Title: 은밀하게 위대하게 | Eunmilhage Widaehage | Secretly, Greatly
Genre: Drama
Released Date: June 5, 2013

Synopsis:

It is a story of Lieutenant Won Ryu-Hwa from Special Unit 5446 of North Korea who was ordered by his superior to live in South Korea and be a spy. Along with some of his comrades lived for several years in South Korea waiting for their mission to fulfil for their motherland. His cover is to be an idiot in a small community and for 2 years he became a part of the people who lived there. The woman who found her when he was hurt took care of him and became his second mother. Lieutenant Won Ryu-Hwa remained loyal to his country for his real mother until their unit was ordered to unconditionally kill themselves to show and prove loyalty to their country.

Characters:

• Kim Soo-Hyun as Lieutenant Won Ryu-Hwan | Bang Dong-Gu
• Park Ki-Woong as Rhee Hae-Rang | Kim Min-Su
• Lee Hyun-Woo as Rhee Hae-Jin
• Son Hyun-Joo as Colonel Kim Tae-Won
• Park Hye-Sook as Jeon Soon-Im
• Kim Sung-Kyun as Seo Soo-Hyuk
• Go Chang-Seok as 2nd Lieutenant Seo Sang-Gu | Professor Seo Young-Guk
• Jang Gwang as Go Hwi-Sun
• Shin Jung-Geun as Mr. Park
• Hong Kyung-In as Jo Doo-Seok
• Lee Chae-Young as Heo Jeom-Ran
• Park Eun-Bin as Yoon Yoo-Ran
• Choi Woo-Shik as Yoon Yoo-Joo
• Joo Hyun as Rhee Moo-Hyuk
• Goo Seung-Hyun as Hwang Chi-Woong
• Jo Yong-Jin as Hwang Se-Woong
• Lee Yeon-Kyung as Chi-woong and Se-Woong’s mother
• Uhm Tae-Gu as Hwang Jae-Oh
• Moon Won-Ju as Choi Wan-Woo
• Kim Beop-Rae as NIS Director
• Lee Min as Department Head
• Kim Young-Jin as Kim Hee-Kwan
• Yoon Won-Seok as Deong-Chi
• Park Jeong-Gi as Strike-force Team Leader
• Go In-Beom as Choi Jin-Tak
• Lee Bo-Hyeon as NIS Agent
• Yook Se-Jin as NIS Agent
• Kang Eun-Tak as NIS Agent
• Park Jang-Shik as NIS Agent
• Won Hyeon-Jun as NIS Agent
• Heo Seok as NIS Agent
• Son Jun-Young as Younger Ryu-Hwan
• Hong Tae-Ui as Younger Hae-Rang
• Seong Yu-Bin as Younger Hae-Jin
• Kim Do-gyun as Audition Judge
• Park Hwi-Sun

My Review:

I watched this film because of Kim Soo-Hyun. I thought it is going to be something I would like because this became one of the most successful movie of all time in Korea. Unfortunately, after watching it, I felt I wasted almost 2 hours of my life.

So, What do I Like About this K-Movie?

There’s really not much I like about the film except for the relationships that Lieutenant Won Ryu-Hwan built among the community he lived in and his comrades within his unit in North Korea plus the well choreographed fighting scenes at the latter part of the movie. The ending was very sad and dramatic but by that time it was happening I’m way passed caring of what will happen to him and the other characters, so, I felt disconnected already because in my mind I just want the movie to end and for me to get it over with, so, I can write this review. If the critics loved this film, then, I beg to disagree. For the degree of entertainment level it gave me from 1 to 10, I will give it a 2 and I’m still being generous with that. I didn’t like it not because it is not a chick flick but the story is so lame. I’ve watched Welcome to Dongmakgol in 2005 and that is something I do love.

What I do Not Like About this K-Movie?

(1) The first half of the film is all about establishing the life of Lieutenant Won Ryu-Hwan as Bang Dong-Gu in the community where he ends up living as an idiot. Well, as much as I appreciate the desire of the director for the audience to understand the life of Bang Dong-Gu in that community so as to draw the audience to be attached to these characters, all I felt was pure boredom after awhile. It was too long to build attachment and, really, the description of “half of the film” is very apt. All I felt was what the hell am I watching?

(2) I simply can’t understand why they were branded as traitors of their country. I don’t know if I just got lost from translation but as far as I can understand in the translation, it has something to do with the failure of the objective of why they were sent there and in order for them not to be tempted to defect, they were all ordered to commit suicide. What the “F” is that? Can’t they just bring them home especially, since, they are all loyal to their country? And, if there’s someone who will defect, then, just order the ones who are loyal to kill those. Didn’t they have a tracking device planted in their body plus other spies watching them? There’s simply no logic I can understand to justify the plot of the story and I guess, probably, that’s what this film wants to achieved and that is for the people of South Korea to understand that the North Korean government are simply monsters, who have no attachments to their soldiers. Is that really the reality?

(3) It is simply one heck of a boring film on the first half and bloody on the last half. If not for Kim Soo-Hyun, I wouldn’t even waste making a review of this. I pity the people who wasted money on this film. This is one of the times I’m grateful I get to see films like this for free.

Would I recommend this K-Movie? Really NO unless you are a die hard fan of Kim Soo-Hyun.

My Rating to this Drama
( See My Rating System: ) 2/5 Stars

OST:
01. Ode Of Youth – Lee Hyun Woo