2016 ‘밀정’ Directed by Kim Jee-woon
Set in the late 1920s, The Age of Shadows follows the cat-and-mouse game that unfolds between a group of resistance fighters trying to bring in explosives from Shanghai to destroy key Japanese facilities in Seoul, and Japanese agents trying to stop them.
Miljung, Secret Agent, El imperio de las sombras, The Age of Shadows (2016), Секретный агент
Kim Jee-woon, one of South Korea's most exciting voices working today, comes out with The Age of Shadows - now with the director presenting an espionage thriller set during the Japanese occupation of Korea. What I admire most about Kim Jee-woon is his versatility in terms of his body of work, for he smoothly adapts to sudden shifts in genre types without any trouble (going from slow-paced horror in A Tale of Two Sisters all the way to fast-paced action in A Bittersweet Life), yet there's always a distinct touch that makes his films recognizable. With The Age of Shadows, we have what may be his most polished film since A Tale of Two Sisters (my favourite from him at…
From the writer-director of South Korean masterpieces like A Bittersweet Life, The Good, the Bad, the Weird & I Saw the Devil, The Age of Shadows finds the revered filmmaker tackling yet another genre with confidence & comfort, for his latest is a period drama with elements of action & thriller that's sophisticated in all filmmaking aspects and remains a tense, riveting ride for the majority of its runtime.
Set in Japanese-occupied Korea during the late 1930s, the story of The Age of Shadows follows a Korean-born Japanese policeman who's tasked with the operation to root out remaining members of his country's resistance movement but finds himself torn between following his superiors' orders or supporting a greater cause by helping the resistance fighters…
An entire country hidden behind shadows, through the narrow streets, dark basements, claustrophobic alleys, through the wall of fog: an information war, fought by black figures with partially obscured faces, hats and cigarettes are a necessity, informants with a sense of fashion as sharp as rays of light through a bullet hole. Kim Jee-Woon's latest gift to mankind is an age of incredible aesthetics. Be careful not to get too immersed, you'll soon catch yourself speaking in whispers and subconsciously looking behind as you walk.
Probably the best World War II movie and the best Spy movie since Inglourious Basterds. Baffling that it's only getting a release in the US targeted at immigrant communities. Especially considering it was produced by Warner Brothers.
"how's your body?"
like a pulpy, ultra-violent take on john le carré, or jean-pierre melville's Army of Shadows. (undoubtably where it's borrowed its title from.) doesn't reinvent the political resistance movie or crime genre by any means, but jee-woon kim directs with verve and it has an interesting thread about the inner turmoil that is a touchstone of these stories being expressed through violence―characters are torn by decisions, stabbed with guilt, burned by betrayal, broken by defeat... kim posits that so must their bodies.
It wouldn’t be right to refer to “The Age of Shadows” as a “yarn.” Very loosely based on an explosive footnote in the history of Japanese-Korean relations, the latest full-bodied epic from “I Saw the Devil” director Kim Jee-woon sprouts such a labyrinthine story from a single incident that this chic (if convoluted) spy thriller would be more accurately described as a magical beanstalk. The cloak-and-dagger adventure is far too sprawling for its own good, and the air only grows thinner as the film propellers towards its underwhelming finale, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a more lavishly staged staged chunk of pulp nonsense.
An exciting and suspenseful action-thriller that’s made all the more satisfying by actually taking the time to build up to its dramatic moments. The Age of Shadows also packs lavish production values and great characterizations, all of which round up to one impressive film that feels much shorter than its two-plus hour running time.
이 영화는 김지운 감독 미감의 이데아다... 초딩 때부터 이 사람 미감이 내 취향이었어서 너무 좋아서 내면눈물 흘리며 봄. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 한결같은 남자얼굴 취향이랑 다 이쁘게 입히고 꾸며놓은 거 보는 게 넘 재밌었고 어떻게든 만화 캐릭터처럼 되어버리는 캐디도 좋았다. ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ 정우성 대신 공유가 롱코트 입고 뛰어다니는 것도 웃김. 화면에 간지부터 살려야 하는 사람. 흑 이래서 인랑 기대했는데 망해서 너무 슬프네....... ㅜ.ㅜ
타란티노의 바스터즈처럼 마지막에서 터지는 정서적 해소와 쾌감이 부족해서 아쉽지만 눈뽕으로 만족함. 미술팀 정말 열일했구먼~
Quaracation: Korean Cinema! Part I: The Age of Shadows.
So it begins!
To my few dear followers, I've decided to embark on a proper film quest. It's a Quaracation! Work has been cancelled for the second straight week due to good ol' Mr. Virus, and I'm going to make the most of it: enjoy (bear?) with me as I explore the finest pieces of film from my adoptive home that I've thus far neglected (along with perhaps some revisits to films I haven't seen in years).
Opening up our quest is The Age of Shadows. I've meant to see this for *way* too long. I was living in the country when it released, and my native girlfriend at the time…
I'd like to take praise at the cinematography, direction and editing. The film looks so stunning visually, everything framed perfectly, scene transtions done well. Big plaudits for Kim Ji-yong on (Cinematography) and Kim Jee-woon (direction and writing)
This was quite an eye opening film with Song Kang-Ho, once again, delivering an outstanding performance as Lee Jung-chool, the conflicted police captain stuck between the might of Japanese rule and the heart of the Korean Resistence. The fight against the oppressive regime of the Japanses occupation. But along side that and the trueish stories of the time, we have a cat & mouse game of politics between Lee Jung-chool and Hashimoto.
The film is jammed with tension filled scenes as well as great,…
Kim Jee-Woon's study in espionage during the Japanese occupation of Korea is an impressive worthy spy film. Anchored by a complicated central performance from Song Kang-Ho, Kim's film adores the shades of grey his subject matter affords him and his usual frenzied style is restrained for much of the runtime making tense backroom conversations as compelling as his usual explosive set pieces would. One extended set piece aboard a moving train is the highlight of this marriage of mature subject matter and Kim's ability to let the tiniest infraction in speech lead to an eruption of violence.
The Age of Shadows does suffer though from a bloated runtime and Kim still occasionally lets his natural instincts overwhelm the material. These…
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Updated on February 22, 2020.
