DAISY

                               

J: I watch the movie in youtube due to curiosity. Reviews of the movie online are I can say, majority negative. Nevertheless, there are still many who love it, and I am one of them.

M: Will I like it too? Enough of your Korean melodramatic movies. My eyes seems to come out crying. And oh, my heart? My heart's tearing apart.

J: Promise, I'll plant a lighter movie next time.

M: OK. I seems have no choice anyway.

FACTS:

Daisy (데이지) is a 2006 South Korean-Hong Kong co-production film directed by Hong Kong filmmaker Andrew Lau of the Infernal Affairs trilogy, and starring Jun Ji-hyun, Jung Woo-sung, David Chiang, Lee Sung-jae and Cheon Ho-jin.
 Daisy is an urban romantic melodrama between a young art painter, Hye-young (Jun Ji-hyun), an Interpol detective, Jeong Woo (Lee Sung-jae), and a professional hitman, Park Yi (Jung Woo-sung). With a twist that is bound to make its audience think about their own perception about love, Daisy is produced by iFilm and opened in South Korean cinemas on March 9, 2006.
 There are two versions of Daisy: an Asian cut and an international cut.

The PLOT:
Shot in Amsterdam, Netherlands, the movie stars Hye-young (Jun Ji-hyun) an street artist who makes her living by sketching portraits of people for 30 euros per portrait, Park Yi (Jung Woo-sung), a professional hit man who works for a Chinese big boss and an Interpol detective, Jeong Woo (Lee Sung-jae).

Hye-Young, The Street Painter

One day, while Hye-young is trying to cross a small channel connected by a narrow log, she falls down and loses her art bag, which contains all her painting equipment. Park Yi, who had been watching her from a distance, immediately runs to her rescue; but by the time he gets there, Hye-young is gone. He finds the bag she lost and gets the log replaced with a bridge. The next time she comes to paint, Hye-young is taken by surprise at the sight of the new bridge. Though, initially, she thinks the bridge is a coincidence, she is moved when she finds her lost bag hung in the middle of the bridge. She completes her painting of the meadow of daisies and leaves it in place of her bag as a gesture of thanks for the person who had built the bridge for her.













From that day on, she starts receiving daisy flowers daily at 4.15 pm sharp. Unknown to her this is the date when she went to the mountain to paint, APRIL 15. As the days pass, she is touched by the humor of the person who is sending the flowers and develops a soft spot towards the person. On the other hand, Park Yi is afraid she might be hurt if he gets close to her, because of his profession. He subdues his feelings and just feel contented watching her from afar.

The pot of Daisy Hye Young receives daily at 4:15

Park Yi, The Assassin

The story takes an interesting turn with the introduction of Interpol detective Jeong Woo (Lee Sung-jae) in the movie. Jeong Woo is associated with cracking a case concerning drug mafia. One day, on his way to track the activities of the drug dealers, he encounters Hye-young and her portrait stand. He carries a pot of Daisies giving Hye-young the wrong idea that he is the one sending her the flowers. He asks her to paint his portrait as he surveys the crowd for suspicious activity; this continues for a few more days until one day the drug dealers come to know his hideout.

Jeong Woo, the Interpol

Hye-young who  starts to believe that Jeong Woo is the one sending her daisy flowers instantly falls in love with him. Jeong Woo also hides the fact for the fear of blowing up his entire cover.
On the other hand, Park Yi who has been constantly keeping an eye on Hye-young and Jeong Woo's activities notices a few mafias advancing towards them with armed pistols. Park Yi instantly grabs his sniper and starts shooting the mafia.
The situation takes a worse turn when Park Yi accidentally shoots Hye-young in the neck by mistake. This leaves Hye-young voiceless for her entire life and Jeong Woo is gushed with guilt for he considers himself responsible for this entire episode.
Jeong Woo is transfered back to Korea from Netherlands and Hye-young is left alone, heartbroken. Park Yi can’t help himself with Hye-young's condition and starts showing up and moving close to her. Hye-young is still in love with Jeong Woo and can't forget him.

After a year, Jeong Woo comes back to the Netherlands and surprisingly shows up on Hye-young’s doorsteps.Park Yi is in Hye Young's house that day and misunderstanding that she had moved on and find a new man, he just apologizes to her and leaves. The fact that Hye Young is voiceless makes it difficult for her to explain and stopped him. She just sat there, crying a river of tears while Park Yi watched also in agony,as he come to realize that the person he love the most love another man.

Meanwhile, Jeong Woo's boss, who wants to solve the case behind this whole episode, tells Jeong Woo to catch the guy who shot the mafia with a sniper. Further investigation reveals the shooter's identity as professional hit man and they plan to catch him red-handed.
Jeong Woo's boss contracts the Chinese Big Boss to kill Jeong Woo.

Park Yi and his Big Boss

A pot of black tulips (a sign that Park Yi has a job and that is- to kill someone) then arrive at Park Yi's doorstep. It turns out that Big Boss has given the job to kill Jeong Woo to none other than Park Yi.

All will be set and the day on which Jeong Woo is supposed to be killed arrives. Jeong Woo shows up in a car surrounded secretly by many undercover cops. Park Yi suddenly shows up and asks Jeong Woo for a private talk. Knowing Park Yi as Hye Young's man, he ask him to hop inside the car.
Jeong Woo stalls all the cops saying he is going around with a friend and is later found head shot with in an isolated place.This leaves the viewers believing Park Yi kill him.

Jeong Woo's boss hints the activities of the killer who killed Jeong Woo to Hye-young in Jeong Woo funeral. Hye-young instantly comes to know the person behind Jeong Woo's murder.

Meanwhile Jeong Woo's boss sketches a much tougher plan to catch Jeong Woo’s assassin by contracting himself for contract killing.

Jeong Woo and his boss

On the other hand, one night, while watching a movie, Park Yi boasted to Hye Young that he can understand what the characters in the movie are saying by just reading their lips

The day to assassinate Jeong Woo's boss come.
Hye-young wake up in Park Yi's house. She is intrigue by the room,whom Park Yi  forbid her to enter.
She goes in  and sees the same painting she left on the bridge.

The Painting

Park Yi who is all set to assassinate Jeong Woo's boss is taken by surprise when Hye-young shows up bringing the painting and with all efforts tell him to stop. (She's voiceless right? so how can she tell him?)
Well, she just speak there voiceless while Park Yi looking through his sniper glass, read her lips (this is just my favorite part)

Park Yi instantly shows up but a stray bullet, shot by the assassin responsible for Jeong Woo’s death, that was supposed to hit Park Yi is intercepted by Hye-young, who had seen the reflection of the car that the assassin was in on a building opposite, and she dies.

Park Yi takes his part of revenge by killing and dissolving his entire gang responsible for Hye-young's death. Park Yi is later found stumbling out of the building, limping down the street.
A flashback of the scene where Jeong Woo then was killed is showed. Although Park Yi admits his the hit man he refuses to kill him. Jeong Woo is shot by some other assassins of the Chinese Big Boss.
The epilogue shows Park Yi, Jeong Woo, and Hye-young standing in a crowd under an overhang, waiting for the rain to stop. When they spot each other, they smile. As Park Yi, hold the flower up to the sky a delivery man's voice shouts; FLOWERS!

Seeing they're all together, it can be assumed that Park Yi had died from his wounds as well.

MY COMMENTS:
M: Now that's what you called, scene per scene.
J: Cause I like this too. As I have said at the beginning, this movie was criticized and was dislike by many. Since I have almost read negative reviews, I'll give this a 9 for JWS-oppa's moral support.
M: I'm bored to the max!

J:Yes, I can't help but agree that the pacing is slow but I don't mind, cause due to it's slow pace, I appreciated the beautiful views of Amsterdam, get enough of Jung Woo Sung's hotness, and admired my sassy girl's unique Asian beauty.

M: Your sassy is not at all sassy here, she looks dying.Too weak. I never like weaklings.
J: It's the character. She manage to fit in.
M: Ah don't get fooled by JWS sexy eyes. The movie is a failure. Will putting a little fun hurt? And the ending, WTF letting Hye Young live is better.

J: The movie is a pure melodrama and so serious in its tone to make the viewer's cry. Perhaps the writer and director wants to concentrate on this genre so, viewer's should not expect zany characters or a happy ending. The writer maybe, just wants to send a message that though many sympathize to Park Yi as an assassin inlove, in reality, killers can't live a happy life.

M: That's being just rational again.

J: (Totally ignores M) The music is touching and add more to feel the heavy emotions. Editing of the scenes sequence  is fantastic. It's adds intrigue and make your mind work to guess what happened. I don't know how many cameras they use in one scene, especially when they show Park Yi on top of the building and Hye Young painting on the park,  if there is just one, then I think it can be attributed to editing.

M: Wow that sounds professional eh!

J: Overall what I admire the most  is the cinematography.The beauty of Amsterdam is captured so greatly by the camera. Aerial views especially when Hye Young is in that mountain full of daisies is breathtaking. The turning of camera when Hye Young  is shot by the sniper make my heart stopped to wait what will happen.

The staircase scene when Park Yi takes his revenge can be greatly attributed too to cinematography and editing.

M: Fine I lost. I respect your opinion. I'll give this a just a 6 and you have to respect that too. 

J: *Head Shakes* Make it an 8, maybe I'll agree with you.