THE BATTLESHIP ISLAND reviewed

CJ Entertainment

presents

The Battleship Island / Gun-ham-do

Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

South Korea, 2017, 132 minutes

The Battleship Island is a historical war film from director Ryoo Seung-wan (Veteran, The Berlin File) that is currently out on DVD.

During World War II, when Korea was still under Japanese colonial rule, several hundred Korean civilians were conscripted to work in the coal mines on Hashima Island. Known as “The Battleship Island” because of its appearance in silhouette, the site was a scene of virtual slave labor.

Hwang Jung-min (Ode to My Father, The Himalayas), stars as Lee Gang-ok, a band leader who is sent there with his troupe, including his young daughter So-hee (played by the extremely talented Kim Soo-an), who sings in the band. Other Koreans on the island include: Mallyon (actress Lee Jung-hyun of Alice in Earnestland and Roaring Currents) who is to "work" as a "comfort woman"; Yoon Hak-chul, a revered resistance leader; and Park Mu-young (Song Joong-ki, Descendants of the Sun and A Werewolf Boy), a resistance fighter who has been sent to get Yoon off the island.

As the end of the war approaches, things take an unexpected turn for the worst -- even under the already deplorable conditions -- when the Japanese who run the coal mining operation determine that they must kill all the Koreans to destroy any evidence of their war crimes.

The set for the mining operation was the biggest one ever built in Korean, having taken six months to complete. It recreated about 2/3rds of the actual island, lending an extremely high air of authenticity to the film. The actin scene near the movie's end is quite energetic and graphic, one to rival the Normandy invasion scene at the beginning of Saving Private Ryan.

The film was based on actual historical events. The Hashima coal mine began operation in September, 1890, contributed significantly to Japan's military industrial sector from the 1937 invasion of China to the end of WWII, and finally closed in January, 1974. The island became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. One condition of this designation was that the Japanese were to post notices about the island's forced labor and other historical facts. However, by December 2017, the Japanese had not yet complied with this oblation.

Disc Specs:
-- Audio
  -- English 5.1
  -- English 2.0
  -- Korean 5.1 with English subtitles
  -- Korean 2.0 with English subtitles
-- Bonus
  -- Main Trailer (1:56) 
  -- Behind the Scenes: Set Production (3:36)
 
AsianCineFest Rating: 3 out of 4 stars; solidly recommended

Ryoo Seung-wan's THE BATTLESHIP ISLAND is available on DVD

CJ Entertainment

presents

The Battleship Island / Gun-ham-do

Directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

South Korea, 2017, 132 minutes

The Battleship Island, a historical war film from director Ryoo Seung-wan (Veteran, The Berlin File) is currently out on DVD. The film stars Hwang Jung-min (Ode to My Father, The Himalayas), So Ji-sub (Always, Sophie’s Revenge), Song Joong-ki (Descendants of the Sun, A Werewolf Boy), and Lee Jung-hyun (Alice in Earnestland, Roaring Currents).

The Battleship Island is based on a true story during WWII when Korea was under the colonial rule of Japan. In 1944, 400 conscripted Korean civilians head out to Hashima Island. Nicknamed “The Battleship Island” after its resemblance to a war vessel, many were lured by false promises of high wages. Upon arrival, they found that workers are forced into slave labor.

As the U.S. launches a massive counterattack on Japan, the Japanese decide to blow up the island in order to bury the truth about their awful treatment of the Korean slave labors. A Korean independence activist discovers the plan and works with others on the island for a mass escape.

Ryoo Seung-wan's VETERAN reviewed; coming on DVD & Blu-ray

Well Go USA

Presents

 

 Veteran / Beterang

Written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

South Korea, 2015, 123 minutes

Veteran is the latest offering from the highly talented South Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan (The City of Violence, The Berlin File). It's a policier with plenty of action that also has a lot of deft comic touches. It is being release on Blu-ray and DVD this coming Tuesday, April 5th by Well Go USA. This review is based on watching the Blu-ray version.

The film, which did great business in South Korea (where it topped the box office for several weeks), made its North American debut as an official selection at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival last fall and subsequently made over $1M in the U.S. box office.

Hwang Jung-min (New World, Ode to My Father) stars as Seo Do-cheol, a veteran detective who works out of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. He's about as straight an arrow of a law enforcement officer as you'll ever come across. He also moonlights as a consultant for a detective drama on television.

We first meet him as he brings down an auto theft ring, in an action scene somewhat reminiscent of the premiere episode of Sammo Hung's American television series Marshal Law. Do-cheol is quite adept at dealing out a fistful of whoop-ass. But he also has a serious and tender side, especially when it comes to friends, such as Bae, a truck driver who assisted in bringing down the higher ups in the auto theft operation.

Hwang Jung-min as Detective Seo Do-cheol

After Bae is victimized by a sub-contractor of a huge corporation, Do-cheol comes up against Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in, Tough as Iron). Tae-oh is the son of the chairman of the corporation (Song Yung-chang, The Attorney and The Good, the Bad, the Weird). With daddy under investigation, Tae-oh is likely to take over the business. His only problem is that he's a violence-prone psychopathic drug user! But having well-connected friends in politics and the upper echelons of the police force, he seems all but immune to arrest and prosecution.

The confrontation between the irresistible force of detective Seo Do-cheol's righteousness and Cho Tae-oh's immovable object of a protected, crazed corporate maniac makes for great viewing. And the numerous comic touches really make the mix all the more enjoyable.

Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in), seated, gets advice from his main advisor

Hwang Jung-min gives a wonderfully modulated performance. He's tough in the action scenes, funny when called for, and touching when need be. He's supported by a wonderful cast that includes: Oh Dal-su (Oldboy, A Bloody Aria, Hindsight) as Team Leader Oh; Jang Yoon-ju, who makes her film debut as Miss Bong, a high-flying police officer; and Yoo Hae-jin (Tazza: The High Rollers, The Pirates) as Choi Sang-moo, Tae-oh's cousin and chief adviser.

Disc Specs
-- Audio and Subtitle Options:
  -- English 5.1
  -- English Stereo
  -- Korean 5.1 with non-removable English Subtitles
  -- Korean Stereo with non-removable English Subtitles
-- Trailers:
  -- Veteran trailer
  -- Trailers for five other CJ Entertainment offerings

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very, very, very highly recommended. I previously watched an online screener of Veteran for my review of its North American theatrical release (posted September 14, 2015), and can say that it was every bit as wonderful a watch the second time around. If CJ Entertainment had only seen fit to include some meaningful extras (which I have to believe are available on the Korean discs) instead of just a few trailers, the release definitely would warrant a 4 out of 4 star rating.

South Korean hit VETERAN coming to Blu-ray and DVD on April 5th

CJ Entertainment

Presents

Veteran / Beterang 

Directed by RYOO Seung-wan

South Korea, 2015, 123 minutes

South Korean box office sensation Veteran releases on DVD and Blu-ray on April 5, 2016. The film is a hard-hitting crime thriller with a comedic touch from award-winning director Ryoo Seung-wan (The Unjust). Veteran is the 6th highest grossing film of all time in Korea tallying $85M at the domestic box office. It made its North American debut as an official selection at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival last fall, and made over $1M in the U.S. box office.

Veteran follows Do-cheol – played by Hwang Jung-min (Ode to My Father) – as an irascible detective with a good heart as he seeks revenge and tries to take down the twisted but untouchable scion of a mega-corporation, Jo Tae-oh played by Ah In Yoo (Tough as Iron). In South Korea, Veteran has hugely resonated as a cathartic ride-along with a true-blue cop, personally delivering justice in a system where the rich and powerful always seem to have the upper hand.

Veteran is presented and distributed by CJ Entertainment, Asia’s leading studio and signature film division of major media and content company CJ E&M, and produced by Filmmakers R&K.

VETERAN at MoMI this evening

Hwang Jung-min as Detective Seo Do-cheol

Veteran

Directed by RYOO Seung-wan

South Korea, 2015, 123 minutes

When: Sunday, November 8, 2015 at 7:45 PM

Where: Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI)

36-01 35th Avenue, Astoria, Queens, NY
U.S. Festival Premiere

Veteran is the latest offering from the highly talented South Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan (The City of Violence, The Berlin File). It's a policier with plenty of action that also has a lot of deft comic touches.

Hwang Jung-min (New World, Ode to My Father) stars as Seo Do-cheol, a veteran detective who works out of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. He's about as straight an arrow of a law enforcement officer as you'll ever come across. He also moonlights as a consultant for a detective drama on television.

We first meet him as he brings down an auto theft ring, in an action scene somewhat reminiscent of the premiere episode of Sammo Hung's American television series Marshal Law. Do-cheol is quite adept at dealing out a fistful of whoop-ass. But he also has a serious and tender side, especially when it comes to friends, such as Bae, a truck driver who assisted in bringing down the higher ups in the auto theft operation.

Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in), seated, gets advice from his main advisor

After Bae is victimized by a sub-contractor of a huge corporation, Do-cheol comes up against Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in, Tough as Iron). Tae-oh is the son of the chairman of the corporation (Song Yung-chang, The Attorney and The Good, the Bad, the Weird). With daddy under investigation, Tae-oh is likely to take over the business. His only problem is that he's a violence-prone psychopathic drug user! But having well-connected friends in politics and the upper echelons of the police force, he seems all but immune to arrest and prosecution.

The confrontation between the irresistible force of detective Seo Do-cheol's righteousness and Cho Tae-oh's immovable object of a protected, crazed corporate maniac makes for great viewing. And the numerous comic touches really make the mix all the more enjoyable.

Hwang Jung-min gives a wonderfully modulated performance. He's tough in the action scenes, funny when called for, and touching when need be. He's supported by a wonderful cast that includes: Oh Dal-su (Oldboy, A Bloody Aria, Hindsight) as Team Leader Oh; Jang Yoon-ju, who makes her film debut as Miss Bong, a high-flying police officer; and Yoo Hae-jin (Tazza: The High Rollers, The Pirates) as Choi Sang-moo, Tae-oh's cousin and chief adviser.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very, very, very highly recommended.

This screening of Veteran is part of The 13th Annual New York Korean Film Festival. 

(Note: This is a revised version of my September 14, 2015 review here at AsianCineFest that was also cross-posted at VCinema on September 15th.)

VETERAN does great busines in its opening weekend in North America

Hwang Jung-min as Detective Seo Do-cheol

CJ Entertainment has announced impressive numbers for the opening weekend of Veteran – a hard-hitting thriller with a comedic touch from South Korean cult auteur Ryoo Seung-wan (Crying Fist, City of Violence). This is great news on two fronts. First, because Veteran is a great film that deserves to reach a wide audience. (See my highly laudatory review of Veteran here.) Secondly, any time an Asian film does well in it's North American theatrical release, it adds impetus for further distribution of the kinds of films us Asian cinema lovers want to see on the big screen, not just on home video.

Veteran opened in 46 theaters in the US and Canada to the tune of $339,328. The number puts Veteran on pace to top last year’s Ode to My Father, which went on to become the 2nd highest grossing Korean language film in North America at $2.3M).

Veteran ranked 6th in per screen average with $7,377, right behind major studio release Maze Runner: Scorch Trails ($7,887). Veteran out performed Pawn Sacrifice the Bobby Fischer bio-pic starring Tobey Magiuire (Spider-Man) and directed by Ed Zwick (Blood Diamond, Glory).

Veteran is currently the 6th highest grossing film of all time in South Korea with 12.8M in admissions ($85M at the box office) defeating The Assassination (12.6M – admissions, $83.2M – box office). Veteran is currently playing in 46 theaters in North America moving into its second weekend.

For more information, including a full list of theaters where the film will be playing, please visit: www.cj-entertainment.com.

VETERAN coming to theaters in the U.S. and Canada on September 18th

CJ Entertainment

presents

Hwang Jung-min as Detective Seo Do-cheol

 Veteran

Written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

South Korea, 2015, 124 minutes

Veteran is the latest offering from the highly talented South Korean director Ryoo Seung-wan (The City of Violence, The Berlin File). It's a policier with plenty of action that also has a lot of deft comic touches.

The film, which has done great business in South Korea (where it topped the box office for several weeks), made its North American debut on September 13th in the Vanguard section of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival. It will be opening in theaters in the U.S. and Canada on Friday, September 18th. For more information, including a full list of theaters where Veteran will be playing, visit www.cj-entertainment.com.

Hwang Jung-min (New World, Ode to My Father) stars as Seo Do-cheol, a veteran detective who works out of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. He's about as straight an arrow of a law enforcement officer as you'll ever come across. He also moonlights as a consultant for a detective drama on television.

We first meet him as he brings down an auto theft ring, in an action scene somewhat reminiscent of the premiere episode of Sammo Hung's American television series Marshal Law. Do-cheol is quite adept at dealing out a fistful of whoop-ass. But he also has a serious and tender side, especially when it comes to friends, such as Bae, a truck driver who assisted in bringing down the higher ups in the auto theft operation.

Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in), seated, gets advice from his main advisor

After Bae is victimized by a sub-contractor of a huge corporation, Do-cheol comes up against Cho Tae-oh (Yoo Ah-in, Tough as Iron). Tae-oh is the son of the chairman of the corporation (Song Yung-chang, The Attorney and The Good, the Bad, the Weird). With daddy under investigation, Tae-oh is likely to take over the business. His only problem is that he's a violence-prone psychopathic drug user! But having well-connected friends in politics and the upper echelons of the police force, he seems all but immune to arrest and prosecution.

The confrontation between the irresistible force of detective Seo Do-cheol's righteousness and Cho Tae-oh's immovable object of a protected, crazed corporate maniac makes for great viewing. And the numerous comic touches really make the mix all the more enjoyable.

Hwang Jung-min gives a wonderfully modulated performance. He's tough in the action scenes, funny when called for, and touching when need be. He's supported by a wonderful cast that includes: Oh Dal-su (Oldboy, A Bloody Aria, Hindsight) as Team Leader Oh; Jang Yoon-ju, who makes her film debut as Miss Bong, a high-flying police officer; and Yoo Hae-jin (Tazza: The High Rollers, The Pirates) as Choi Sang-moo, Tae-oh's cousin and chief adviser.

AsianCineFest Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; very, very, very highly recommended.

(Note: This review is being cross-posted at VCinema.)

VETERAN coming to North America

Writer and director Ryoo Seung-wan (center) on a Veteran set

KOREAN BOX OFFICE HIT VETERAN POISED TO IGNITE

NORTH AMERICAN THEATERS STARTING SEPTEMBER 18

Action-Packed Film to Make Its North American Debut on

September 13 at the 40th Toronto International Film Festival

Asia’s leading studio CJ Entertainment, the signature film division of major media and content company CJ E&M, will be releasing South Korean box office sensation Veteran in theaters across the U.S. and Canada beginning September 18. The film is a hard-hitting thriller with a comedic touch from South Korean cult auteur Ryoo Seung-wan (Crying Fist, City of Violence). 

Veteran follows Do-cheol – played by Hwang Jung-min (Ode to My Father) – as an irascible detective with a good heart as he seeks revenge and tries to take down the twisted but untouchable scion of a mega-corporation, Jo Tae-oh played by Ah In Yoo (Tough as Iron).

In South Korea, Veteran has hugely resonated as a cathartic ride-along with a true-blue cop, personally delivering justice in a system where the rich and powerful always seem to have the upper hand.

Since its August 5 premiere in South Korea, the film has made ₩60 billion (US$50 million) from 7.69 million admissions. Now Veteran has been selected to make its North American debut on September 13th in the Vanguard section of the 40th Toronto International Film Festival, which will run from September 10-20.

Veteran is presented and distributed by CJ Entertainment and produced by Filmmakers R&K.

I've watched an online screener of the film, and it's terrific. Because of certain restrictions, my review cannot be posted until September 13th at the earliest, so look for it here then or soon after.

For more information, including a full list of theaters where Veteran will be playing, visit www.cj-entertainment.com.

THE BERLIN FILE becomes available on Region 1 DVD this Wednesday

CJ Entertainment

Presents

The Berlin File

Written and directed by RYOO Seung-wan

Starring Ha Jung-woo, HAN Suk-kyu,

RYU Seung-beom, and Gianna JUN

South Korea, 2013, 120 minutes

Get ready for an action-packed espionage thriller in which the clandestine operatives of the two parts of Korea, the only remaining country of those that were divided in the immediate post-WWII period, go at one another in the formerly divided city that was the focus of so much Cold War intrigue. The Berlin File arrives on Region 1 DVD on Wednesday, December 24th.

The Berlin File set attendance records in South Korea after it opened at the end of January, 2013. South Korean filmmakers BONG Joon-ho (The Host), CHOI Dong-hoon (The Thieves) and LEE Joon-ik (The King and the Clown) have each praised it and for good reason. It's top-drawer entertainment.

North Korean "ghost" agent PYO Jong-seong (HA Jung-woo)

The film, which was written and directed by RYOO Seung-wan (The City of Violence), centers around PYO Jong-seong, a North Korean operative played by HA Jung-woo (The Yellow Sea, Nameless Gangster). Currently stationed in Berlin, where his wife is a translator for the North Korean ambassador, PYO is called the hero of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, he is not known to the intelligence agencies of South Korea (a.k.a. the Republic of Korea), the United States, Britain, or Israel.

Such an agent is termed a “ghost” and that’s what South Korean intelligence agent JUNG Jin-soo (HAN Suk-kyu, Green Fish, Shiri, A Bloody Aria) calls him when he’s seen on surveillance cameras at an arms deal taking place in a hotel room. PYO is arranging, via a Russian broker, for the sale of North Korean weapons to a member of an Arab “anti-imperialist” terrorist organization. When a third party interrupts the meeting, all hell breaks loose, and JUNG’s quest to capture the resourceful and elusive PYO begins.

RYUN Jung-hee (Gianna JUN) is PYO's wife and a translater for the North Korean ambassador

The story is further complicated because PYO’s wife, RYUN Jung-hee (played by Gianna JUN, a.k.a. JUN Ji-hyun, Blood: The Last Vampire, My Sassy Girl, Il Mare), is suspected of treason. DONG Myung-soo, a vicious North Korean agent and son of a powerful political figure, has been sent to deal with the situation. He gives PYO, who begins to have some of his own suspicions about his wife, forty-eight hours to clear her. RYOO Seung-bum (Doomsday Book, Foxy Festival, No Mercy), brother of director RYOO Seung-wan, plays the role of DONG with truly relentless, sinister menace. (I have no idea why their family name is spelled RYOO for one RYU for the other, but that's how they appear in publicity materials and at IMDb.)

South Korean intelligence agent JUNG Jin-soo (HAN Suk-kyu)

To say that the film has a dense story line is almost an understatement. In addition to the North and South Korean intelligence and diplomatic factions and the Arab terrorists, there is involvement of the U.S. CIA and Israel’s Mossad, suspicions of defection, and a $4 billion fund supposedly squirreled away by North Korea’s supreme leader KIM Jong-il before he died. Individuals are often not what they seem to be and are rarely to be trusted. In the world of espionage, after all, duplicity is the name of the game. Still, it’s easy enough to follow along and enjoy the show.

Dong Myung-soo (RYU Seung-bum, brother of director RYOO Seung-wan) is a ruthless North Korean operative

Terrific, stylish, high-adrenaline action scenes frequently punctuate the film. Great credit must be given to JUNG Doo-hong, the film’s action coordinator, as well as to the actors and stunt personnel involved.

The audio and video on the DVD are fine. There's absolutely nothing to find fault with nor to complain about, although I must confess that I'd love it if CJ Entertainment would start making their films available on Blu-ray discs as well as DVDs (like Well Go USA does) or as Blu-ray/DVD combo editions (as The Criterion Collection is now doing).

There are four language track options: the original Korean soundtrack with English subtitles or an English dubbed version, both available as either 5.1 or 2.0.

The Berlin File disc extras include "The Making of The Berlin File," a much better than average behind-the-scenes featurette that clocks in about 83 minutes. There are some very interesting bits of information that come to light, especially from action coordinator JUNG and from a woman formerly from North Korea who advised the cast on the various accents they employed and which were based on the social status of their characters.  Some deleted scenes are also included.

The Berlin File is taut, well-paced, action-packed thriller with an outstanding all-star cast. ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended.

Some other reviews of the film, not the DVD per se, can be found at:
Film Business Asia

The New York Times 

Modern Korean Cinema

Screen Daily

ACF 1842: THE BERLIN FILE doing great bu$ine$$ in North America

The Berlin File, directed by RYOO Seung-wan, was released in North America on February 15th and  has been having a very successful run here, as this article at the Korean Film Biz Zone (kobiz) indicates. Great news for director RYOO and the cast and crew in particular and for Korean cinema in general. And of course for their fans here in North America.

My review of the film here.

My email interview with director RYOO Seung-wan here. (I'm pleased to point out that, in my preface to my final question, I said that "I think [The Berlin File] will be quite successful." Sure seems I got that one right.)

ACF 1823: Interview with South Korean director RYOO Seung-wan

RYOO Seung-wan (center) with actor HAN Suk-kyu (right)

I recently had the wonderful opportunity to engage in a long-distance email interview with RYOO Seung-wan, the writer/director of The Berlin File, a high-octane espionage thriller that opened nationwide in the U.S. on February 15th. (My review of the film here.) I submitted my questions, which were then translated into Korean. Director RYOO's responses were then translated into English and sent to me.

AsianCineFest: How did you come to write and direct an espionage thriller set in Berlin? 

Director RYOO: Korea is still a nation going through a cold period between the South and the North even after the Korean War. Also, there are no movies treating the stories of spies due to political logic. That was the interesting point. Even though we're talking about the present, it felt like people from the past were leading us into the story. In addition to that, my imagination was triggered when I saw people living with hidden identities in a 3rd nation, not their own.

Berlin is a city connected to lots of big cases that can't be ignored in Korean history. Also, it’s a place that represented a separated nation along with Korea in the Cold War period.

I think my personal interest and the symbolic representation of the city Berlin met, and the result was this movie. 

AsianCineFest: This was the first film you shot outside of South Korea, correct? 

Director RYOO: Yes, it was my very first shoot abroad. 

AsianCineFest: Did shooting in Berlin pose any problems or challenges you hadn't previously experienced? Would you consider shooting another film outside of South Korea? 

Director RYOO: Food, Jetlag, Language, Homesickness... On top of everything, not being able to go home. It was not an easy journey. It was a very difficult process, but if my next film also has a background in a different country, I'll have to do it. I didn't make The Berlin File because I wanted to shoot abroad, I shot abroad because I was trying to make the film The Berlin File. 

AsianCineFest: There is dialogue in Korean, English, and some German, I believe. Did the Korean actors learn their English lines phonetically? HAN Suk-kyu, whom I greatly respect and admire, did seem to have some trouble with his English. 

Director RYOO: Experts of each language translated my scenario, and then coached the actors. The Korean actors had lots of dialect, which called for a dialect coach on the set at all times. The problem wasn't the actors, it was with me. I couldn't understand what the actors were saying.... It was brutal. 

AsianCineFest: There's at least one rooftop scene with South Korean intelligence agent JUNG (Han's character) and North Korean operative PYU (played by HA Jung-woo). Such a confrontation almost invariably brings to mind such films as Lau Wai-keung and Alan Mak's Infernal Affairs (2002) and more recently JANG Hun's Rough Cut (2008). Did you have any particular reason for including such a rooftop face-off between the two prime antagonists? 

Director RYOO: I like the space of a roof. It's strange, but I like the feeling that it's open to everything. I think that must be why I enjoyed filming characters meeting and fighting in such a place ever since my debut film. First of all, my taste probably had lots to do with it, and secondly, I thought it's too obvious that a character tries to run from a building and the enemy comes up the stairs to catch him, so I thought of a new scene where the main character tries to jump to another building, and having the two characters run into each other on the rooftop. 

AsianCineFest:. JUNG Doo-hong, who has worked with you on some of your other films, served as the action coordinator on The Berlin File. In what way, if any, where you involved with the creation of the action sequences, which I must say were terrific. 

Director RYOO: My part was asking the simple questions about where and how the characters will fight. If I propose questions, then the Action Director Jeong will think about it and give me several answers. Then I pick among some of them, or I ask again with more specific questions. If there is my influence anywhere, it's agonizing the experts to give a better answer. 

AsianCineFest: The Berlin File, which I think will be quite successful, concludes with the clear possibility of a sequel. If it does as well as I expect, will we have, say, The Pyonyang File to look forward to in the near future? In any case, can you say anything, even something very general, about upcoming projects you are considering?

Director RYOO: As of now, there is no plan for a follow-up. The Berlin File was not really a film I made with an intention to make a sequel. Regardless of the movie's success at being a box-office hit, I think the temptation to make a follow-up for The Berlin File would be a sweet poison. For now, I am just looking for people I can cast as main characters for the next film.

There are many ideas, but none confirmed. We will just have to try our best to make a better movie than The Berlin File.

ACF 1805: THE BERLIN FILE opens nationwide in U.S. tomorrow

Get ready for an action-packed espionage thriller in which the clandestine representatives of the two parts of Korea, the only remaining country that was divided in the post-WWII period, go at one another in the city that was the focus of so much Cold War intrigue. THE BERLIN FILE opens nationwide in select U.S. cities on Friday, February 15, 2013. Locations include New York (AMC Empire, AMC Bay Terrace), New Jersey (AMC Ridgefield Park), Philadelphia (AMC Plymouth Meeting), Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Seattle, and Honolulu. (An up-to-date list and further information about the film is available at THE BERLIN FILE official webpage)

THE BERLIN FILE set attendance records in South Korea after it began screening at 5:00 p.m. this past January 29th, the day before its official release there. South Korean filmmakers BONG Joon-ho (THE HOST), CHOI Dong-hoon (THE THIEVES, and LEE Joon-ik (THE KING AND THE CLOWN) have each praised it.

North Korean "ghost" agent PYO Jong-seong (HA Jung-woo)

The film, which was written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan (THE CITY OF VIOLENCE), centers around PYO Jong-seong, a North Korean operative played by HA Jung-woo (THE YELLOW SEA, NAMELESS GANGSTER). Currently stationed in Berlin, where his wife is a translator for the North Korean ambassador, PYO is called the hero of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. However, he is not known to the intelligence agencies of South Korea (a.k.a. the Republic of Korea), the United States, Britain, or Israel.

Such an agent is termed a “ghost” and that’s what South Korean intelligence agent JUNG Jin-soo (HAN Suk-kyu, GREEN FISH, SHIRI, A BLOODY ARIA) calls him when he’s seen on surveillance cameras at an arms deal taking place in a hotel room. PYO is arranging, via a Russian broker, for the sale of North Korean weapons to a member of an Arab “anti-imperialist” terrorist organization. When a third party interrupts the meeting, all hell breaks loose, and JUNG’s quest to capture the resourceful and elusive PYO begins.

RYUN Jung-hee (Gianna JUN) is PYO's wife and a translater for the North Korean ambassador

The story is further complicated because PYO’s wife, RYUN Jung-hee (played by Gianna JUN, a.k.a. JUN Ji-hyun, BLOOD: THE LAST VAMPIRE, MY SASSY GIRL, IL MARE), is suspected of treason. DONG Myung-soo, a vicious North Korean agent and son of a powerful political figure, has been sent to deal with the situation. He gives PYO, who begins to have some of his own suspicions about his wife, forty-eight hours to clear her. RYOO Seung-bum (DOOMSDAY BOOK, FOXY FESTIVAL, NO MERCY), brother of director RYOO Seung-wan, plays the role of DONG with truly relentless, sinister menace.

South Korean intelligence agent JUNG Jin-soo (HAN Suk-kyu)

To say that the film has a dense story line is almost an understatement. In addition to the North and South Korean intelligence and diplomatic factions and the Arab terrorists, there is involvement of the U.S. CIA and Israel’s Mossad, suspicions of defection, and a $4 billion fund supposedly squirreled away by North Korea’s supreme leader KIM Jong-il before he died. Individuals are often not what they seem to be and are rarely to be trusted. In the world of espionage, after all, duplicity is the name of the game. Still, it’s easy enough to follow along and enjoy the show.

While the film is primarily in Korean, with easy to read subtitles, a fair portion is in English, and it’s here that the film’s main problem crops up. None of the Korean actors seem totally comfortable speaking English. HAN Suk-kyu, whom I respect and admire as an actor, has the most difficulty; at times I wished that there were subtitles for his lines of dialogue in English.

Dong Myung-soo (RYOO Seung-bum, brother of director RYOO Seung-wan) is a ruthless North Korean operative

Terrific, stylish, high-adrenaline action scenes frequently punctuate the film. I must give credit here to JUNG Doo-hong, who is listed at IMDb as the film’s action coordinator, but who is mysteriously not included in the otherwise extensive list of cast and crew in the press information provided with the screener I received.

When all is said and done, I found THE BERLIN FILE to be crackin’ good entertainment, a well paced, thriller with an outstanding all-star cast.

ACF Rating: 3.5 out of 4 stars; highly recommended.

Note: This review first appeared in slightly different form at 24Framespersecond.