Assassination

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Movie
German title Assassination
Original title Amsal ( Hangeul : 암살 , Hanja : 暗殺 )
Country of production South Korea
original language Korean ,
Chinese ,
Japanese
Publishing year 2015
length 140 minutes
Age rating FSK 16
Rod
Director Choi Dong-hun
script Choi Dong-hun,
Lee Ki-cheol
production Ahn Soo-hyun,
Choi Dong-hun
music Dalpalan
camera Kim Woo-hyung
cut Sin Min-kyung
occupation

Assassination (Original title: Amsal ) is a spy film by the South Korean director Choi Dong-hun from 2015.

action

In 1911 in Japanese-occupied Korea, resistance fighter Yem Seok-jin assassinated the Governor General of Korea and pro-Japanese businessman Kang In-guk at a meeting at the Sontag Hotel . However, both targets survive. Since the meeting was secret, Kang suspects his wife. She fled with her wet nurse, the two twin sisters and Yem. But Kang In-guk has them followed. His wife is killed, Yem is jailed and a daughter is brought back to Kang. However, the wet nurse successfully escapes with the other daughter.

In 1933 there were over 30 different independence groups. Yem Seok-jin is a member of one of these groups. However, his people do not know that he was tortured in prison and that he ultimately became a spy for Japan. Kim Won-bong went to Hangzhou to visit Kim Koo of the Provisional Government of the Republic of Korea to plan an attack in Seoul . Yem should find the fighters of this mission and convince them to take part. Since the agents of her group are known to the Japanese, Yem is supposed to acquire the fighters Big Gun, Duk-sam and Ahn Ok-yun.

In Shanghai , the three meet with Kim Won-bong, from whom they receive the goals. Yem betrayed the meeting to the Japanese, but Kim intercepted Big Gun, Duk-sam and Ok-yun on the street out of caution before the agreed appointment. During the meeting, an incident occurs when the hired man Hawaii Pistol hunts down a Japanese gang of criminals. The independence fighters are not deterred by this. When the four are already gone, Japanese agents go to the meeting point. Kim Koo suspects Yem as a traitor and lets his people Myung-woo and Se-gwang persecute him. They can expose Yem, but he can hunt them down. Yem hires Hawaii Pistol and his colleague Buddy to finish off the three independence fighters, but here calls them Japanese spies. A substantial reward is offered to both. On the way to Gyeongseong (Keijō, today Seoul) the lieutenants get to know Kawaguchi.

Ok-yun, Duk-sam and Big Gun are already in Gyeongseong and are planning an assassination attempt on Kang In-guk when he will pick up his daughter Mitsuko. Before the operation, they ensure that Kang has to refuel while driving, so that they can position themselves at the only gas station on the way. Hawaii Pistol intercepts Big Gun and shoots him. He disappears in the river. Ok-yun and Duk-sam are concerned about the mission as they don't know anything about Big Guns remaining. But you continue with the mission. The next day the ambush takes place at the gas station. But Kang escapes and Duk-sam dies. Hawaii Pistol is also there and can catch Ok-yun, but doesn't shoot her because he doesn't think she is a spy. They flee together.

Ok-yun also knows that she is Kang's daughter and Mitsuko is her twin sister. Before that, Ok-yun was buying new glasses in a store when Mitsuko was there too. Mitsuko finds them and offers to live with them and leave the struggle for independence behind. Meanwhile, Kang knows about Ok-yun and can track her down as well. When Ok-yun briefly leaves the room, Kang storms in and shoots Mitsuko believing he shot Ok-yun. Ok-yun can escape from the apartment in time without being seen. On the street, a chauffeur recognizes her as Mitsuko and drives her home. She poses as Mitsuko and sees an opportunity to continue her mission. Mitsuko is about to get married to Lieutenant Kawaguchi. The attack is supposed to take place on the day of the wedding. Hawaii Pistol, meanwhile, came across Kawaguchi again and was invited by him as the security officer for the wedding.

Hawaii Pistol is recognized by Yem and taken away, as Yem already knows that he has betrayed him. During the wedding, Big Gun suddenly appears, who learned about the wedding from his contact woman. He opens fire. Ok-yun improvises and also draws her guns. Hawaii Pistol uses the turmoil to break free. The three of them can hunt down some people. But Yem finds Big Gun. The latter still believes that Yem is on his side. Yem takes advantage of that and shoots him. Ahn manages to kill Kawaguchi's father while Hawaii kills Pistol Kang when Ahn hesitates. The two manage to take Lieutenant Kawaguchi as a scourge and, with Buddy's help, escape Yem. They take refuge in a building, but Yem can track them down. Yem thinks Ok-yun is Mitsuko and therefore also a scourge, since he could not see her shoot before. Hawaii Pistol says he would release both Scourges 10 minutes apart. This gives them time inside to find a way into the sewer system. Ok-yun is first released and not recognized by Yem as that. She will be brought "home" immediately. After that, Yem's people immediately storm the building. Lieutenant Kawaguchi is already dead. Yem finds his way into the sewer. You go to the end right on the surface and use the situation to ambush. When Hawaii Pistol and Buddy surface, Yem's people immediately open fire. Hawaii Pistol is still firm enough to stab Yem in the chest with a knife before succumbing to his gunshot wounds.

After the Second World War in 1949 in now liberated Korea, Yem was charged as a traitor. However, he insists on his innocence. He always fought for independence. The only witness who tried to testify against him is found dead. He is acquitted. On the street, Yem thinks he sees Mitsuko and follows her into an alley. However, it's ok-yun. Myungwoo, believed dead, is by her side, but scarred on her face. They shoot Yem. The film ends with Ok-yun's thoughts on the independence fighters.

reception

Assassination opened in South Korean cinemas on July 22, 2015 and reached a total of over 12.7 million viewers.

Joe Leydon from Variety draws a positive conclusion and sees the film as a mixture of Sergio Leone , John Woo and Steven Spielberg . Artistically, director Choi spices up the film with funny moments. The action sequences are spectacular and thrilling. Screen Daily’s Jason Bechervaise is more subdued. The set is excellent and the film as a whole is rich in detail, but Assassination is too long and superficial. Due to the many characters, there is hardly any room for character development. Hollywood Reporter's Clarence Tsui notes that Assassination was the first time Choi Dong-hoon made a historical thriller after building his career with films about swindlers and tricksters. It agrees with the lack of character development, but the film also benefits from great technical expertise. Pierce Conran sees Assassination as a shot of adrenaline for the 2015 Korean cinema year . The star-studded action thriller is also another technical step forward. The film is captivating with outstanding moments and reminds in places of Alain Delon . But he also criticizes the number of figures and the long running time. Yonhap's Shim Sun-ah also has positive reviews of the film. Assassination is excellent and combines the historical film genre with Choi's skill and a pinch of humor.

According to James Hadfield of the Japan Times, the film vividly shows the brutality of Japan during colonial times, but the main antagonists of the film are Koreans: Kang and Yem. The editorial staff of Cinema rated the film with 5 out of 5 stars and wrote: “A little bit involved, but stylish and very entertaining” and “Fine blockbuster popcorn from the Far East”.

Awards

Buil Film Awards 2015

  • Award in the Best Actor category for Lee Jung-jae
  • Award in the Best Production Design category for Ryu Seong-hee

Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2015

  • Award in the Best Cinematography category for Kim Woo-hyung
  • Award in the Best Production Design category for Ryu Seong-hee
  • Best 10 films of the year

Daejong Film Award 2015

  • Award in the Best Actress category for Jun Ji-hyun

Blue Dragon Awards 2015

  • Award in the Best Film category
  • Award for the best technique in the costume category for Jo Sang-gyeong and Son Na-ri

Baeksang Arts Awards 2016

  • Award in the Best Film category

Chunsa Film Art Awards 2016

  • Award for Best Director for Choi Dong-hoon
  • Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for Cho Jin-woong

KOFRA Film Awards 2016

  • Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for Oh Dal-su

Max Movie Awards 2016

  • Award in the Best Actress category for Jun Ji-hyun

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Certificate of Release for Assassination . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry , October 2015 (PDF; test number: 155 214 V).
  2. ↑ Assassination (2015). In: Korean Film Biz Zone. KOFIC, accessed on November 29, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Joe Leydon: Film Review: 'Assassination'. In: Variety . August 19, 2015, accessed November 30, 2018 .
  4. ↑ Jason Bechervaise: 'Assassination': Review. In: Screen Daily . July 27, 2015, accessed November 30, 2018 .
  5. ↑ Clarence Tsui: 'Assassination' ('Am-sal'): Film Review. In: The Hollywood Reporter . August 10, 2015, accessed November 30, 2018 .
  6. ↑ Pierce Conran: Review: ASSASSINATION Shoots Up A Storm With Stuffed To The Gills Spy Yarn. In: ScreenAnarchy. July 14, 2015, accessed November 30, 2018 .
  7. ↑ Shim Sun-ah: 'Assassination': Excellent film seamlessly combining Korean history and action. In: Yonhap . July 15, 2015, accessed December 3, 2018 .
  8. ↑ James Hadfield: Korean films take on the thorny topic of Japan. In: The Japan Times . July 13, 2016, accessed November 30, 2018 .
  9. ↑ Assassination. In: Cinema . Retrieved November 30, 2018 .
  10. ↑ Pierce Conran: THE THRONE Tops Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. In: Korean Film Biz Zone. November 2, 2015, accessed November 30, 2018 .