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Cruel Winter Blues

Cruel Winter Blues

Crime · Drama · 2006

A gangster's quest for revenge is sidetracked by an encounter with his target's mother in this deeply-felt hybrid of a crime thriller and a family drama.

Movie details

Cruel Winter Blues

“A man dreams of a most brutal revenge.”

2006 Crime · Drama 1h 58m

Critical arithmetic

The consensus, allegedly.

IMDb

7.0 / 10

815 votes

TMDB

6.8 / 10

Community rating

External scores via OMDb · CC BY-NC 4.0. Values normalized for display; availability varies by title.

A gangster's quest for revenge is sidetracked by an encounter with his target's mother in this deeply-felt hybrid of a crime thriller and a family drama.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Cruel Winter Blues?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

Sunflower

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Voice of Silence

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Two guys who are working for cartels as cleaners get a request to monitor an 11-year-old kidnapped girl, but the situation gets worse when their supervisor gets killed.

Montage

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A woman's child is kidnapped and killed after paying the ransom. 15 years later, a mysterious figure is seen visiting the site of killing and another kidnapping occurs using the same methods. The woman teams up with a detective to catch the killer once and for all.

The Chase

The Chase

Thriller · 2017

After people in his town start turning up dead, a grumpy landlord is visited by a man who recounts an unsolved serial murder case from 30 years ago that may hold the clue to what is happening now.

The Public Enemy

The Public Enemy

Crime · 1931

Two young Chicago hoodlums, Tom Powers and Matt Doyle, rise up from their poverty-stricken slum life to become petty thieves, bootleggers and cold-blooded killers. But with street notoriety and newfound wealth, the duo feels the heat from the cops and rival gangsters both. Despite his ruthless criminal reputation, Tom tries to remain connected to his family, however, gang warfare and the need for revenge eventually pull him away.

The Outfit

The Outfit

Crime · 1973

A two-bit criminal takes on the Mafia to avenge his brother's death. Earl Macklin is a small time criminal who is released from prison after an unsuccessful bank robbery only to discover that a pair of gunmen killed his brother.

Cry of the City

Cry of the City

Crime · 1948

Petty crook and cop-killer Martin Rome, in bad shape from wounds in the hospital prison ward, still refuses to help slimy lawyer Niles clear his client by confessing to another crime. Police Lt. Candella must check Niles' allegation; a friend of the Rome family, he walks a tightrope between sentiment and cynicism. When Martin fears Candella will implicate his girlfriend Teena, he'll do anything to protect her. How many others will he drag down to disaster with him?

The Outsiders

The Outsiders

Crime · 1983

In 1960s Tulsa, class divisions ignite a violent rivalry between the working-class Greasers and the privileged Socs. When a deadly encounter forces two Greasers, Ponyboy and Johnny, to flee, their struggle for survival and redemption exposes the fragile innocence and enduring bonds of youth on the wrong side of town.

Madame X

Madame X

Drama · 1966

Holly Parker, the wife of a wealthy diplomat, is compromised by the accidental death of a man who has been romantically pursuing her. She is forced by her mother-in-law to assume a new identity in order to save the reputation of her husband and infant son. She wanders the world, trying to forget her heartbreak with the aid of alcohol and unsavory men. Eventually returning to the city of her downfall, she murders a blackmailer who threatens to expose her past. Amazingly, Holly is represented at her murder trial by her now adult son, who has become a public defender. In the hope of protecting her family, she refuses to reveal her real name and is known to the court as "Madame X".

House of Strangers

House of Strangers

Drama · 1949

Ruthless Italian-American banker Gino Monetti is engaged in a number of criminal activities. Three of his four grown sons refuse to help their father stay out of prison after he's arrested for his questionable business practices. Three of them take over the business but kick their father out. Max, a lawyer, is the only son that remains loyal.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lee Jeong-beom

Written by

Lee Jeong-beom

Sul Kyung-gu

Sul Kyung-gu

Jae-moon

Jo Han-sun

Jo Han-sun

Chi-gook

Na Moon-hee

Na Moon-hee

Jeom-sim

Yoon Je-moon

Yoon Je-moon

Dae-sik

Ryu Seung-ryong

Ryu Seung-ryong

Min-jae

Oh Yong

Oh Yong

Sang-geun

Shim Yi-young

Shim Yi-young

Mi-ryung

Court is in session

Put Cruel Winter Blues on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.