The Borderland

We all know what these type of movies are trying to do, and as such, give them the benefit of the doubt. However, "Covert Operation" has too many flaws to rate any higher than a 2 out of 10. The portrayal of the North Koreans alone is horrible. I can only recommend this film as a poor attempt at a dark comedy. The dialogue is difficult to hear, and the accents are also very heavy. Much of the action is shot with the camera moving, another reason I do not care for the film. I like to see the action in my action films. The plot was hard for me to follow, but it seemed to contain more holes than substance. Also used through out the entire film was poor lighting, again making it difficult to follow the action, and plot. In conclusion, "Covert Operation" is a poor attempt at action, and should be watched with caution, if at all.

The main actor moves in slow motion. The directors have no idea that in North Korea men serve 10 years mandatory military service and women 7 years. The North Korean commando who raided Blue House was an elite unit, but it still gives an idea about the martial arts training North Korean soldiers receive.

This movie depicts North Koreans worse than a caricature. I suspect it is funded by US Army to serve propagandist purpose.

I understand that it's difficult to get North Korean accent speakers in a movie, but those actors sound worse than Konglish. The 90's famine propaganda is also shameless.

There is nothing else to see but goofs and propaganda.

... you are ever likely to see.

The genre is ... confused.

It is has simultaneously elements of a martial arts film, a spy film, a comedy, and a horror film.

For example, there is a lot of humor around and about the topic of North Korea. Being from the west, I was not even aware that this was a bountiful source of material for comedy, but the screenwriter clearly saw the matter differently, and wrote jokes accordingly.

The shifts in mood & tone are unpredictable, and that is not necessarily a good thing.

A North Korean officer runs into the barracks only to find one of the soldiers reading a porn magazine. So he takes out a gun and shoots him in the head. In an adjoining scene a captured spy is being tortured by having his intestines removed while he is still alive.

Not quite as funny, that second bit..

All this takes getting some used to.

Nor does it help that the protagonist, the hero, speaks English with an odd accent. Now, in fairness, Jean Claude Van Damme did the same thing at the beginning of HIS career but I somehow doubt that Sedina Balde is about to follow in Van Damme's footsteps. More likely, he is simply going to be a bottom-tier action hero with an annoying accent.

The director TRIES. Boy does he try. There is a scene where simultaneous fights are taking place on two contiguous floors of the same building and I swear the camera angle actually inverts (goes upside down) to prepare the viewer for what comes next.

That is a very cool scene, perhaps the highlight of the film. Seriously cool.

Other directors will see it and copy it. It's THAT good.

Unfortunately, it comes near the half way point and its is all downhill from there.

------------------------------------------------------- PS added 11-12-14. Noticed 4 new reviews added, all rating this film at the level of THE MATRIX or GODFATHER, all by reviewers with only one single review in their IMDb profile. Make of this what you will.

This picture is really weird. Filmed in France? I think it was supposed to be an action packed thriller. For me it was also a comedy. I laughed out loud several times. The plot has so many holes, worse than a Swiss cheese. The acting was meh, the dialogue was written by Yogi Berra sitting on the toilet and eating crackers. The main bad guy was also always uptight. He was a caricature of what a western person might think of an Asian evil dude. You could tell the hero was a professional martial artist. He was really good, the fight scenes were OK, but also contributed to the comedy. You know, the unwritten law that only one man at a time can attack the hero even though he is surrounded by 16 martial arts guys.

Yet still I liked it. I gave it a seven.. I'm easy

I have to say I strongly disagree with those reviewers praising this movie. It really really is just horrible. The script is just awful. The plot is so full of holes- that it is unbelievable. I have never seen the lead actor in anything else, so I don't know if his performance is a result of his lack of ability or a result of bad directing. His line delivery is worse than a second grader reading a book out loud for the first time. It is an action movie lacking much in the way of action. The few action sequences are bland and unexciting. Any attempt at comic relief falls flat. So if you come across this flick, pass it by and spare yourself the suffering.