Starring: Hyun Bin as Im Chul Ryung, Yu Hae Jin as Kang Jin Tae, Im Yoon Ah as Park Min Yeong, Kim Ju Hyuk as Cha Ki Sung, Jang Young Nam as So Yeon, and Lee Hae Young as Det. Squad Chief Pyo
Rating: PG-13, subject matter and some violence
Running Time: 125 min
Twinkies: 3 stars
Synopsis: North Korean detective Im Chul Ryung is sent to South Korea to catch Cha Ki Sung, the boss of a North Korean refugee crime organization. There, Chul Ryung cooperates with South Korean detective Kang Jin Tae. For the first time, the two countries cooperate to take down a criminal.
Musings: I’m truly not being bias here but let’s be honest in this moment; without Hyun Bin’s character, this movie would have have been dry as dirt, boring, and truly forgettable. His attempt of a North Korean accented dialect was commendable. I would never try to say that I am an expert but I’ve seen enough movies and even a few video clips to recognize that his was an effort that paid off.
Yu Hae Jin as Kang Jin Tae was comical most of the time and rest of the time, I kept thinking of who could have played the role better. Sadly, his attempt in this movie truly never won me over until the very end. No, he is a decent actor, I just wondered about him in this particular role. Or maybe it was the writer’s characterization that left me cold? Not sure.
Once again, the female presence in this movie could have been left on the cutting room floor; well, one more than the others. At least with Jang Young Nam as Yu Hae Jin’s wife, she served a purpose. But what was Yoona’s purpose in the movie? Wasted airtime and a character that not only wasn’t developed but only was on the screen a couple times. Dang, even the bad guys didn’t think her worthy of kidnapping in the end.
Kim Ju Hyuk as the truly evil Cha Ki Sung was at least decent, most of the time. I felt his character could have been explained just a little bit more as I was kind of lost about his betrayal and willingness to kill so many people. Was it about the money only? What really was his motivation? Maybe I was too bored at times that the explanation was there and I just missed it. Nothing is impossible considering it took me two days to finish this movie.
Overall, it was the action scenes that saved this movie; nothing else. The acting was just okay. The story line, while interesting, could have been a little more clear; however, nothing can rain on my parade to see Hyun Bin on the screen once more! Watch at your own peril. I’m 50/50 on recommending this.
Trailer is available on on YouTube Website only. The movie is on various streaming websites.
I’m available on Twitter. Thanks to all of you Twinkles out here who are taking the time to read! If you have a suggestion for a future review, just leave me a comment! I’m always happy to have movie suggestions.
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