This was an important movie for actor Won Bin.
It helped propel him up to the ranks of movie super-stardom.

It's possible that one can point this movie
as the before and after point of his acting career.

In it he plays a man of few words.

He really doesn't say much throughout the movie.

BG: In Taeshik's Memory

It is action-packed.
And ultra-violent.

Wouldn't recommend it to teenagers.

Having once done time behind bars,
Won-bin's character now leads a quiet life.
He runs a pawnshop.

His only connection to the rest of the world
is a little girl who lives nearby.

But her mother steals drugs from
a huge drug trafficking organization
and hides it at the pawnshop.

The traffickers kill the mother
and kidnap the little girl to keep as a bargaining chip
once they find out who is keeping the drugs for her.

Having no knowledge of the drugs,
Wonbin's character flexes his muscles to beat up
the hunchmen that tries to steal from him.

And that sets the wheels in motion.
The beast is unleashed thanks to the events that follow.

We'll take a song break here,
before I get into what makes this movie exciting.

Song Break: Mystery - Dirty Cash

When the traffickers learn that
Won bin's character has the drugs,

they fear he might be a rival smuggler.
So they plots a strategy to teach him a lesson and get their stuff back.

BG: The Man From Nowhere

The leader of the traffickers played by Kim Hee-won
uses the pawnshop owner as his pawn to bring down
a superior rival gang leader.

Caught in the crossfire, Won bin's character
is no on the run from the law.

The man from nowhere's past is slowly revealed.

He is a member of a deadly elite special forces team
for Korea's military with a painful past.
He lost both his wife and child and became who he is now.

And learning that the little girl
that kept reaching out to him is in danger
because of the sick crime organization
that uses children to manufacture drugs
and sell their organs as well...

he is furious and he uses
his expertise to bring them down
and make them pay.

Can't help feeling this is a remake
of "Man on Fire."

Both feature a man
who wants to forget his past
who gets a chance for redemption through
a little girl who reaches out and moves him.

The Man from Nowhere has a lot more action
and cool fight scenes.

And Man on Fire is a lot darker.

Also reminded me of Bitter Sweet Life.
Personally I prefer super dark Bitter Sweet Life,
as well as the amazing performance by Lee Byung-heon,
and the simple yet deeply thought-provoking plot.

But the ladies would love The Man From Nowhere
for Won Bin.

Song Break: Dear-Mad Soul Child