The Thieves(2012), The Intouchables (2011)

The Thieves, In Brief:
Two bands of thieves, one from Korea lead by Popeye (Jung-jae Lee), the other from China lead by Chen (Simon Yam), are brought together by a former cohort, Macau Park(Yun-suk Kim), to perform a job in Macau that could set them all up for the future, steal the 'tear of the sun'. But tension among the group are high as past and present relationships put strain on the present job, and double crossing ensures.

Intouchables, In Brief:
A grumpy quadriplegic aristocrat, Philippe ( François Cluzet) is looking for a new live in caretaker, and in among the usual educated applicants is Dess (Omar Sy), a man recently released from prison, looking to get a signature so he can get his benefits from the government. Philippe puts Dess on a two week trial, betting that he won't last any longer then the rest.


The Thieves, is sort of the Oceans Eleven of Asian Cinema, but there is something to remember about this statement, There were two Oceans Eleven films. The original film, with the Rat Pack about a group of war veterans robbing a Las Vegas Casino, and the Clooney Ocean's Films that were lighthearted romps. This is  somewhere in between the two. At times it plays it up with some light comedy in parts, but its got that dark streak the original film had. And even then, the story snakes its way around the characters, they're motivations for what they have done in the past, and what they are about to do.
There's a lot of fun in the first half of the film, getting to know these characters, especially the initial Korean team. They have a great chemistry and playfulness that comes right off the screen. The second half of the film becomes action packed, and less about the factions within the team, and more about two or three individuals as they race towards they're goals. With all that in mind, the film moves at a good pace and never feels like it's dragging on too long by leading up to a single event.
The Thieves is a good, fun action romp. well worth seeing if the option comes along.

Intouchables, is based on true events, I don't know about you (well, i might actually) but thats normally a put off, as you have a good idea of how its going to go, Also, like the Thieves in Korea, The Intouchables has gone on to become one of the countries most successful films.
Off the bat, Dess can be fairly obnoxious during the film, and you migtht wonder why anyone would put up with him, let alone pay to put up with him, But Philippe gives a great explination to this, and in that moment, Des becomes less obnoxious. He still is, just less so. Sy and Cluzet give some great performances, delivering in spades, and play off one another well, with the rest of the supporting cast sitting in nicely around them, but are sorely under  developed.
The film does seem like there were a few story lines left on the cutting room floor, elements that are introduces that don't feel like they're go anywhere.
I suppose the sign of a good 'true story' is that it inspires you to investigate its origins. and Intouchables perks enough interest to do that. I don't think its anything too special though, but it could have been.