Writer: Ryoo Seung-Wan

The story is nothing new or revolutionary and takes just a little too long to get where it is going. Still, the film is made with skill and the comedy often hits home just as much as the fights do.

‘Crying Fist’ feels fresh and exciting thanks to the considerable skills of its director, the novel use of two storylines happening at the same time and the excellent performances of the leads.

Searing blockbuster thrills based on true events where diplomats from both South and North Korea become stranded in the fallen city of Mogadishu during a rebel uprising in Somalia.

‘No Blood No Tears’ may not be a film for all tastes, not least due its violent nature towards women and the slightly laid-back pace but it is a challenging and rewarding film as well as an entertaining one.

Ryoo Seung-Wan’s film is still compelling and stringently efficient like its two protagonists, a fact that outweighs the negatives that poke through.

There is, therefore, no surprises in this Korean blockbuster. Yet the winning entertainment value that Kwon Hyeok-Jae imbues his film with renders all of these minor inconveniences mostly irrelevant.