Choi Ji-ye, a reporter at TenAsia, gives a star rating to the movie she saw before it was released. Be sure to check before purchasing a movie ticket. Because your time is precious! How many stars is 'Unofficial Operation'? = ★★★☆☆
It's just the taste, no more, no less. Director Kim Seong-hoon of 'Unofficial Operation' said he wanted to come up with a completely different dish, but he seems to have failed to reach that goal successfully.
Diplomat Min-jun (Ha Jung-woo), who has been unable to leave the Middle East Division for five years, hears a coded message requesting rescue left by a senior who went missing a year and eight months ago. Min-jun, who heads to Lebanon where his colleague was kidnapped under the condition of being issued by the United States, meets Pan-su (Joo Ji-hoon), a local Korean taxi driver, and sets out on a "operation to rescue a senior diplomat" with ever-changing motives and goals.
'Unofficial Operation' is based on the kidnapping of a Korean diplomat in Lebanon that occurred between 1986 and 1987. Although based on a true story, the film focuses on how the kidnapped diplomat returned to his homeland rather than the plight and suffering of the kidnapped diplomat. The process of returning unknown to the world was filled with cinematic imagination.
However, the sense of déjà vu of the 'unofficial operation' was due to internal factors. It is a situation where 'obvious' dishes came out because of the 'obvious' ingredients of 'Ha Jung-woo-Joo Ji-hoon derby'. Depending on how the ingredients are used, the appearance and degree of completion of the finished dish may differ, but it is an undeniable fact that the taste of the original ingredients always comes out when you put it in your mouth.
Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon have a clear presence in Chungmuro, but their acting is familiar to that extent. Ha Jung-woo desperately acted in an extreme situation, and Ju Ji-hoon completed the character with his unique sly and touchy mood. Their familiar acting is certainly not bad, but it is not new because it is a familiar taste.
There are also some regrets about the character. In Joo Ji-hoon's version of "I'll do anything if you give me money," the character's main nature changes dramatically as the story unfolds, but the process is fragmentary and implausible. In particular, the emotional scene dealing with Minjun's sacrifice in the second half was so old-fashioned that it reduced the charm of the character itself.
In terms of message, director Kim Seong-hoon's previous film 'Tunnel' seems to overlap considerably. The triangular composition of co-workers, family, and the government to save a person's life was followed, and in the end, the drama ends with a dramatic ending in which the life must be saved. The quality of the film, including directing, acting, and script, is above average, but it is not new in many ways.
Opening August 2nd. 12 year old viewer. Running time 132 minutes.
Jiye Choi, staff reporter at TenAsia wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr