The Berlin File

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.

I must admit I'm not a big crime movie fan, but I really did enjoy this, despite the fact that it did get over-complicated at one stage. A spy agency suspects a mole within their Korean embassy in Berlin. Agent Pyo Jong-sung (Jung-woo Ha) gets even more suspicious when his wife's name (who also works for the agency) is mentioned in a video confession and suspected of leaking information. He then starts watching and following her. It gets incredibly interesting from here as they realize both of them were double-crossed and set-up, and must run for their lives. The fight scenes are incredible and the action sequences awesome! One particular scene with his wife on a ledge outside a building, and Pyo and a baddie stumbling through an apartment window was insanely well done as they plummet to the ground!

Being Korean, the film doesn't quite have the ending you'd expect, but the ending was truly spectacular. Oh, and I loved the music, as well.

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

After an arms smuggling deal goes bad, North Korean agent Pyo Jong Sung finds himself and his wife, translator Ryeon Jung-hee under a cloud of suspicion and tries to uncover the real culprit. North and South Korean, Russian, U.S., Israeli, and Arab agents are everywhere, to the point where it seems it's only slightly more likely to see a German citizen on the streets of Berlin than if the action took place in Seoul.

Once all of these players are introduced, the movie does a good job of sorting them all out, as Jong Sung investigates who is responsible. There are a number of very effective action sequences throughout the film to keep things moving.

The relationship between Jong Sung and Jung-hee is central to to plot. For an action movie, the characters are very well presented. But fans expecting a repeat of Jun Ji Hyun's delightfully over-the-top performance in The Thieves will be disappointed. Her role as Jung- hee in The Berlin File rarely goes beyond that of a typical damsel in distress.

The movie is exceptionally well filmed to reflect a tense, somber mood. There were some shots that looked almost as if they were filmed in black and white to harmonize with the prevailing tone.

The end of the movie strongly foreshadows that a sequel is in the works. Of course that typically depends on how well the movie performs at the box office. By all reports The Berlin File easily did well enough to justify a sequel. I'll be looking forward it.

What do you get when you mix the Bourne movies with a North/South Korean spy story? This film.

A North Korean spy in Berlin finds himself in a whole world of trouble, involving betrayal and lots of action. The complicated story is something that makes sense for a political based spy thriller, but can get pretty convoluted at times. I would say that I know more about North/South Korean relations than there average person, and i'm no expert, but I still found myself lost at times. Lot's of different characters interact and double cross and it can be hard figuring out who wants what and who did what. But I think at the end of the film I kind of got the main idea. I can certainly see this being a problem with some audiences.

The action is this is pretty great. The fights and shootouts are tightly shot and well directed, making it feel like a Hollywood film, in a good way. Nothing feels cheap or cheesy. It's gritty and hard hitting, just how I like my action.

I guess at the end of the day, there was just something missing for me. I can't quite pinpoint it, which is useless in terms of me giving a clear opinion in this review, but I can't help it. I enjoyed it, but I don't know if it's under rated and recommendable in the way that a film like The Man From Nowhere is. Perhaps the confusing plot just kind of took me out and had me less connected, leading to the big twists being less hard hitting. Either way, I would say watch this if you're up for the challenge or figuring out a highly political and twisting plot. It's entertaining and well made, which is great to see. It also sets itself up for a sequel, which would be interesting to see. Another example of good Korean film making.