BESIDES WANTING TO BE A TOUR guide, dancer, and a window washer when I was a little boy, I also wanted to be a ninja. I remember the first time I saw Brue Lee as Kato in the Green Hornet, with his quick moves and high kicks; I was mesmerized. By the time his movie, Fist of Fury, came out, I was convinced if I learned his moves a/k/a martial arts, I would no longer have to be afraid of anyone. A period of time took place where I was constantly seeing martial arts moves in television shows and films. I became obsessed with those metal star weapons that both villains and heroes would throw during fight scenes. The points were razor sharp and would lodge into anything from flesh to walls. One of my comic books had an advertisement in back for a martial arts handbook; I sent away for it. When the book arrived, I would hole up in my bedroom and study the various poses and moves over and over. My problem was I never knew if I was getting good because I did not have someone to practice with. I could kick a pillow across the room, but there were times I would lose my balance and fall on top of my bed. I needed to find an actual class.      ONE SUMMER VACATION FROM SCHOOL, OUR community center offered a martial arts class. I was so excited and pleaded to be signed up for it. On the day of the first class there were fourteen of us signed up. I guess I was not the only one with the idea of becoming a ninja. We spent the entire class learning how to tumble and fall; I hated it. Though the mats we practiced on were cushy and thick, I still did not like the feeling of falling. I was always hesitant with my movements. Eventually, I got good enough to the point where I was not being corrected all the time by the instructor. It was after our third lesson that we saw demonstrations of trips and stances. One boy in our class thought he was better than the rest of us. He would walk up and surprise the less agile or weak students with a foot trip or headlock. I thought he was just a mean bully. No one wanted to tattle on him for fear he would do something worse to them. He was the opposite of why I wanted to take martial arts class. I did not want to use it to show off or tease anyone. I was thinking more on the lines like the main character in this action, comedy crime film.      ALWAYS ONE TO HELP SOMEONE IN need, a young martial artist decides to enlist to become a martial arts officer, to help fight crime. He soon discovers it will take more than his fists to help a victim. With Kim Woo-bin (Master, Our Blues-TV) as Lee Jung-do, Ren Hanami (Goodbye Earth-TV, Queen of Tears-TV) as Yu-Jin in the English version, Kim Seong-gyoon (The Neighbors, Target) as Kim Seon-min, and Lee Hae-young (The Matchmakers-TV, Kill Boksoon) as Lee Sang-woo; I liked the idea of the story but felt the script was poorly written. The fact the story took the viewers to a deep dark side of crime on the streets, I thought the element of humor was not a good fit. Kim Woo-bin had the stance, looks and capabilities for the role, but the script predominantly kept his character on one level. The fight scenes were exciting and well-choregraphed, and several scenes had blood and violence. Overall, the story followed a generic template, not offering anything new for the viewer. Because this was a Korean made film, I wonder if the goal was to try and emulate a Hollywood blockbuster. Sadly, it never hit its mark. Korean was spoken with English subtitles; I saw the English version.                                                 

1 ¾ stars