Gu-nam (Ha Jung-woo), a Korean cab driver living in Yanbian, China, is deep in debt and desperate to get to Korea when he meets hitman Myun-ga (Kim Yoon-suk).

Myun-ga offers to clear the debt if Gu-nam travels to Seoul and kills a businessman for him. Gu-nam takes the opportunity, which also gives him a chance to find his missing wife in Seoul, but completing the hit in ten days proves to be less than straightforward.

From introducing Gu-nam’s domestic and financial troubles and his gruelling journey to Seoul with beautiful cinematography and a measured pace, the film builds up to being an action thriller of epic proportions. Like in the films of fellow South Korean director Park Chan-wook, the ultraviolence is dotted with moments of humour, such as when Gu-nam discovers that dismembering a thumb is more difficult than he expected. These well-timed moments help to sustain the long 2.5 hour running time, which otherwise might have eventually become tiresome with its countless stab wounds and car crashes. THE YELLOW SEA is an ambitious but very well executed bloodbath, with strong performances from the two leads.

For the Long Road Student Reviews of THE YELLOW SEA click here.