:
Han Suk-Kyu,
Han Suk-Kyu,
Choe Min-sik,
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:
Jacky Kang,
Jacky Kang
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: 
: Columbia TriStar
: Action, Foreign, Korea
: 125 min.
: English, French, Korean
: English, Spanish, French, Portuguese
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Billed as Full Metal Jacket meets Heat meets Nikita, Kang Je Gyu directs this wildly popular action-thriller about tensions between North and South Korea. The film opens with agents in North Korean spy school T19 engaged in an unbelievably difficult rigorous training regime. The school's fanatically committed leader, Park Mu Young (Choi Min Sik) singles out the beautiful and sinewy Lee Bang Hee (Kim Yun Jin), an ace student and a deadeye shot, for a top-secret mission. A couple of years later, South Korean intelligence agents are baffled by a spate of murders of scientists working on a top-secret defense project. Agents Yu Jong Won (Han Suk Kyu) and Lee Jang Gil (Song Kang Ho) suspect the North Korean Lee but cannot locate her. One day, Yu finally spots Lee Bang Hee icing an arms dealer with a sniper rifle. At the same time, North Korean spy Park Mu Young and his fellow commandos take out a military convoy and swipe a top-secret substance called CTX, an explosive that is completely undetectable. Park and Lee's plan slowly becomes horribly apparent: to blow up a North and South Korean friendship soccer game, launching a war that will bring South Korea under the North's hegemony. At the same time, South Korean intelligence is starting to suspect a mole in their midst and evidence seems to point to Yu's girlfriend. This film was screened at the 1999 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
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| Proof of concept
by Belgand
June 11, 2007 - 7:19 PM PDT
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2 out of 3 members found this review helpful
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While this was a very high-grossing film in Korea it is not particularly good and wouldn't be notable in the United States. Yes, it has a political subtext dealing with the reunification of North and South Korea, but it's not a predominant part of the film. The thing that makes it notable is that it massively invigorated the Korean film industry by proving that they were capable of making a big-budget, Western-style film and making back plenty of money on it. This has spurred greater investment in the Korean film industry leading to a number of much better releases.
So, appreciate it's historical value, but I highly suggest ignoring this by-the-numbers action movie otherwise. |
| good, messy fun
by carolynsearches
August 18, 2003 - 10:14 PM PDT
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4 out of 5 members found this review helpful
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| Oh come on, all you prior reviewers. Its an ACTION movie -- emphasis on the verb aspect of the movie. Sure its got cool cinimatography and the ubiquitous gore, better than most. Ever disected an Ahnold or Mel Gibson plot -- oh so plausible. Get a grip! If you like action movies and are sick of the same ol' American schlock, check this one out. |
| Mainstream Trash
by jeffypop
January 28, 2003 - 2:33 PM PST
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2 out of 7 members found this review helpful
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I watched this movie because I heard it was the highest grossing movie in Korea. But, like many of the highest grossing movies in America, it was total crap. Every scene was over-done and predictable, campy and cheesy until the painful end.
In the end, high-grossing big-budget flicks are doomed regardless of the country that produced them. I hope people in other countries don't take America's highest grossing movie, Titanic, as a representation of American film.
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GreenCine Member Rating
(Average 5.40)
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