It's been a tradition for a few years at the Cannes Film Festival: South Korean directors are in the spotlight on the red carpet. Thus, Park Chan Wook is part of the jury of the 70th, he who was in competition last year with Mademoiselle.
In 2016, Cannes also hosted Train to Busan , which caused a sensation and was followed by a public success. Okja and The Day After are part of the films of the competition in 2017 while apart from it, 2 other Korean genre productions are presented on the red carpet: Sans pitié and The Villaines.
The Villaines by Jung Byung-Gil
Sook-Hee is a fearsome killer. When she kills an entire gang single-handedly, she gets caught by the police. Seeing the promising potential of the young woman, the government then decides to give her a chance by asking her to be in its service for 10 years against freedom at the end.
With an opening scene in ultraviolent sequence shot, the director does not go into detail. The action is filmed subjectively (which gamers call FPS, i.e. "First Player Shooting"). Once you are in the shoes of the killer, the video game side is engaged, and the corpses pile up. The principle is the same as in the Russian film Hardcore Henry, shot entirely in this way. With incredible visual techniques, we discover a computer-controlled camera, as if it were robotized to perform impossible movements. This gives a motorcycle chase scene more than surprising. Despite this astonishing aesthetic, the action remains discredited, and sometimes even ridiculous. This woman, a mixture of Nikita and the transporter, executes men one by one with far too much time left between each death. Even a Jet li finishing off a regiment of French policemen in a Parisian dojo is more believable.
Regarding the story, many twists make it intense when the 2 men of the heroine's life come into play. Everyone's interests are certainly dull, but they bring the viewer back to earth. Not being of an ultra deep psychology, this pure action film is still effective and impactful. A potential whose talent and budget deserve to be better exploited.
No Mercy by Byun Sung-Hyun
A reputable gang leader rules the prison in order to have control over the prisoners and staff. His authority will change with the arrival of a young inmate.
The synopsis seems simple, but the story is much more complex and perfectly staged. Sans pitié is arguably one of the best crime films of recent years. Set in the mafia milieu, the story has all the basic ingredients of this kind of film: drug trafficking, corruption, undercover cop, prisoner schemes, vendettas, and more. The prison flashbacks fit ideally into the gang's evolution. The 2 stories therefore progress in parallel in a brilliant way. The revelations are twofold and the tone rises crescendo. The rivalry and friendship between two characters from two different generations comes into its own 
and makes the film extremely intriguing.
On the one hand, Yim Si-wan isa brilliant interpretation of the young upstart as endearing as fascinating. On the other, Seol Kyeong-gu as a gang leader ready to do anything to keep his place. He invents a character of a level worthy of Martin Scorsese's best films. His thing is that he laughs often, and that half-sadistic, half-humorous laugh is just perfect. Byun Sung-Hyun's staging ideas are incredibly inventive, amazing and form a perfect whole with aesthetics and script.
We had the chance to attend the official presentation of the film, and the long ovation obtained by the film team is more than logical. Lovers of Tarantino or Scorsese, go see Sans pitié because it will already be in theaters on June 28.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPNYO_3zKiM
