Chilgeup gongmuwon

If one should read the premise and have watched the trailer, the film most steeped in its reference comes to mind and that's Hollywood's Mr and Mrs Smith starring the It couple Brangelina. This is sort of a Korean reply to that film, and starring two hot, good looking stars in Kim Ha-Neul and Kang Ji-Hwan, who knows if there could be as much sparks flying in real life as in the reel as well.

But tabloid fodder aside, My Girlfriend is an Agent seemed more aligned to True Lies rather than the Smiths, by virtue of the extreme lengths taken in concealing one's true occupation from one's loved one, and that they don't quite get at each other's throats, at least not with intentionally deadly force anyway. Kim Ha-Neul stars as Su-Ji, whose cover is a travel agent with a hard-to-please Japanese clientèle, while in fact she's one of the top clandestine agents Korea has. The introduction's set action sequence establishes that, and throws in the dilemma her occupation being a roadblock to a successful love life with the geek Jae-Jun (Kang Ji-Hwan), who decided that enough is enough, and boards a plane, essentially breaking her heart with an absence and communications silence.

Fast forward to three years later, and Su-Ji accidentally bumps into Jae-Jun while in the midst of a mission, and sparks fly, of a different sort. What she and us the audience don't know, is that Jae-Jun is an agent as well, albeit belonging to a different agency, but have the same enemies in their gun-sights. And it is this interplay of a long long romance now returned, and an opportunity for revenge needless to say, while concealing both their respective identities from each other, that lead to natural comedic situations, as well as setting action sequences up for double the whammy given two skilled agents in the field now.

It's easy to dismiss this as just another hack on the Hollywood film, but it's easy to identify with the underlying issues that My Girlfriend is an Agent poses. We aren't agents, but it plays on the fact that we have different facades that we put on in different aspects of our life, and sometimes these concerns come clashing with one another, leaving us in a dilemma on what to do, and which decision to take when faced with a fork in the road. Honesty is probably the best policy when it comes to relationships, but sometimes you wonder if a white lie could in fact spare the other some pain, physically or emotionally, and for cases like these super- spies, likely to be more for the physical protection of their loved ones. Not everyone can operate like a James Bond, who's probably the worst secret agent out there with practically a useless cover with such a persona well known.

Kim Ha-Neul and Kang Ji-Hwan share some comfortable chemistry whether they're up against each other, or rekindling their feelings. Their television star status should ensure that fans everywhere would hit the cinemas to support their stars in their big screen outing (you should see the response during their whirlwind tour of our city state). While Ha-Neul probably had it easier ramping up the sexiness of her role, Ji-Hwan is no pushover with his endearing, bumbling agent that personally I thought was the more interesting of the two.

The English title may sound tacky, but don't let that stop you from enjoying this lightweight, romantic comedy with action sequences that are a throwback similar to what Hong Kong films in the 80s have done.

When I saw the trailer to this I thought it would be some lame comedy with some action and drama thrown in, and not to my surprise I was right. So in another words it's like "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" with less cool action and more of the Korean humor in it, which ain't necessarily a bad thing but most of the humor I didn't find to be that funny as a matter of fact the action portion of this is it's weakest moments. Just about everything about this movie is predictable, but I give it props for being clever time to time although not original. Even for a comedy the character decisions can be awkward at times and doesn't seem to make any sense when a weapon is threatening to kill a lot of innocent civilians, but the agents go off and do goofy stuff. Which I can't really blame, cause there doesn't seem to be another way around it and if there was they needed to change a lot of scenarios around. I also found this comedy to be boring at times despite the actors and actresses doing the best they can with what they have. But overall like I said, I found it to be a bit boring but it was somewhat enjoyable as well.

6.8/10

Some parts of this comedy spy action movie are good and funny but there are many parts that are dated and not funny. The direction is a bit sloppy and the continuity isn't good between scenes. The action is alright and quite comical in parts especially the fortress scenes. Kim Ha Neul is okay quite up to the action and changes of costume. Kang Ji Hwan is likeable enough as the bumbling rookie agent and he has the best comedic sequences. For a 2009 movie I guess it's okay but in 2020 it doesn't quite stand the test of time. This is not one of those Korean movies that is better than Hollywood.

When I went to the theaters, I was not expecting much from this film. My only thoughts were,"Great... A Korean attempt at Mr. and Mrs. Smith." Boy, was I surprised when I saw this film!

First off, I'll review the acting, which I thought was pretty decent throughout. At first, I mistook Kang Ji Hwan's acting as "over-acting". However, I soon realized that was his way of acting comically. After getting used to that, his actions and reactions were simply quirky and cute. I loved his high-pitched screaming. Usually, the foreigners who act in Korean films/dramas are downright awful. I have no idea why; it just is. In Chilgeup Gongmuwon, they were mediocre, which was a HUGE relief because I did not have to cringe whenever they were on screen.

Next, the action and plot. The action was probably the worst part of the film. It was not terrible. It just needed some, or maybe, a lot of work. Some of the stunts were too unrealistic and poorly choreographed. (i.e. the jet ski, fencing thing...) The plot maintained a great speed. Like the action, the one turning point of the plot suffered from being a bit questionable. However, do not let these faults turn you off because the comedy makes up for it entirely.

Finally, the comedy. The film starts off right away trying to get the audience to laugh. And it succeeds. Some scenes are predictable. Yet, it is still hilarious! My family and I laughed at all the scenes meant to be laughed at.

Overall, Chilgeup Gongmuwon is a movie purely for laughs and should be watched lighted-heartedly. It succeeds in the comedy but fails in the action. You will not get any meaning from this film, but it is sure to entertain you until the very end. So if you are lucky enough to have a theater near you playing it, I recommend you go see it.

Notes: The subtitles in my theater made me laugh. They used "cuz" instead of "because", which made me think that the translator instant messaged too much or something. Instead of "spicy rice cakes", it was translated to "dumplings", a completely different food. But I guess, it is easier for a non-Korean audience to understand.

This film is NOT RATED. However, I would give it a PG13 rating. There was a comedic kissing scene, light action sequences, and some uses of sh*t.

7 out of 10

"7th Grade Civil Servant" is a quite entertaining action comedy movie with some curious spy flick passages and a romantic love story. A female agent loses her boyfriend because she can't tell him the truth about her real job as a special agent. Three years after, the two heartbroken and unique characters meet again. The boyfriend still doesn't know anything about his big love's career and has become a special agent for a different section of the state. His girlfriend realizes quickly that he is now also lying to her but she's emotionally furious and blind for the truth. In a case involving the transfer of a deadly virus from a scientist to a gang of Russian criminals, they have to figth against each other and sometimes work together without knowing it which leads to many hilarious sequences until the final revelations.

By only reading my introduction, you can easily see what this film is worth. The movie's two biggest flaws are that the story is nothing really new at all and heavily predictable at some points and that many comedy moments get a little bit too repetitive and silly from time to time.

On the positive side, we have two convincing main actors with the beautiful, hyperactive and tough Ahn Soo-Ji that is incarnated by Kim Ha-Neul and a clumsy, courageous and naive Lee Jae-joon that is performed by Kang Ji-Hwan. They have a good chemistry and perform very well together, both in the harsh and the romantic parts. The supporting actors are also very funny and only the main villains remain a little bit faceless.

The slapstick moments in this movie are rather comparable to the Japanese and Hongkong cinema of the eighties and nineties and fail to have the same unique brand of brilliance as recent South Korean flicks as "Save The Green Planet!" for example. Sometimes you rather feel as if you were in a Jackie Chan flick. If you like this kind of more accessible Asian humour, you will really feel at home with this flick but I think that there's a little bit too much comedy in it against its own good. The movie could be more unique and lacks of something really outstanding.

It's though a very entertaining, light-hearted and sympathetic flick that is worth a watch but in the end nothing more than a good average flick with solid comedy moments and average action scenes that are saved by a very good acting.