3-Iron

Name: 3-Iron
Genre: Drama, Romance, Crime
Released: April 29, 2005
Duration: 88 min
Rating: 72
Cast: Seung-yeon Lee

2005

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 28 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 55 Ratings

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8.3

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8.3	User Score Universal acclaim based on 55 Ratings

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3-Iron

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Movie Details & Credits

Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: April 29, 2005 | R

Starring: Seung-yeon Lee

Summary: A battered woman finds an unlikely hero in a transient young man who breaks into empty homes while the residents are away.

Director: Ki-duk Kim

Genre(s): Drama, Romance, Crime

Rating: R

Runtime: 88 min

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Critic Reviews

100

David Sterritt

Quiet, mysterious, sometimes violent, ultimately close to sublime. Read full review

Stanley Kauffmann

The insinuating quality of 3-Iron is irresistible. Read full review

Eric Campos

It's a love story without all the verbal hooey and it hits harder than most. Read full review

Rene Rodriguez

Beguilingly odd. Read full review

Owen Gleiberman

3-Iron is like a Raymond Carver story that slowly, inexorably takes on the dimensions of a ghostly fairy tale. Read full review

TV Guide Magazine Ken Fox

The almost supernatural turn which Kim's lovely film takes during its final act, however, is totally unexpected, and just one reason why Kim ranks as one of the most justly celebrated talents in contemporary Korean cinema. Read full review

Scott Foundas

As repellent and repellently opportunistic a piece of work as the various shock-horror provocations (The Isle, The Coast Guard) that helped to launch this worrisome career (Kim Ki-Duk). Read full review

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User Reviews

M.Daye

Feb 4, 2006

Though it may discard prolix dialogue in favour of visuals, it is almost impossible to find yourself not moved in the slightest by the end.

1 of 1 users found this helpful

V.N.

Jan 30, 2006

This is a fantastic movie! It is so original! There was no dialogue between the 2 main characters and I was creating it myself. You try to imagine what the motivation of the characters is what is in their heads. This movie touches humanity on a sublime level. With its simplicity it is close This is a fantastic movie! It is so original! There was no dialogue between the 2 main characters and I was creating it myself. You try to imagine what the motivation of the characters is what is in their heads. This movie touches humanity on a sublime level. With its simplicity it is close to perfection. I am so glad that I saw it ... I can't stop thinking about it. I will see it again … Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

Kai82

Oct 16, 2021

A unique movie. It has an interesting story, fresh concept, immersive development, is enjoyable poetic and has fascinating ideas. I just watched it with a friend in the cinema a long time ago because he recommend the movie and said it sounded interesting with a little bit craziness. Today IA unique movie. It has an interesting story, fresh concept, immersive development, is enjoyable poetic and has fascinating ideas. I just watched it with a friend in the cinema a long time ago because he recommend the movie and said it sounded interesting with a little bit craziness. Today I would have done some research but back then I did watch it without knowing anything about the movie except being made in Korea. Side note: I know this movie as Bin-Jip not as 3-Iron. It is described as romantic drama but I see barley the drama aspect. It can be alternatively described as slice of life of a loner that turns into a character development or heroes journey. Tae-Suk is a loner who aimlessly drives around on his motorbike and in life. He breaks into homes where the owners are out of town by lockpicking. He is testing that the owners are out of town with fliers from restaurants. If they were not removed in a timely manner the owners are out of town. However while he lives in the homes he is no burglar. He does not steal, washes clothes, cleaned the homes and repairs broken equipment. The story starts when he meets the model Sun-Hwa in one of the homes he broke in. I end with the set up. I say the story was unlike anything I expected. It won me over, was enjoyable and I cared for the characters (= Hallmarks of good story telling). There will be twists and character development. One of the final developments from Tae-Suk can be seen as a negative by others. However for me it made the movie better, more remarkable and fascinating. I and my friends love the idea. Lets say it has elements that can be used in a fairy tale too without being much out of place in reality. I want to praise the director and writer Kim Ki-Duk for this. He is great in what he does and definitely deserves more recognition. Now to the good cast. Lee Hyun-Kyoon is a fantastic Tae-Suk. He works without words as silent protagonist. Alone his mimic and body language is far better than a lot of other actors that have dialogues. It never feels out of place and delivers everything. Should probably include this as example for the “Show not tell” rule in movies. Then here is Lee Seung-Yeon as Sun-Hwa. She does an amazing job in a difficult role. I praise her for this great performance as a weaker performance had weaken the movie too. Kwon Hyuk-Ho ins Min-Gyu who is a rich businessman and husband of Sun-Hwa. He is great to in the love to hate category. I truly enjoyed him. The other characters have smaller roles but enhance the experience and I will name Ju Jin-Mo here as he does a lot in a smaller role. The visuals and sets are good and help to deliver the atmosphere. As a sidenote: I think the movie is named 3-Iron because Tae-Suk uses a golf club and trains by binding a golf ball to a tree for training his hits. Overall this is a hidden gem and movie I recommend to anyone who likes something different that is entertaining, poetic and a modern fairy tale without getting far into fantasy territory.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

ChadS.

Aug 22, 2005

For the most part, the silence in "3-Iron" that's observed by both actors during their benevolent home invasions doesn't play like an art film joke (for instance, Gus Van Sant's "Gerry") because director Ki-Duk Kim gives this prolonged quietude a proper context to help efface For the most part, the silence in "3-Iron" that's observed by both actors during their benevolent home invasions doesn't play like an art film joke (for instance, Gus Van Sant's "Gerry") because director Ki-Duk Kim gives this prolonged quietude a proper context to help efface some of the narrative's self-consciousness. "3-Iron" starts off as a deadpan comedy, and it's vaguely reminiscent of Jim Jarmusch's "Stranger than Paradise". At first, the male lead struck me as a metaphorical zombie who breaks into strangers' homes because he misses the routine of domestic life, and the woman he indoctrinates in his world of non-crime, pretends to have the same catalepsy as a means of escape from her abusive marriage. But then he's incarcerated, and in his cell, the man seems to change from a material being into something more incorporeal, which brings to mind a similar jail-cell transformation in "Lost Highway", when Bill Pullman inexplicably turns into Balthazar Getty. Ki-Duk Kim has the same "don't explain a thing" ethos as David Lynch, which will enthrall and frustrate moviegoers in equal numbers. We wait for the big revelation, a definitive answer to explain all of "3-Iron('s)" enigmas, like "The Sixth Sense", but the final frame leaves us with more questions.… Expand

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xiviri

Mar 29, 2012

Simply brilliant script great. Spectacular sound track, in short, a masterpiece of South Korean cinema. I recommend all the films of Kim Ki-duk, especially ''Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter ... and Spring'' (2003)

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

PaulH.

May 2, 2006

This is an incredible movie,mysterious and moving using just the barest brushstrokes to compose a gentle flickering masterpiece.It was interesting to see how the director would follow-up his previous film and in its quiet unassuming manner this is in no way a disappointment.It is refreshing This is an incredible movie,mysterious and moving using just the barest brushstrokes to compose a gentle flickering masterpiece.It was interesting to see how the director would follow-up his previous film and in its quiet unassuming manner this is in no way a disappointment.It is refreshing to see a Korean director working against the stereotypical extreme cinema his nation has been churning out recently presenting characters and feelings with an honesty and imagination that is both refreshing and memorable.I think the jury at Venice got it spot on would recommend this movie for anyone interested in whats happening in contemporary world cinema.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful

DeniseB.

Feb 17, 2007

The premise was good so I watched it and was keenly dissapointed. It was slow with very little dialouge.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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