[KFCC] Comrade Review

Story: Lim Byong-ho (Han Seok-Gyu) is a ranking North Korean agent working at the embassy in East Germany, who defects by narrowly escaping and making his way through the Berlin Wall’s Checkpoint Charlie in 1980. Chased by North Korean officials and snipers, Lim is met on the other side of the wall by South Korean officials, who carry him away to safety. Lim is taken to the Central Intelligence Agency headquarte in Seoul’s Namsan Mountain. After being tortured repeatedly, the Korean CIA is finally convinced that Lim is telling the truth: that he left North Korea for freedom from communism. Lim is then put to work for the CIA, at first training operatives on North Korean tactics, and later becoming the heart of the agency as a special information analyst.

Review: Comrade (aka Double Agent) marks the return of Han Seok-Gyu, the star of the 1999 blockbuster Shiri who, with the success of Shiri decided to step down from movie making. years later, he returns from his hiatus from acting. I suppose he thought he’d star in a movie along the lines of Shiri and JSA and the outcome would be the same, that he’d become one of the most sought after stars again. I’m sad to say that it just didn’t work out like that.

It’s true that Shiri and JSA’s formula of separate Koreas involving suspicion and distrust can make for a thoroughly engaging drama, but it’s been done many times over. Don’t get me wrong, if this movie had pulled the same formula off the way the latter movies had, this movie would be on my “A” list. But it just doesn’t. It’s a complete bore-fest to watch and Comrade doesn’t bring anything new to the table. If this were a game of poker between the three movies, this movie would get it’s ass kicked by Shiri with it’s Royal Flush, and JSA with it’s Full House.

The movie? I’d love to say, “It ain’t too shabby.” But I just can’t. It definitely had an interesting premise when I first heard about it. But after I watched it, I found myself feeling very unsatisfied. I was alway anticipating something to happen. There were times when there were some rather interesting plot twists, and so I thought, “Cool! Something badass is gonna happen!” I was sorely disappointed many times. It took some situations and made me think that something really cool or some revelation was about to occur, but it just never happened. Either that, or it would just go off on some tangent for who knows why! On the other hand, Han Seok-Gyu performs well with the material provided. This might’ve been a great comeback for this illustrious actor had this movie been executed better in terms of overall quality.

Whereas JSA and Shiri portrayed North and South Koreans as the same in light of each other, Comrade makes both sides look like vile. The North is shown as deceptive individuals similar to a wolf in sheeps fur. In contrast, the South is shown in in the very same manner, depicting them as individuals who will do anything, no matter how vile for their cause. Whereas JSA chooses to show the two sides as equals, in this movie, they’re not equals in a positive way, but rather in a negative way.

There’s also a side story to this movie. A rather weak one at that. Lim Byong-ho is apparently a double agent who’s living out his time as a South Korean CIA operative unti lhe receives his orders from another agent, Yun Su-Mi (Go So-Yeong) a DJ at a radio station. They become romantically involved with each other as a cover for their real line of work, but eventually their false love turns into, (you guessed it!) genuine real love! Gee, I would’ve never guessed! As the movie progressed, I can honestly say that I didn’t give a flying rat’s arse about their newfound love and the problems that they have to endure. If anything, their love just felt truly generic. But hey, the love isn’t the point of this movie is it? It’s still part of the movie, a part that should have just been left out on the editing floor.