SECRETLY GREATLY (2013)

Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Jang Cheol-soo
Cast: Kim Soo-Hyun, Park Ki-Woong, Lee Hyun-Woo, Son Hyeon-joo, Park Hye-sook, Kim Seong-gyoon
RunTime: 2 hrs 4 mins
Rating: PG13 (Violence & Some Coarse Language)
Released By: GV
Official Website: http://www.eunwe-movie.kr/index.htm
 
Opening Day: 18 July 2013 

Synopsis: The movie talks about Ryu-hwan as a North Korean top-class agent, infiltrates into the South and assumes the role of a village idiot in a rural town. He observes the townsfolk and waits patiently for his mission. One day, after 2 years of playing the role of the village idiot, fellow elite spies Hae-rang, posed as a rock star and Hae-jin, posed as an ordinary high school student, are dispatched to the same town as Ryu-hwan. He helps the other two spies settle in and teach them how to adjust in the South. They get used to the life in the South alongside the village people, still waiting for the grand mission. With the drastic power shift in the North government, the three spies finally receive the mission, but it’s nothing that they’ve been waiting for. Can they accomplish the mission and go back home as legend?

Movie Review:

North and South Korea certainly shares a long history together, with the Korean War signifying the great split between the political alliance of Republic of Korea (South Korea) and Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea). Many years after, we are still seeing North and South Korea having a tug of war on their political influence and relationship. Secretly Greatly draws loose references to these ongoing tensions, which certainly resonates with much of the crowd in Korea, and is possibly one of the many reasons why this film managed to break the box-office record in Korea for most ticket sales in its first day of release by a Korean film.

The story is built on the premise of North Korean spies infiltrating the common lives of people in a small South Korean town. The character who was thought to be a village idiot, Dong Gu (played by Kim Soo-Hyun), has been living among them for two years, with a greater mission in mind. Two other young North Korean spies, Hae-Rang (played by Park Ki-Woong) and Hae-Rin (played by Lee Hyun-Woo) later joined him, seemingly preparing for a great revolt. What is remarkable is that these three young actors, average out to be only 23.6 years old of age! They are certainly uprising stars that deserve our attention. Other than Kim Soo-Hyun who was a natural at his role, young actor Lee Hyun-Woo also scored with his role as a young aspiring spy. Lee not only gave depth to his character, but also displayed flair at affecting the audiences with his innocence and hot bloodedness.

One of the greatest highlights of the movie is the action choreography. The action choreography was packed and robust, yet not overdramatic. It was a great compliment to the movie, which aptly expressed the spies’ passion and dedication towards their home country. As the story developed, the fight became their fight for survival. Yet, the excitement does not die, and kept the audiences’ tension high.

For two thirds of the movie, it was really engaging and funny. After all, it is touted to be a comedy/action-thriller. However, being very characteristically Korean, it got a little overly melodramatic towards the end. Unfortunately, this spoiled the overall balance of the movie. The switch was too abrupt, which caused a little disconnection.

The mish mash of genres may not be the smartest idea, but it worked out well for the most of the movie. Although the last 20 minutes or so of the movie may have been a tad messy with the ending may not be the best one would expect, the action choreography coupled with the humour and good acting made this film stand out a lot more from many other Korean films. Overall, Secretly Greatly is arguably a breakthrough in Korean cinema. 

Movie Rating:

(If you went in to the cinema with an impression of it being solely a comedy, you will certainly be jolted off your seat. A must-watch for all Hallyu fans!)

Review by Tho Shu Ling