Secretly, Greatly (2013)

This movie is actually great. The overall package of comedy, action, and drama deserves an appraisal. I smirked, laughed, tensed, and touched from the beginning till the NEAR end of the movie. And I think we need to give a standing ovation to Kim Soo Hyun, as he delivers the character of a top spy and a dumb fool very very well. This is one of the things in the movie which is worth to watch. However, somehow, I feel like there are some things in this movie which are actually unnecessary to be put into. The transformation of "the ajusshi" into "the professor" (I forgot his name) by putting on his glasses and suddenly turning dark-ish is a little bit exaggerated. Then the story of the professor's guard's sister who was saved by Lee Hae-rin which became the reason why he saved Hae-rin was cheesy. I mean, it would be better if it was another reason, or whatsoever. I don't know what it should be, but there must be a better reason or scene for that. There are also some other things that disturbed me at some points on the movie, but, well, I forgot what they were. It just came across my mind at some time and disappeared. In addition, I just don't like how the story end. Maybe I was just too immersed with the story, but, do they really have to do that? I just don't understand why the movie was made that way. I'm somewhere in 'the-movie-is-excellent-or-it's-just-above-average' zone, but 90% of me loves the movie. So, yeah, it's a strongly recommended Korean movie to watch. Seriously.

I read a short review of the film before watching it and so expected it to be a typical Korean comedy. But it surprised me with credible drama and lots of parkour-style action as well.In short, this is a film about 3 North Korean sleeper spies in the South. The first half of the film shows them in their sleeper lives and how they, especially Won (played by Soo Hyun Kim), live their dual lives. Won as the village idiot has the best role - an intelligent, highly capable spy acting as a dumb grocer's assistant. It's always a treat to see him alternate between his dual identities, though his dumb act consists mostly of falling down or off something.The other characters warm your heart too. There is the musician-wannabe spy who mocks Won and his loyalty to the North, the young spy who looks up to his idol-mentor Won, the party girl whose deepest secret is her longing for her unplanned child given away for adoption, the son of the grocer who cares for and loves his mother and Won more than he appears to, and the grocer-mother who treats Won as a son despite her crusty exterior, and others.The humor in the dialogue is sometimes unexpected, which is another plus. The parkour-style action scenes are short but thrilling, and the fight choreography are exciting to watch. Stories involving the different characters are told within the main story, creating subplots which are heartwarming and interesting for the most part. When the final order comes, the internal and external conflicts over it drive the 2nd half of the movie. And I loved and hated the ending for being so good and being so good it hurt that it didn't end any other way.If you're looking for a comedy with heart and action, I'd definitely recommend this over the common rehashed Hollywood ones. At the very least, it manages to get the story told (and it's a long story) without too many distractions or wishy-washy segues.

I got a chanced to see this in theater for independent film showings and it's a thoroughly entertaining Korean film. That just about anyone can enjoy, even if you don't know Korean culture and may not be able to pick up on some jokes. I couldn't pick up on all of it either. Since this is based on a webtoon I could understand why the editing area is lacking. Especially when trying to cram everything in the webtoon which is probably better paced into one film. This movie is a win win for a date movie since it has Kim Soo-Hyun as the main protagonist for the female audiences. And decent amount of action and comedy for the male audiences. This had my attention most of the way through but thought the build up and interaction between the characters could have been better for the ending to leave more of a impact. And for there to be a bit more action between scenes but that is just my opinion. And even the ending which is probably the ending in the webtoon seems to be a bit abrupt and out of nowhere and maybe even a bit rushed. Like I said, I think there should have been elements which lead to more of a attachment to the lead characters. But it does have enough good elements to make it a entertaining summer film from Korea. It would have been better if they polished up on those good areas though. Hollywood has DC and Marvel, well this is another Korean movie based on a webtoon that rocks.7.5/10

This movie is based on a famous Korean web-toon, "Secretly, Greatly".Directing skill is not so impressive.Storyline is little different from the original web-toon.But talent of the leading-role actor, Soo-Hyun Kim, supports the whole movie. His eyes are shining.A north Korean secret spy disguises as a fool in South Korea. Such a plot makes the movie unique from other north Korean spy movies.Soo-Hyun Kim's acting range from a ridiculous fool to a chic elite spy is wonderful.Strongly recommended.