Gamsijadeul

Cold Eyes is a fast paced crime drama which begins with a pretty young girl on a subway who seems to be a regular passenger with other riders. Hyo-ju Ha is the actress, and she is the star here, a natural beauty who you cannot take your eyes off of. She turns out to be an undercover cop tracking bad guys. Later on, she is teamed with other police, all men, by the way, who join together to catch a ruthless group of criminals who have robbed a bank. Most of the film is set in a large room filled with monitors showing various parts of a Korean city. It moves along quickly, with a solid cast and decent storyline. The ending is nothing new, but overall it is better than average.

I am lucky enough to attend a premiere of Cold Eyes. Without any expectation or prior knowledge of the movie ,I was drawn into the movie within 10 minutes. I do not want to spoil the movie for anyone but if you are into terrific Korean thrillers like Man from nowhere, The Chaser etc., Cold eyes is definitely for you. The characters are vivid, the action is exciting and heart pounding, the fight scenes are well choreographed and believable, the cat and mouse tracking between the detectives and the villains will keep you on the edge of your seat. The jokes are natural and laughable too, which are inserted at the correct points of the movie to create a tense and loosen effect, catching hold of the audience and letting go a while when necessary. Go and watch it, it is well worth your time. Hollywood productions, better buck up as Korea movies are coming strong.

Impressive opening scene. Excellent photography. Awesome visuals. Fascinating story. Action-packed and unpredictable. What more could you want in an action thriller? The film is about a group of police specialists who are the best in their field, and a mastermind criminal the best in his field, and them trying to outwit one another. He gets hired to steal specific items, and never deviate from the plan. Woo-sung Jung is excellent in the role of the ruthless robber.

"Cold Eyes" is a new thriller and we can pronounce South Korean mastery in thriller genre.

An elite Korean police surveillance unit, led by Hwang Sang-jun/Falcon (Seol Kyung-gu), is after an ace gang of robbers led by James (Jung Woo-sung). At the same time, rookie Ha Yoon-ju/Piglet (Han Hyo-joo) joins the surveillance unit and needs to learn how to fit in.

"Cold Eyes" is a taut, proficient and tense thriller. It delivers every minute detail of the surveillance team, and we are in sync with main characters and their competencies. Everything we need to know about them for the story is mostly presented through how they do their jobs, and most of them are smart and resourceful enough to be the competent players of their crafts. In their intense battle of wits, a trivial thing noticed in one situation can be a crucial chance for reversal in the other circumstance later, and, like many good thrillers, that makes us constantly anxious about what will happen next.

The movie draws our attention from the beginning with its terrific opening sequence introducing its main characters as also subtly signaling to us that something is going on under the surface. We initially see a young woman in the subway that seems to be on some clandestine mission, and we also notice an ordinary-looking middle-aged man in the same subway car. Both are very watchful about their surroundings, but they are also very, very careful about being not noticed by others – and each other, perhaps.

"Cold Eyes" is the remake of Hong Kong thriller "Eye in the Sky (2007)" produced by Johnnie To, and he also has a cameo. "Cold Eyes" is a perfect remake with genuine South Korean style and substance.

7.8/10

This tells the operations of a team of surveillance officers tracking some most wanted criminals in South Korea.

Piggy is a new recruit into the surveillance team, and her initial test to see if she has photographic memory is already very impressive. When she is on the field and put to test, she and her team continues to excel in all ways possible. The technology they used, their analytical power and their brilliant skills dazzle viewers. The numerous close shaves keep viewers on edge, and there were many occasions I could feel myself holding my breath, waiting for critical events to unfold.

I have watched a few Korean films lately, and I have been thoroughly impressed by all of them. "Cold Eyes" continues the streak of great Korean films to be exported abroad, as it is a thriller that cuts right to the chase and keeps you on edge throughout the film. If you have the chance, go watch "Cold Eyes".