Films From South Korea
Ha Jung-woo Double Dhamaka (Actor & Director)
[Other films : Kundo, Chaser, The Berlin Files (they are making Part-2 of this espionage thriller)]
Film One
Assassination [2015 : Korean : 2h20m : Thriller (Period Drama, Suspence, Action)]
Note : Should not be confused with The Assassin (2015) Chinese film.
Writen, Directed & Produced by Choi Dong-hoon
Starring : Jun Ji-hyun (The Berlin Files), Lee Jung-jae (New World), Ha Jung-woo
The South-Korean Film is identic to Inglourious Basterds, yet it's different as both the films are handled by different directors. Just like Hans Landa in the former, Assassination has Captain Yeom (Lee Jung-jae) and the scarificing Shosanna is played by Jun Ji-hyun as Ahn Ok-yun. Other characters draw huge similarities too, like Hawaii Pistol (Ha Jung-woo) who resembles The Apache and his side-kick The Bear Jew is reminded by Hawaii's Pistol's partner. And both films deals with Resistance group in an occupied country. Where Assassination is different is when the director, Choi Dong-hoon, sprinkles in double & triple agent espionage scenarios and covers occupied South Korean during both World Wars. And the incidents are ofcoarse different from the American film.
Year 1911, an ambitious Korean industralist Kang sets a deal with the rival Japanese who have occupied South Korea by force. The buisness-man learns about a resistence group member in his family, and in the chaos his twin childs get seperated. An assassin fails to kill his target, the Japanese Governor General. The present is actually 1949, post 2nd World War in independant Korea, where an invetigation on War Crimes is been interrogated. Cut to 1933, Assassination narrates the plans and executions of three freedom fighters to assassinate the Japanese Army General Kawaguchi and the Korean Buisnessman Kang. Admist the obvious dangers, a spy leaks their identity and a contract killer is on loose to take down the three assassins before they suceed in their mission.
Assasination has some quality decors, live action sequences, a bit of humour & romance and a lot of suspense mixed with action. Eventhough a lot of characters are introduced rapidly, about an hour into the fim they all get automatically registered leading to an thrilling standoff climax.
Assassination - Cream of the Fight
Film Two
The Terror Live [2013 : Korean : 1h40m : Suspense (Thriller, Socio-Political)]
Written & Directed by Kim Byung-woo
Starring : Lee Geung-young & Ha Jung-woo
A desperate radio anchor, Yoon Young-hwa (Ha Jung-woo), finds the call made by a person who calls himself Park Jeong-min, an ultimate oppurtunity to shoot up in his carrier. He negociates the call details, which initially he dismissed as a prank call, with his boss and ex-wife to get back his lost professional & personal life set-up. The caller had just blown the Mapo Bridge crossing the Han River and claims to do more damage if his demands are not met. Entering into a conversational game with the annonymous caller, Yoon not only finds himself trapped inside the caller's universe, but also becomes a sitting duck over the conspiracy circling around buisness and politics.
Major portions of the film happens inside a cubical, and entirely depends on Ha Jung-woo. It is him we see almost in every single frame where he begins with arrogance while handling calls, clever while negociating with his boss, cunning while talking to the caller, angry when he learns that he is deceived, terrorised when being trapped and finally sits silently and shattered when the valcano of show-buzz erupts something else than just news - he slowly realises that he has become the victim for the sensation. All the tiny emotions are brought out by Ha Jung-woo, which makes the film advance briskly to a stunning climax.
The Terror Live - Tickle & Tingle
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