Never underestimate the frightening determination of a Korean mother. By Steve Walker
Mother (R)
Ingenious Korean director Bong Joon-Ho's last film was a sea-creature-gone-berserk fright film with a sense of humor. Here, he tops himself as a master of chilling cinema with a wink.
Kim Hye-Ja (said to be the Donna Reed of Korean television) is magnificent as a woman fighting with every fiber of her being to free her son's name for a murder he probably didn't commit.
Her perseverance, grit and determination are traits similar to those in carnivorous mothers in the wild - you wrong them at your peril. This is a roller coaster of a film that dares you to guess the director's next move or look away. Sure to be on my Top Ten. - Steve Walker