Korean Reviews Reviews

Film Review: Assassination (2015) by Choi Dong-hoon

A glorified action flick

 “” was the highest grossing film in 2015 and the eighth all-time highest grossing film in Korean cinema. The film is set during the Japanese occupation of the country in the 1930s, and tells the tale of a team of resistance fighters.

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A sniper named Ahn Ok- yun, a gun smuggler and graduate of the Independence Military School named Sok-sapo, and explosives specialist Hwang Deok-sam are tasked with the assassination of the governor of Gyeongseong and Kang In-gook, a Korean mogul who is pro-Japanese. However, Yeom Seok-jin, who is supposedly a comrade, seems to have ties with the enemy, and employs two contract killers, Hawaii Pistol and Younggam to deal with the aforementioned. Things become even more complicated when Ahn Ok-yun’s twin sister appears.

tried to infuse a genuine action film with depth, by using historical settings and some thriller elements, through the plethora of conspiracies and betrayals that occur in the story. Furthermore, he presented a clear dilemma between patriotism and profit, building upon them most of his script. However, he did not succeed much, since the characters remain undeveloped, with Yeom Seok-jin being the primary example, since the reasons for his betrayal are never explained. The “trick” of the twin sister borders on being cheap, as it seems illogical, ends too abruptly, and is obvious that its main purpose is to show with something else than coarse-cut clothes. I can understand the appeal, but still.. Due to the above, the movie becomes naïve and unreal at points, a fact that, nevertheless, is hidden well beneath the impressive action.

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In terms of pace and aesthetics, “Assassination” moves quite rapidly, occasionally looking like a music video, and entails a number of the genres’ favorite techniques and notions. These include women fighters, unexpected humor, martial arts, impressive action scenes, and a number of flashbacks. Regarding the technical aspect, the film is a true masterpiece, as it excels in all the parameters. ‘s production design has done wonders with the depiction of the era, which is quite accurate. The artfulness of the costumes by and also helps in that direction.

‘s cinematography and ‘s editing are also masterful, and are exemplified in the many and quite impressive action scenes, both outdoors and in interiors. The same applies to the action choreography, as exemplified in the duel between Hawaii Pistol and Sok-sapo. All of the above are magnificently implemented in the wedding sequence, the most impressive part of the film.

In terms of acting, “Assassination” features the crème de la crème of the contemporary S. Korean cinema. Jun Ji-hyun as Ahn Ok- yun is the definite protagonist, and for once, the film does not focus on her looks, but her actual character. as Yeom Seok-jin and as Kang In-gook are quite good in the role of the villains, particularly the first, who has the biggest role. plays the cool and appealing guy as Hawaii Pistol, and as Younggam has another comic-relief part, which he plays, though, to perfection. as Sok-sapo has a role that lingers between the comic and the dramatic. Not one of them, however, gives a great performance, since the film focuses on the action, and the acting has a definite secondary role.

In the end, “Assassination” is a glorified action flick, in the style of many similar Hollywood productions, but the fact does not take anything away from the entertainment it offers.

About the author

Panos Kotzathanasis

Panagiotis (Panos) Kotzathanasis is a film critic and reviewer, specialized in Asian Cinema. He is the owner and administrator of Asian Movie Pulse, one of the biggest portals dealing with Asian cinema. He is a frequent writer in Hancinema, Taste of Cinema, and his texts can be found in a number of other publications including SIRP in Estonia, Film.sk in Slovakia, Asian Dialogue in the UK, Cinefil in Japan and Filmbuff in India.

Since 2019, he cooperates with Thessaloniki Cinematheque in Greece, curating various tributes to Asian cinema. He has participated, with video recordings and text, on a number of Asian movie releases, for Spectrum, Dekanalog and Error 4444. He has taken part as an expert on the Erasmus+ program, “Asian Cinema Education”, on the Asian Cinema Education International Journalism and Film Criticism Course.

Apart from a member of FIPRESCI and the Greek Cinema Critics Association, he is also a member of NETPAC, the Hellenic Film Academy and the Online Film Critics Association.

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