The Berlin File (2013)

I'm always surprised that other people are surprised that South Korea is capable of delivering good action movies. The action scenes/stunts from this movie alone put some American movies to shame! There is almost an insanity to some of them, but it comes across as really well executed (no pun intended).Having said that, what I also like about movies from Korea, is their ability to make you invest into characters, while simultaneously keeping them mysterious or at least in grey areas as well. What is good and who is bad, could be a question, but what would be the answer? If you'd be able to answer that of course. Not all movies work with that formula, but this particular one does. You might have to wrap your head around this, so it might take a few minutes to get who is who and doing what, but once you are there (without the movie patronizing you), you will be able to really enjoy this

Being away from Korea at the moment, I only caught this film a few days ago. I'm quite a fan of 'serious' spy films like The Ipcress File or the more recent adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, so I decided to give this rather sombre-looking film a watch. For me, personally, there was almost nothing to dislike before I started watching; having seen Shiri, the first Korean spy-action film, as a kid, I was very excited about Han Seok-kyu returning to a more gritty role of an experienced Cold Warrior intelligence officer. Han mainly plays the role to be reminiscent of his previous appearance in Eye for an Eye (눈 에는 눈, 이 에는 이), wherein he portrays a veteran somewhat disillusioned with the ideals and organisation he fights for, but still employing his keen sense against his opponents. While not as off-the-rails as his character Baek Seong-chan in Eye for an Eye, Han's new-found propensity to add a little frenzy to the emotional mix added suspense to the unfolding plot.At the very basics, The Berlin File revolves around a botched arms deal between rogue state and non-state actors, whose ripple effects bring in the wider circle of the international intelligence community. Amidst the intrigue is the more personal relationships between the spies themselves, whether between those on the same side, or beyond ideological borders. To be honest, I found the overall story to be entertaining, but as others point out, somewhat convoluted for the fairly frenetic pace of the action and movements. It was quite clear that the film-makers were going for a kind of John le Carre flavour to the distinctly Korean mix of action and drama, even going so far as to actually use a copy of his novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold as a prop in a scene (a German copy, which was a nice touch). Ha Jeong-woo and Ryu Seung-beom were ideal as North Korean fixers, the former having previously played a stoic action-based North Korean in the brutal 2010 film The Yellow Sea. Their tale of corrupted brotherhood might even have been an allegory of generational changes in the DPRK, just as Han Seok- kyu's conflicts with his own organisation might just symbolise such tumult in South Korea.Something that I did find rather disappointing was the limited role that Jeon Ji-hyeon, a decent actress in her own right, played in the story. I admit, I haven'이 seen most of her films, but in those that I am familiar with, she is known for her own brand of strong, spunky femininity, which allowed her to play the lead across a variety of genres. I wasn'이 so keen that in The Berlin File, she was reduced to a glorified damsel-in- distress, meekly awaiting her man to rescue her. Not that I was expecting her to bust out the wire-action as in her previous film The Thieves, which dazzled with glamour and wit as opposed to this deliberately dour and heavy-set piece, but I did want her to be given more initiative in how her character was presented. Nonetheless, Jeon Ji-hyeon does well to fulfil the position of an understated heroine.Furthermore, while trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible, I can'이 say I cared much for the blunt and unrelenting use of action scenes toward the end, albeit only for a sequence of, say, 10 minutes or so. If John le Carre and other 'hard' spy fiction wants to tell us anything, it's that the real world of espionage is far-flung from the glitzy fantasy landscape of James Bond, and even the action-fuelled chaos of the Bourne series. The real world of intelligence, apparently, is more painstaking paperwork and dead drops, than shoot-outs and gadgets. The first half of The Berlin File pays faithful homage to the slow and uneasy atmosphere of Western works with similar premise, while ratcheting up the action factor towards the end, probably, to appeal to a wider audience. Don'이 get me wrong, it's reasonably well done and much less gratuitous than otherwise might have been (looking at you, IRIS). My only gripe, as perhaps befitting a le Carre fan, is that it wasn'이 as tedious as it should have been!All in all, I think that a film is a decent one when the worst that can be said about it is that it's a "step forward for the Korean film industry", while the best praise for it puts it up there along with the global standard. And globally appealing it is too, partly due to the script supervision of an American film-maker that made the English and German dialogue less inept than Korean films in the past have allowed. I certainly hope to see The Berlin File gather at least some recognition outside of Korea, and maybe even to see more of its kind in the future.

This spy movie had me on the edge of my seat many times. This is a good fast-paced action, thriller, and drama with subtitles. The fight scenes were excellent, the stunt driving was top-notch; there was so much that was great about this movie. What I found so refreshing in this Korean movie, was the lack of blood and gore that Hollywood uses by the truckload. The subtitles sometimes moved too fast though. Ten lines of text about a movie is too much to say about a movie especially since one will give spoilers away. I choose not say what is in the movie but to say it was good. If one knows ahead of time what one will see then it will no longer be a surprise. That is wrong with all of the movie trailers because they give the movie away before we even pay to see it.

just saw it. speechless! Taking Korean action film to the next level. Must see!! I am a big fan of Bourn series and 007 films.but I am not joking. this one is way better the plot and the acting hell of a movie Hope you guys can see it also I wish someday the director guy takes the next 007 film its a hell of a film man seriously. just watch it. whoooo a wtf this review thing! over ten lines? seriously. man Iam not writing a college essay here. give me a break why do i have to fill up all ten lines!! wtf wtf wtf anyway the movie is a masterpiece. none like the other you will be amazed by the escalated level of korean movies. best korean movie since the bittersweet life. wow man korean directors should be in Hollywood.