________, man.  Answer »
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