Once Upon A Time in High School: Spirit of Jeet Kune Do(2004)

Genre: Romance Cast: Kwon Sang Woo as Hyeongsu Lee Jeong Jin as Usik Han Ga In as Eun Ju Size: 700 MB [ 2 cds ] Review:

Synopsis:
Actress Olivia Hussey and Bruce Lee, a legendary martial arts actor and creator of Jeet Kune Do...They were perhaps two of the most brilliant movie stars who had captured the minds of high school boys during the late 1970s in Korean society. In "Maljukgeori Janhoksa," Hyeongsu (played by idol star Kwon Sang Woo) becomes a "karate kid" not to save Hussey look-alike Eunju (Ha Ga in) but for his dear friend (who becomes a rival lover after the appearance of "Hussey") Usik (Lee Jeongjin). Hyeongsu metamorphoses from an unsophisticated, exemplary student into a real fighter, seeking revenge for Usik's bully. Though full of nostalgia, this movie is more like an action movie than a naïve, old love story. Hyeonsu dazzles viewers first by showing off his basketball techniques and at last displaying his skills on the nunchakus and of kicking, moves he has just mastered. The stage is set at the notorious region of Maljukgeori in 1978, one year before the assassination of President Park Chung Hee. This appears to be director Yu Ha's intentions to avoid sensitive political involvement in the turbulent periods between 1978 and 1980. Writer-turned-movie director Yu succeeds in making an entertaining film both in terms of persuasive storytelling and visual aspects. For the middle-aged generation in Korea, the film serves as the recollection of those merciless and cruel periods when the violence of both bully students and grim-faced "militaristic" teachers were tacitly tolerated and permitted. In appearance, this film is not different from "Beat" and "Friends," in dealing with themes of violence. Even to the eyes of the younger movie fans, however, this movie is nothing new because, although more than a quarter century has passed, things have not changed significantly: the same archetypal characters who know how to play dirty tricks exist in the classroom.