A victim of the Covid-19 pandemic and released worldwide on Netflix streaming platform in early April 2022 instead of in the cinemas, this South Korean spy thriller went on to become the third most viewed non English film globally for that week and in Asia it also topped the most streamed film list. Incidentally, Yaksha is an Eastern mythology spirit of the wilderness which can be both mischievous and benevolent.
Accused of bribery and stock manipulation, Mr. Lee, Chairman of the Sangin Group is under investigation by a Seoul based Prosecutor Han Ji-hoon, who is in the process of bringing him in. Being a powerful man with connections, the court lets Lee go free while Han finds himself humiliated and demoted to a position in the National Intelligence Services (NIS), a place where there is hardly any work for him to do. Nonetheless, a job meant for his boss comes up which he rejects but Han quickly volunteers for it. Soon he is on his way to Shenyang, China as an observer under the supervision of Ji Kang-in, nicknamed “Yaksha”, the leader of the Black Team.
Deceptively Shenyang is a battlefield, a place of political struggle populated by spies from all over East Asia. Almost immediately, he finds himself getting involved with Moon Byung-Uk, a North Korean spy and the leader of “Room 39” who has information about the family funds of President Kim, besides also possessing a secret list of spies. Furthermore, a Japanese spy Yoshinobu Ozawa, code named “D7” and his ruthless agents are keen to get it too. It turns out that Moon's daughter Ju-yeon actually has the list which leads to her kidnapping and Han together with the Black Team soon find themselves battling with the Japanese as well as the local Chinese police.
Portrayed by Park Hae-soo from the TV series “Squid Game”, Han Ji-hoon, the Seoul Prosecutor is a straight arrow and a proud agent who strongly believes that law enforcement and not being violent is the way to get justice served. After his stint in Shenyang with the Black Team, he starts to doubt himself and Park is quite capable of expressing this transformation. However, he is less convincing when it comes to doing the action sequences.
In contrast, Sol Kyung-gu from “Peppermint Candy” and “The Merciless” seems very much at home playing “Yaksha”, Ji Kang-in, the Black Team boss who will stop at nothing to accomplish his assignments. Nonetheless, the performances from these two lead protagonists manage to create some good on-screen chemistry which certainly helps the development of the plot. But then again, this scenario of bickering and the crash in personalities between characters offers nothing new. Furthermore, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi looks like a well-dressed business man and doesn't come across as threatening or ruthless as he should be playing the main villain Yoshinobu Ozawa who causes havoc in Shenyang for Han and his fellow agents. Sadly, the script doesn't give the supporting actors much chance to shine or be noticeable.
The generous serving of action sequences which mostly consist of gun shootouts demonstrated throughout Na's espionage thriller will most likely satisfy action fans. Unfortunately, they are rather bland, mundanely executed and lack of excitement. What's more, as if bullets bounce off them, the Black Team members always end up unscratched after a gunfight whereas their opponents usually get defeated.
On the other hand, the whole production has a fair share of impressive visuals, especially those glossy and well-lit skylines of the cities plus the rich and ravishing colors of the night scenes. Honestly, Hong Kong's back lanes had never looked so sterilized. Although it moves at a decent pace, the running time of over two hours is still a bit of a stretch.
Overall, due to the uninspired action sequences, predictable script and the over played of some of its dramatic scenes, though there are brief moments of entertainment, this ambitious South Korean political drama turns out to be a forgettable actioner without thrills.
