The Man From Nowhere (2010)

Not just a pawn (broker)
Bin Won, seen in Mother, gives another great performance.  Cha Tae-sik is known to his neighbors as the local pawn broker, but who is he really?  When his young neighbor is kidnapped, Cha Tae-sik shows everyone he's way more than just a pawn broker.  But the real show stealer is Sae-ron Kim an 11 year old actress who puts many adult thespians to shame.  A great action movie, with great acting and solid fight sequences, especially the knife fight near the end.

Slightly melodramatic at points, but The Man from Nowhere one knocks down 4 out of 5 Poblanos!


Director: Jeong-beom Lee
Writer:  Jeong-beom Lee
Starring:  Bin Won, Thanayong Wongtrakul and Sae-ron Kim
Rotten Tomatoes:  no score yet
Metacritic: no score yet

Mother (2009)

That's one mean mother!
When a mentally handicapped man is accused of a crime, his mother comes to his aid.  The son played by Bin Won (The Man from Nowhere) and his mother played by Hye-ja Kim give standout performances.  Mother asks the question, what lengths will a parent go to for their child?  Joon-ho Bong director of The Host brings great visuals, a great plot that twists and turns, and great acting.

This Mother earns her 5 out of 5 Poblanos!

Director:  Joon-ho Bong
Writer:  Joon-ho Bong, Eun-kyo Park
Starring:  Hye-ja Kim, Bin Won and Ku Jin
Rotten Tomatoes -  95%
Metacritic - 79 out of 100