I watched this film not knowing anything about the plot. I think that was a good thing. The less you know the better in this case. If you are considering watching it, stop reading and just go, it's great. All I will tell you is that the movie is an excellent mystery thriller. While the themes can be violent or sad, it's not over the top or gratuitous. The impact comes from the way the story is revealed, piece by piece. The acting, I thought, was excellent. I only guessed one part of the mystery, otherwise the rest of the time I was glued trying to work out the answers. I know a film is good, when afterward I feel like the character were real, and this film gave me that sense of realism. A litte more character development and background would have been nice, as the pace gets going really early on. Otherwise fantastic Korean thriller that is well worth checking out.
Add a Review
-
webforge10115 July 2012
-
cremea22 December 2012Helpless is a 2012 Korean movie that somewhat got lost in the wash of a number of other Asian mystery/thriller/crime films that year. It's a low key tale that takes its time going from point A to point B, but, it is a pretty effective story that makes for an entertaining & worthwhile watch IMO.
SPOILERS AHEAD!
Story: Successful veterinarian takes a liking to a pretty kind girl who frequents his animal clinic. They date, fall in love, and decide to get married. On the way to meet his parents, the young bride-to-be suddenly vanishes in broad daylight after receiving a seemingly innocuous phone call about some credit debt. Distraught and fearful that his love has been abducted, or worse, our young male protagonist sets out to search for her and find out what happened.
The vet who's searching for his missing fiancé is played by Lee Seon-Gyun. He does a really nice job of portraying the desperate and "helpless" man trying to find his love. He'll do whatever he needs to solve the mystery using his smarts & determination, and, by roping in various friends & acquaintances who can help him along the way. The friends & acquaintances who help him in the supporting roles all give solid performances (particularly so in regards to his Vet assistant, and, even more so in regards to the washed up former police detective friend of his).
As the efforts to solve the fiancés disappearance unfold, it becomes more and more clear that this woman was not who she claimed to be. The fiancé is played by Kim Min-Hee, and I've never really been a huge fan of her work in the past. I never hated her performances either, but she's always struck me as a somewhat distant or disengaged person (and actress). She absolutely rocks this role though, and makes for one downright (potentially) scary antagonist. Most of her scenes are smartly done via flashbacks and various speculations & re-imaginations, so you never get to know who her true character until the pieces of the story puzzle eventually start to fall in place. In the meantime, she gets a lot of juicy set pieces to act out (in which she is often incredibly effective).
As the story unfolds, it's just a matter of following along to figure out what is exactly going on with all the characters involved, and where the story is headed as a result. Can the Vet find/save his fiancé??? Is the fiancé really evil??? What will happen in the end??? Etc.
There you have it. Frankly, I think this flick is a bit underrated and under appreciated...I ain't saying it's great or anything, but, I did find it to be a very watchable and entertaining diversion. It's worth checking out!
A solid 7 out of 10 stars! -
this is one of those movies that you know the characters didn't end the same as when they began. as more the film reveals its interesting plot, as more we get attached do all characters, who have different motivations and effectively sound as real people. the story line reminds me of french movie "ne le dis a personne" and also Canadian film "incendies" (mostly because of the flashbacks) but it has a value of its own.
if you want a good thriller, with characters you can sympathize, and a good intriguing plot (i think everyone wants) i really would recommend this for you. just don't expect to leave the movie with a smile on your face. i didn't. but it was a very good ride. -
ajit210610 September 2012Helpless is based on a novel "KASHA" by Japanese author Miyuki Miyabe that was released in English as "All She Was Worth".
A veterinarian Jang Mun-ho (Lee Seon-gyun) and his fiancée Kang Sun-young (Kim Min-hee) on the way to visiting his parents and Sun-young disappears from the car at a coffee shop, leaving no trace for anyone except a hairpin in the rest stop's toilet. Eventually we discover many things when Mun-ho and his detective cousin Jong-geun (Seong-ha Jo) dig deepper into her disappearance, doubts increase and they get closer to uncovering another shocking truth about Seon-yeong with lots of turns and twists.
The emotional quotient plays a counterpart and insinuates beautifully. The use of flashbacks and disclosures is wonderful. Lead actors have done a pure justice to their roles and details of investigation are brilliant. Setting is nice and cinematography is impeccable. However, some scenes may be unnecessary and some editing is required.
Korean cinema is very inventive with regards to the suspense and thriller genre and "Helpless" is one of the examples. The script is very good however the plot and characters need a bit development lack sometimes.
It is absolutely worth to check out this one by all means.
7.5/10. -
dumsumdumfai16 September 2013By the tight Korean production professionalism that is.
The story origin is an Japanese crime genre novel. I think there was a Japanese series of movie once. I did not see that.
Story is around the sudden disappearance of the fiancé of the male lead when they were on the way to meet the in-laws. This all happened at a gas station. Then the relentless of the male lead, hooking up with his estranged cop(ex?) brother who is very detail oriented, try to find out what happened. And the more they go, the more unknowns were uncovered.
The original title was Train (as in inevitable), was used so many other before, implies the inevitable that will come. The foreseeable ending and that truth will always come out, if you dig hard enough ? But is this movie good enough? I was swaying between a 7 and 8.
7 because , the male lead , for me, is a bit over the top. The cop brother slightly better. 8 because of the tightness of the story.
I get that the movie wants you to be in that shoe of helpless, not knowing what happened to your most significant other. But he really didn't know her from the beginning. So the emotional hook wasn't really there ? -
myartniki29 April 2020First, know your fiancé well. In early movie, audience will curious about the situation. But the point of this movie is It's important to being yourself. Just be yours. Love yourself.
-
turdbadge31 May 2015Helpless is a true "nothing is as it seems" type of mystery that takes you down the rabbit hole and never disappoints along the way. At it's core is a well organized plot that make you feel like you're investigating right alongside the characters. Their surprise is your surprise - Their dead end in is your dead end. When you think you have the missing girl all figured out, the story opens completely up and shows you exactly what you hadn't thought of. The action is both believable and unexpected, all the while making sense instead of how movies normally make you go "seriously?" As far as Korean flicks go in general, this one wasn't overly emotional. It was a GREAT watch. An intelligent mystery riddled with suspense and void of stupid mistakes. A must see for mystery lovers and Korean movie fans.
-
dvg75714 March 2019For a supposed thriller there is nothing to be thrilled about here. The film moves at a snail's pace and there is never any actual excitement or drama, you don't care about what happens to the fiancée character because she is completely unlikeable and charmless, like a robot. Truly the fiancé was a fool for having any sympathy for her even when he found her and she was as cold as ice towards him. And then at the very end which is supposed to be dramatic? It really wasn't. I was just glad the film was over. I've seen a lot of great S Korean films but this isn't one of them.
-
reallyevilboy28 October 2014It's getting to a stage where I'm perusing South Korean films and watching each and every one I'm able to get my hands on. I've seen a few bad ones but I've seen dozens upon dozens of brilliant ones.
This one starts of pretty simple but then twists and cycles into something complex and riveting. It shows a harsh world that shapes people into what they are and touches you with a background story that makes you want to forgive.
It's very well done.
I would not put it in my top ten of South Korean movies because we are looking at a massive amount scoring 9 and 10 out of 10 but if I had not seen any other Korean movies and watched mainly American Movies this would be close on the top of my list. -
(2012) Helpless (In South Korean with English subtitles) PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER
Adapted from the novel by Miyuki Miyabe co-written and directed by Young-Joo Byun that has a young couple, pet doctor, Jung Mun-ho engaged to be married to his fiance Kang Seon-yeong. Except that Mun-ho had plans to introduce her to his dad. And once he decides to stop by and grab a coffee, and upon him coming back to the car, she then ends up missing. Leaving with no trace of her other than a hair pin, he picked up at a nearby gas station. The next thing we know Mun-ho then goes on an obsessive rant to find her, including involving his uncle, Jong-geun a former cop. What happens next is just as baffling, which I needed to make sense to everything I saw that I needed someone to explain it to me. And just when you think there's some suspense, there isn't. -
vekkali16 December 2020First of all, this is one of the best thrillers i have seen this year. I should say i did not move till the movie is completed.Probably the director Young-Joo Byun is one of the excellent mystery teller like agatha christie or Daphne du Maurier or Christianna Brand(Of course they are all writers). I was totally thrilled to watch this movie and came to know on information theft about credit card, house loan,insurance ...etc and identity masquerade.
Young-Joo Byun is feminist champion and took several documentary on women empowerment or suppression.
Not sure on directors view of her female lead character and her life style. It is not sure whether she approve of her lifestyle due to poverty and implying it is justifiable or condemning it.
By all means, this is a excellent movie. Being a mystery genre fan, i loved this entire movie all along. It is also sad the number of voters are less.
Found another gem. -
TaylorYee945 December 2020The way the director builds the story seems disperse, but it never gets distracted. As a result, the movie gives me enough room to investigate and think on my own but leads me to the right direction at the end.
Kim Min-hee's acting is superb. Her blank eyes, subtle sadness in the face, even her body so thin and weak, well-representing Cha's state physically, mentally, and socially. When she murdered a woman to steal her identity, Kim's acting is so powerful that I can understand what's going on through her mind (not the action itself), and it gave me chill because I felt for her, that murderer, just like Mun-ho. -
mau53 October 2021This movie absolutely blew my mind - thrilling 2 hour Korean movie experience.
-
tomsview2 October 2018I love the sense of mystery in this film. It's a long movie but you hardly notice as the story unfolds with revelation after revelation and a twist ending.
When Mun-ho (Lee Sun-kyan) discovers that his fiancée Seon-yeong (Kim Min-he) has disappeared from their car at a motorway rest stop, it sets him off on a quest to find out what happened to her. In the best traditions of these things, the police aren't much help at first, but he is eventually helped by his cousin, Jong-geun (Jo Sung-ha), a disgraced detective who has been sacked for taking bribes.
As the search goes on, Seon-yeong's real identity is slowly revealed. The power of the film comes from the viewer taking the same journey as Mun-ho and hoping the answer to the mystery isn't what he fears it will be.
The three leads are a study in contrasts. Mun Ho is a romantic. As the story unfolds, his illusions are shattered and he heads towards a breakdown. Seon-yeong is the ideal. She appears beautiful and serene, but another picture slowly emerges. Jong-geun provides the balance; he's a pragmatist with few of Mun-ho's rose-tinted illusions. He provides the solid grounding the film needed.
I'm surprised this story hasn't been picked up by Hollywood - although these days there are more opportunities to see films in their original languages. Anyway a Hollywood version would probably make compromises, losing the qualities that make the Korean version work so well.
That's what happened when the Dutch film "The Vanishing " was remade. Not a total disaster, just not as tough-minded as the original. Incidentally that film has similarities to "Helpless", especially the disappearance at the rest stop, which opens both movies.
A few other films also have a similar vibe. "Gone Girl" of course, but Roman Polanski's "Frantic" has similar ingredients as the main character searches in unfamiliar territory for his missing wife. Jonathon Demme's underrated "The Last Embrace" has the hero slowly realising the true identity of the woman he has fallen for. Then there was a fascinating 1993 TV movie, "Dying to Love You" with a similar identity theme, but based on a true story. "Helpless" loses nothing in comparison. It's a classy entry in the "What happened to her?" genre. It keeps its grip from beginning to end.