(Movie Review) 'Phantom' Features Stylish Spy Action With Distinctive Characters

Admin

12 Jan, 2023

(Movie Review) 'Phantom' Features Stylish Spy Action With Distinctive Characters

kim jung jung

SEOUL, January 12 (Ryonhap) – “Phantom” is a thrilling action-packed spy thriller set in 1930s Japanese colonial Korea with elegant staging and endearing characters from director Lee Hye-yeon. . .

Inspired by Chinese author Mai Jia's 2009 novel The Wind, the story begins with an underground anti-Japanese organization's failed attempt to assassinate Japan's new resident general on his first day in Seoul.

The colonial government of Japan gathers five suspects in a remote hotel on a seaside cliff to hunt down a spy called "Phantom" for a day.

Among the suspects is Junji Murayama (Sol Kyung-gu), an elite Japanese police officer from a prestigious family who has been fired as head of the police communications department.

Park Cha-kyung (Lee Ha-neen) is an office liaison for a wealthy Korean family, and Mr. Cheon (Soo Hyun-woo) works as a Korean programmer.

Yuriko (Park Sa-dam) is the powerful secretary of a high-ranking official in the Japanese colonial government, but she is actually Korean.

Mahara Kaita (Park Hae-soo), head of security for Japan's new resident general, takes charge of the operation to uncover the spy ring.

Caught in the game of life and under the watchful eye of the Japanese authorities, suspects roam the rooms and rummage through other people's belongings to avoid suspicion.

As Kaito ramps up the pressure with evidence and testimony from the suspects in the restaurant, the operation is launched and the situation becomes chaotic.

Shootings and fistfights ensue, hand grenades explode, the building catches fire, the power goes out.

There are definitely winners in the game, but the story doesn't end there, so keep the excitement going till the end. The resistance group is determined to decide a high risk mission to kill the target.

An interesting plot builds tension thanks to multi-layered characters, which are perfectly revealed by impressive acting, stylish scenarios and dynamic action scenes.

Directed by Lee in The Loyalists (2018) and The Silenced (2015), it creates a classic and elegant atmosphere in a beautiful hotel, while the dynamic camera angles add depth to the stories of the characters.

Sol portrays the complex emotions of Junji, who is fluent in Japanese and Korean and appears as a mysterious figure hiding a tragic family history.

Lee Ha Ni and Park Sa Dam portray strong female characters who first engage in a thrilling tug of war, and then unite in an extreme situation. They don't hesitate to fight armed soldiers and appear to be trained to wield lethal weapons.

The film tells the story of Korean independence fighters in troubled times, but does not delve into a recurring historical theme or try to teach the audience a history lesson.

Rather, it leaves questions about what country and family mean to a person at a critical moment in life.

"Phantom" hits local screens Wednesday.