Good start, but then it gets ruined

Yes, absolutely, there is fun to be had, as well as many, many things to go boom, all amid an atmospheric urban jungle.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Sure, in some ways this film is artsy-fartsy. Just imagine: a Korean director making a movie about a Japanese in NYC whose best friends are an Italian would-be filmmaker, and a German girl who eludes early on. And Death herself announcing she will take him in a few hours.But still: I kept thinking of Franz Kafka's saying, "A book should be an axe for the frozen sea in us", and for me, this film was that axe. I had many "unbelievable" and a few laugh-out-loud moments. (Hint: the fortune tellers.., the Concorde and time-zone issues..) And quite some thinking afterwards. Oh, and the lovely films-in-the-film: one silent, one in 1950s Japan style..Weird but so often quite plausible story, and so many hitting ideas (or just observations). I loved it very much. 9/10.

First of all, the movie's setting is a multi-ethnic New York City. Our hero,Kenji, is part of a great mix of foreign-born/U.S. racial minorities/gay & straight people. His Japanese accent and his best friend's Italian accent are just part of the fun. Ethnic stereotypes are jokes.Kenji really, really wants to fall in love, but seems to be living just on handouts from his parents. His Italian friend fancies himself a filmmaker, but has a job selling movie tickets. They're living on dreams and illusions, but I wouldn't call that aimless, would you? (!)Second point -- The story is told in a very interesting way. Part of it is dreams, part of it is real life, and in parts, the dreams sort of push into real life. It's not that hard to keep track of, tho. The story is told chronologically and only takes 2 days.Third -- the actors are uniformly wonderful. The supporting roles, especially Ben Gazzara, are so memorable it almost seems crazy not to veer off on each one. Then there is a whole string of cameo bits that stick in your mind -- the "Balzac man," a pseudo-intellectual guy in the café, will make you laugh -- the transvestite hooker -- the fortune teller -- there must be 20 of these gems! Fans of Mira Sorvino and Takeshi Kaneshiro will not be disappointed. As a very sexy Death, Sorvino shares with us her viewpoint, one that's not so hard to understand after all. We can see that it's natural that Death would have her favorites (not that it would be any great consolation). Her interactions with her 2 assistants are pretty hilarious.Kaneshiro's trademark blend of funny and intense makes him so rewarding to watch. No one can say he's weak or uncertain as an actor, and that was really important to this movie. He communicates a lot through his expressive attention to the other actors, but when it comes to the pivotal scene where he speaks out, his words are extremely powerful.Last -- the ending of the story takes us by surprise, even though we have known how it would end through much of the movie. It happens in a way we wouldn't have expected.Best of all are the interesting things that occur to us as we watch, like what does knowing you're going to die really change? There are lots of foreshadowings that prepare us for the main action (for example, everybody reminds the love interest, Pola, of someone else who turns out to be kind of relevant). It's hard for anyone to see this movie without suspecting there was more in there than they were able to catch.(Remind me to look up Pola Negri) I think there are plenty of people who would love this movie, and hope this helps you know if you're one of them. It's a serious story but very enjoyable.

This movie is like a moving dartboard. details flash before you and as you aim your attention on a particular target, it quickly goes out of reach.I just rented this flick among 6 others (saw Wall Street before this one, really good movie) simply because Mira Sorvino is a hottie and the premise of the film (guy gets 12 hours to do whatever he wants) sounded intriguing.It turned out to be something a hell of a lot different.From the opening credits I was impressed with the set-design, the actor and the way it was being filmed. Fantastic opening scene gave me the feeling I was going to watch something really unique. And I did.Unfortunately, I cant quite find the words to describe what I saw. It seemed almost like an improvisation. Characters that didnt quite seem to fit in the story, conversations that didnt seem to hold any relevance, plot-twists that were inconceivable. This isnt your typical hollywood film.Again, I was taken aback by the style of the movie, and I recommend this for those seeking something "different" to comment on along with their friends. Just like "Lost Highway" had an important message locked somewhere in it's tangled skein.Oh well. That pretty much sums up my opinion of the movie, sorry I couldn't have done a better job. peace out.

The aimless protagonist is an all too believable character, and therefore there is considerable empathy for him, even when his behavior is not justifiable. This film really gave me something to think about; how many people would do better than Kenji if given 24 hours to put their life in order? In traditional Hollywood, everything would miraculously work out fine, but of course Wonsuk Chin knows better than that. This is a case where I think a bitter flavor is better than sweetness. Not all of the loosely-linked scenes work, and Sorvino can grate at times, but on the whole the movie is very much worth seeing. The opening is wonderful.