Typhoon

Typhoon tells the story of a North Korean man who with his family had previously failed in an attempt to defect to the South because of the existing political position of South Korea. The failed attempt occurred, according to the insight of one character in the story, because such things weren't possible until a year after this antagonist's attempt. Embittered over this turn of events, the man decides he will kill every South Korean since his mother was killed and his sister was humiliated due to unfavorable political circumstances. A South Korean agent enlisted to interdict this would be terrorist chases leads around much of Asia in his effort to stop the North Korean's plan.

The actor playing the would-be terrorist provides a completely over-the-top performance, with the terrorist character at times nearly foaming at the mouth when he is confronted by his enemies. His intense bond with his sister, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years by the way, borders on the psychotic. The South Korean agent assigned to find him is cool, analytical and competent, yet the agent somehow manages to feel a strong bond with his deranged prey, being reluctant to kill the terrorist despite his clearly murderous intent. While this plot development does not work on the screen, it plays directly to pan-Korean nationalist sentiment in its target audience, and I'm sure it is appreciated by the home crowd for exactly that reason. Ohterwise this film is a bit mediocre in spite of the production values it clearly has.

This new film by Kwak Kyung-Taek is dubbed a blockbuster, having used up the most expensive budget in Korean cinema history. The money does show up on screen and the locations are nice and exotic. But the movie is somewhat disappointing in other respects.

The first hour is very boring, one that had me restless. The music sounded like something from an expensive video game and many scenes dragged on far too long. After witnessing the most uninspired car chase I've seen in a while, I was ready to give up on this movie. However, Lee Mi-Yeon managed to save the film single handedly with an incredible performance. It's a shame she's on screen for such a short time but with her introduction, the film suddenly finds energy and was entertaining from then on. The film could have used some better characterization and more interaction between the two protagonists. It is mostly the flawed screenplay that is the blame here concerning our lack of emotional attachment to the main characters not the actors themselves; they both do a suitable job. More of Lee Mi-Yeon could have always helped as well. As it is, this movie delivers somewhat as entertainment but it could have been much better.

One scene that will remain in my mind from this film is when the two protagonists meet at the train station. This is one of the few times when the music complemented the scene and the result is truly cinematic. Only at this turning point does the movie find its mark but when it does, it's more than watchable.

One of the biggest high budget movie's made in Korea. Basically it's Korean style Bourne movie. The cast are brilliant including Jung-Jae Lee (City of the Rising Sun) and Dong-Kun Jang(2009: Lost Memories). Great location's however most of the budget must have been used for this, there are very few action scene's, don't be expecting amazing shoot out's or high flying unrealistic kung fu fight's. Do expect a film with characterisation and a bit of depth. Overall it's a film which will be enjoyable to watch if you are patient enough to last the first half hour. Ifg anyone has seen 'A Bittersweet life' by Ji-woon Kim you will enjoy this movie but it wont stand out as a classic but a stylish action movie.

Here comes another solid movie from the country that currently produces the best films in the whole wide world which happens to be South Korea.

Don't worry about the critics. The economical, political and social component of a divided Korean peninsula is an issue in this movie and one should at least have a basic knowledge about this conflict to understand this movie. But this delicate topic doesn't dominate the movie and makes the whole thing too melodramatic. It's rather a positive elements as it adds some spicy ingredients to a promising melting pot and it adds some depth and development to many characters in this movie as you will see.

The movie still stays a tension filled action movie about a lonesome pirate that wants to attack the Korean peninsula with nuclear garbage. The acting of both the main villain and the main hero is authentic and unique to both of them. The supporting actors such as the main villain's sister also do a great job. The amazing thing about this movie is that the bad guy is more than just your average terrorist. There are many reasons why he has become the one he is and sometimes good and evil are not clearly distinguished. When it comes to the confrontation between the good and the bad guy, one realizes that they have a lot in common and could have been big friends in another situation. This is what makes this movie emotional, tragic and not too expectable at some points. Towards the end, the flick becomes a true tearjerker but I mean this in a positive way. The movie truly touched me because the stories behind the characters are really well thought out. They are dramatic, emotional and tragic.

The story is not complicated but still detailed enough to remain interesting and demand a certain kind of attention. The movie just has the right mixture of dialogues, narrative flashbacks and explosive action scenes. The settings are also amazing. The movie plays in several countries from Laos to Russia and exposes many beautiful landscapes and different cultures without being too educational.

The only two small flaws during this joy ride are a little bit confusing beginning as too many different characters are introduced at the same time and you need a lot of concentration to get out who's doing what. The second point is a too predictable ending that reminds a little bit too much of many Hollywood movies. I really felt that I have already seen similar stuff a couple of times before at that point. A final showdown on a ship during a storm including terroristic pirates and a courageous military special unit that refuses to obey any orders to save the world on their own is a thing that uses too many stereotypes. Nevertheless, this movie still remains quite underrated, should get more praise and I would definitely watch this again.

Dong-Kun Jang (Nowhere to Hide) is an angry man. If you have seen the documentary Seoul Train, you would know why. He tries to escape North Korea through China to get to South Korea, but is deceived by everyone. He sees his parents slaughtered, and is separated from his sister. The only thing on his mind is revenge against both North and South.

He manages to get some nuclear material and has a brilliant plan.

Director Kyung-Taek Kwak keeps the movie moving as Jung-Jae Lee is called upon to track down the angry man and retrieve the material. He finds his long-lost sister and uses he as bait.

There is more than an action film here. It takes that to place in the US, but there is Korean romance buried withing the film. Too bad there was not enough time for more.