Rating of
2.5/4
Korean Spy Drama
Topher - wrote on 02/10/08
Perhaps the biggest film in Korean cinema. When Shiri was released in 1999, it outsold both the Titantic and The Matrix (in Korea). For those interested in Korean cinema, this is a good starter film: the action and the romance here are typical of the big budget Korean flicks.
But so is the melodrama. Like Korea's soap operas, which are popular across Asia, the romances tend to be overly sentimental and situational. Don't expect depth. Of course, this is also true of Hollywood blockbusters like Braveheart or Robin Hood.
The acting, however, is top-shelf. Pay close attention to Choi Min-Sik, who plays the commander of the North Korean spies. Kim Yoon-Jin (who pays Sun on the American TV show Lost) also made her film debut in Shiri as the girlfriend of one of the secret agents.
As a spy drama, Shiri is neither as exciting as Borne nor campy as Bond. While it is sometimes praised for its realism, it doesn't approach The Good Shepherd. It's more like one of those cop flicks where the rogue detectives uncover a terrorist plot to blow-up whatever.
"Shiri" is the name of a fish that lives only in the DMZ (according to Koreanfilm.org). Blue fishtanks swim in the background as a visual motif and fishy metaphors surface throughout the film. An interesting look at the ambiguities South Koreans had toward reunification c. 2000.
