''The Silenced'' is an above average mystery drama from South Korea with a few minor horror elements. The plot takes places during the thirties of the last century when the country was occupied by the Japanese. It follows the story of a teenage girl who is transferred to an isolated boarding school. After her mother's untimely death from tuberculosis, her father and his new wife are scared to get infected by the teenage girl whose medical condition is getting more and more critical. She gets various medical treatments at the boarding school and finally seems to recover step by step and ends up standing out as a promising sportswomen who might get the occasion to go to Tokyo with another girl to represent the small school honourably. However, strange things happen at the isolated boarding school. Some pupils disappear from one day to another without leaving any trace behind. Several students seem to be emotionally unstable and react in overtly aggressive ways in seemingly random situations without being able to recall these events later on. When the protagonist starts having strange visions, she wonders whether they are due to her new medication or whether there is more to it than that. Along with a new friend, she tries to uncover the school's gloomy secrets.

This movie convinces with a mysterious and slightly gloomy atmosphere from start to finish. This is due to the intriguing settings including the isolated boarding school itself, a secret room in the basement and an old forest with a mysterious pond. The authentic traditional costumes, mostly dimmed lighting techniques and the calm and mysterious score add to the gripping atmosphere. Another winning element are the few and cleverly integrated horror parts consisting of strange emotional outbursts of several characters, the protagonist's continuous nightmares and visions and the emotionally and physically brutal conclusion. The movie doesn't have any particular lengths and develops a coherent flow that is slightly slow in the opening twenty minutes, keeps a regular pace most of the time and ends up being a little bit faster in the final twenty minutes.

Even though the numerous young actresses are doing a solid job, there isn't anyone that really stands out. Most characters are slightly too exchangeable, pale and shy to get the audience emotionally involved with any of them. Despite a mysterious tone throughout the movie, the film reveals too many hints too quickly which leads to a quite predictable story halfway through the movie where the movie loses some momentum. The ending was a little bit too exaggerated, intense and stereotypical to go with the rest of the film. This is one of the rare films where I prefer the smooth, slow and gloomy first part of a film over the more intense, fast paced and engaging second half.

In the end, fans of South Korean cinema, atmospheric mystery movies and smooth teenage dramas should give this interesting mixture of genres a chance. Those who are expecting a truly original plot, outstanding acting performances or a scary horror film should look elsewhere. This is an entertaining movie for a lazy autumn or winter night at home but nothing more.

"Hero" is one of the very best wu xia movies since the beginning of the new millennium. This movie isn't just recommendable for fans of Chinese period movies but for anyone who admires creative cinema.

Zhang Yimou's masterpiece convinces with an unusual story line. The movie focuses on the mysterious meeting between a prefect who claims to have defeated the empire's three most dangerous assassins and the careful, clever and philosophical emperor himself. The first third of the movie explains the prefect's version of the story. The second third focuses on the emperor's analysis of the story. The last third finally reveals what really happened.

If you think that the movie might be repetitive because the same story is told from three different perspectives, you are wrong. Each story builds upon the previous version and only adds new elements. This unusual structure adds a mysterious and even surreal vibe to the movie. This film comes around with a few clever twists and turns but the epic conclusion reveals everything the viewer needs to know.

The mysterious and philosophical message and vibe of the movie is supported by one of the best cinematographies ever done in cinema. Zhang Yimou works a lot with different colours and their meanings such as white for innocence, red for passion, green for hope, blue for dignity or black for darkness. The different settings and landscapes also add to the movie since key scenes take place inside a bare palace that represents isolation, a blue lake that represents spirituality or a hot desert that represents loneliness. The settings and costumes are in perfect harmony with the slow and precise camera work and a calm and spiritual soundtrack. The fighting scenes blend in very well and have a surreal touch where mental strength is much more efficient than physical power. The different characters are flying through bamboo forests or over peaceful lakes and are constantly using their natural surroundings to fight their opponents. This movie symbolizes the harmony of men and nature, underlines the efficiency of mental strength and delivers a message of community and peace where the greater good for an entire empire is more significant than the fate of a single person, family, location, race or ideology. These messages are delivered in a mostly grounded and intellectual way and only the final scenes feel a little bit melodramatic and slightly pathetic.

In the end, "Hero" is much more than a simple martial arts movie. It's one of the most intellectually, philosophically and visually profound movies of the new millennium. This film has a heart, soul and different messages that are at least interesting to analyze, empathize with and understand no matter if you end up agreeing or disagreeing with them. Anybody who considers him- or herself intellectual should have watched this unique masterpiece.

"House of Flying Daggers" is a very colourful, emotional and unique wu xia movie. While this film includes many beautifully staged fight scenes with daggers, swords and bare feet and hands, this film focuses much more on character development. While the beginning of the movie seems to focus on an investigation on a conspiracy including military interventions, mysterious rebel groups and underground agents, the second part of the film clearly focuses on a complicated love story with several twists and turns. In the end, this movie should be described as a romantic drama with occasional fighting scenes in a historically inspired but not authentic setting.

What really drives this drama is obviously the acting. Zhang Ziyi does an outstanding job as mysterious blind dancer who is suspected to be the daughter of a deceased leader of a rebel group called House of Flying Daggers. This intriguing character has many secrets and it's never exactly certain what this character wants, feels or even is until the very end. This character alone is worth watching this movie. The two male leading characters are also great. On one side, there is police officer Jin who is going through significant changes. In the beginning, he is carefree, rude and wild but he progressively discovers himself over the course of this movie. On the other side, there is his friend, the more experienced officer Leo who is much more serious, clever and careful but who becomes more and more emotional throughout the movie. It's almost as if the two characters were slowly switching their attitudes throughout the movie. The entire story revolves around these three characters from the mysterious start to a dramatic finish.

Sadly, the potentially intriguing conflict between Tang Dynasty leaders supported by the military and police and the mysterious rebel group House of Flying Daggers supported by undercover agents is never resolved in this movie. The entire film builds up a lot of tension between the two groups and both sides prepare for a massive fight towards the end of the film but that ultimate conflict is never shown. Even though the drama around the three main characters is really intriguing, it's disappointing that this part of the story isn't told. The movie feels unfinished in my opinion.

Aside from the stories and the acting performances, the movie obviously convinces with an authentic soundtrack, charming costumes and colourful settings that are typical for director Zhang Yimou. Especially the use of colours, natural landscapes and seasons is meaningful and philosophical. Still, this movie doesn't have the same depth, elegance and significance as Zhang Yimou's previous masterpiece "Hero". The fighting scenes are always entertaining but clearly not among the best in the wu xia genre.

In the end, you will admire this film if you expect a romantic drama with gripping fighting scenes in an intriguing context which is carried by three superb leading actors. If you expect a gripping wu xia film with a clear definition of protagonists and antagonists, stunning fighting scenes and a grand finale, you might be disappointed. This movie is one of the most intense Chinese dramas since the beginning of the new millennium but only an average martial arts film.

"The Guillotines" is a wu xia movie with a lot of ups and downs. It's certainly interesting for genre fans and better than its reputation but far from being a highlight of the martial arts genre. The movie shows the story of an obsolete secret assassination squad on a dangerous mission whose members face elimination due to the emperor's will to radically revolutionize his empire.

On the negative side, this movie is clearly too long. Especially the first part of the movie where the assassination squad is discovering a remote village outpost has noticeable lengths. Another issue is that many of the characters in this squad lack depth or are represented in a childish way which makes it hard for the viewer to identify with them. Despite being a wu xia movie, the fighting scenes are mostly unspectacular and the special weapon of the assassination squad is clearly underused. A debatable issue is the ending of the movie which surprised me in a negative way. Instead of offering a final battle, the movie suddenly tries to offer a philosophical twist which doesn't fit with the rest of the movie.

On the positive side, the costumes, settings and soundtrack are what you expect of a solid wu xia production. The opening scene is already visually stunning and includes a few nice special effects that aren't overused throughout the movie. Some characters like the Guillotines members Leng and Musen, rebel leader Wolf, agent Haidu and the Qianlong Emperor have some depth and become more and more authentic and interesting as the movie progresses. Instead of focusing on predictable martial arts fights, this movie tries to innovate things by showing us the downsides of modern Western technology. While the ending of the movie feels somewhat disappointing and out of place, one can't deny that it comes as a surprise and is rather original from an objective point of view.

In the end, fans of Chinese action films, period movies and a modern type of wu xia cinema might want to watch this movie once. Those who are expecting a more traditional martial arts film might be disappointed since the movie focuses on fights with cannons, guns and fictional weapons instead of classic daggers or swords. After all, "The Guillotines" is a slightly above average genre flick but nothing more.

''Audition'' is the kind of movie that you will never forget once you have watched it. There are many elements that make this movie memorable.

The contrast between the beginning of the film that almost feels like a light-hearted romantic fairy tale and the conclusion that turns into a mentally and physically violent horror movie is made in a unique, profound and detailed way. 

The acting by former model Eihi Shiina in her debut film as well as the performance by her male counterpart Ryo Ishibashi who had acted in a few critically underrated movies before is superb, diversified and credible.

The use of sounds, locations, light effects and camera angles is very detailed, innovative and intellectual and adds to the story that shifts between two extremes.

The director also leaves a lot of room for interpretation in a movie that seems like a mixture of a beautiful dream, a gruesome nightmare and a reality somewhere in between despair and hope. This is where Takashi Miike surpasses the novel by Ryu Murakami this movie is based upon. ''Audition'' is one of the rare cases where the movie adaption is probably better than the source material which is already stunning.

Many critics have seen themes such as family, isolation, misogyny, relationship issues and social values in this movie but I personally don't think that there is a deeper message in this film. The fact that this film can still be analyzed in so many different ways shows us the greatness of an unpretentious director who lets its audience put the pieces together without trying to spread a precise message. Even the conclusion of the movie is debatable and it's up to the audience to decide whether they witnessed a twisted dream turning into a nightmare at some point or to an accurate story.

The line between reality and dream is very thin and this adds to the mysterious atmosphere which can be seen as the fascinating guiding line to this masterpiece.

Another element that is very convincing is that you can at certain points feel with or even identify with the characters. You empathize with the poor physically abused child. You feel the fragile character of a woman that has been disappointed so many times in her life. You can understand the concern of the side characters for many different reasons. You can identify with the loneliness of the clumsy yet sympathetic widower. This empathy is what makes one of the best final scenes in the history of cinema even more intense. 

The story seems to be simple but at the same time it isn't. We get to know a middle-aged widower and businessman who feels lonely despite the presence of his caring son and his adorable dog. When his teenage son starts to date a charming girl, he suggests his father to open up to a new relationship again. After some hesitation, the widower works out a plan with a clever friend and partner. They decide to arrange an audition for the female lead role of a movie project but in reality the two men are looking for a perfect wife that meets the widower's reasonable criteria. He falls for a charming, emotional and mysterious young woman that simply isn't like all the other women. He starts dating her to get to know her better and their feelings for each another seem to be mutual as the woman isn't disappointed when she gets to know that there won't be any movie with her. Despite the warnings of his friend and partner, the clumsy widower is overwhelmed by positive emotions and quickly invites the young woman for a romantic weekend at a beautiful seaside hotel where they intensify and solidify their relationship. After an emotional night, the young woman has disappeared and the confused widower tries to find her. He finds out more and more mysterious details about the young woman's past and tries to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

Telling you anything more than this would be too revealing. Anybody who enjoys movies should watch this mysterious drama. It's one of these movies that is so great that it will leave an impressive impact on anyone who watches it.