North and South Korea team up in Confidential Assignment [Review]
While cooperation between North and South Korea might sound unlikely in the real world, South Korean movie Confidential Assignment sees the two Koreas pair up in an effort to catch a tyrant.
North Korean detective Im Cheol-ryung (Hyun Bin) has to work with South Korean detective Kang Jin-tae (Yoo Hae-jin) to try and track down Cha Ki-seong (Kim Joo-hyuk). Cha is the leader of a North Korean crime organisation.
Cha has stolen the template for printing unrecognisable counterfeit US banknotes from the North Korean government. If Im gets the chance, he has been ordered to kill Cha. However, Im has also been told not to tell Kang about this part of the plan.
Confidential Assignment makes good use of the real-life relationship between South Korea and North Korea to highlight the distrust. The plot is fresh and interesting, and, Korean politics aside, it’s ultimately about two unlikely groups working together.
The choice of actor also really adds to the film. Hyun Bin is a highly-ranked military soldier in real life. From 2011, he served in the Korean military for 21 months. He was part of the Marine Corps unit, which is said to be the toughest unit.
Hyun’s experience comes across particularly well in combat scenes, where he acted convincingly and professionally. This is a great movie with an authentic military edge that everyone will enjoy.
Edited by Lucy Christie