The Age of Shadows
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The Age of Shadows |
| Original title | Miljeong ( 밀정 ) |
| Country of production | South Korea |
| original language |
Korean , Japanese |
| Publishing year | 2016 |
| length | 141 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 16 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Kim Jee-woon |
| script | Kim Jee-woon |
| production | Choi Jeong-hwa |
| music | Mowg |
| camera | Kim Ji-yong |
| occupation | |
| |
The Age of Shadows (original title: Miljeong 'Spitzel') is a spy thriller by the South Korean director Kim Jee-woon from 2016. The film is set in the Japanese-occupied Korea of the 1920s . Song Kang-ho and Gong Yoo can be seen in the main roles . The film premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2016 .
The film is based on a real bomb attack on a police station in Keijō (Gyeongseong, now Seoul) in 1923 by Korean resistance fighters. The Age of Shadows marks the entry of Hollywood studio Warner Bros. into the production of Korean-language films. It was South Korea's entry for the 2017 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category .
action
The Korean resistance is planning an assassination attempt against the Japanese colonial power. The Korean Commissioner Lee is tasked with tracking down the resistance. He finds the ringleader of the resistance in Keijō, his old friend Kim Jang-ok. In order not to fall into the hands of the Japanese, however, he shoots himself. Lee begins to doubt, but continues to work for the Japanese occupation. But Commissioner Higashi puts the young Japanese policeman Hashimoto at his side.
Lee succeeds in tracking down the locations of the independence movement. In a conversation with Kim Woo-jin, both talk to Kim Jang-ok about the past. Kim Woo-jin realizes that Lee does not despise the resistance. However, Lee also learns a lot and wants a colleague at the police station to intercept a package. However, Hashimoto received the transmitted message beforehand and carried out a raid. Nobody can be arrested. One member of the independence movement is shot dead, the others are able to flee to Shanghai in good time .
Kim Woo-jin tells the leader of the resistance, Jung Chae-san, about Lee. Jung thinks after all he's heard they can bring Lee to the resistance side. He decides to invite him to Shanghai and meet him in person. There, the resistance wants Lee's help in returning to Keijō . Despite the danger Lee poses, they need his help. Lee then tries to mislead Hashimoto. Hashimoto has its own informants, however. So he learns that the resistance does not set off by ship to Korea as expected, but wants to take the train to Keijō via Antung .
Lee can warn Kim on the train that one of his people betrayed him and that Hashimoto is on the train. Kim devises a plan to get everyone off the train safely and track down the traitor at the same time. He tells everyone a different time and a different meeting point. The informer would report the time to Hashimoto. He would pass it on to Lee. When Lee sends Kim the specified meeting point and time, the traitor is exposed, but Hashimoto suddenly joins them. He asks for Kim Woo-jin's ID. A gunfight ensues from which only Kim and Lee can escape alive. Lee shoots Hashimoto and is able to calm everyone down. Meanwhile, Kim confronts the traitor and shoots him.
At the station, the police identified some members of the independence movement. Another gunfight ensues, in which some lose their lives and resistance fighter Yeon Gye-soon is arrested. Lee is supposed to get information from her and torture her. He does not receive any information, but after talking to Higashi, almost all resistance fighters are arrested. Lee is also ambushed with Kim. Kim and Lee are both charged. But Lee rejects any guilt. As a result, he is quickly released from prison. Lee performs the operation of resistance. At a festive occasion, he detonates bombs and causes chaos among the Japanese police.
Finally, Lee hires another resistance fighter as a courier to deliver a package to the Japanese headquarters. The film ends with the imprisoned Kim, who wrote the words "No wall can stop the resistance" on his cell wall.
reception
The film opened in South Korean cinemas on September 7, 2016 and had a total of more than 7.5 million viewers. The film received positive reviews and keeps on Tomatometer of rotten tomatoes a popularity value of 100%.
The Age of Shadows inspires Jay Weissenberg from the Variety both technically and visually. It is a classic action film that has everything entertainment needs. The performance of Song Kang-ho and Gong Yoo was first class. Kim Jo-yong's camera work creates an atmospheric backdrop. According to Fionnuala Halligan, the first half would slowly build up tension, while the second half would show with kinetic energy: a combination of violence and fighting accompanied by classical music. Deborah Young of the Hollywood Reporter rated the film as moderate, with lots of exciting scenes, but the spy story overstepped the curve. Rumy Doo from the Korea Herald feels The Age of Shadows as exciting, classic spy film with outstanding acting performance.
Awards
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards 2016
- Award in the Best Film category
- Award in the category best film music for Mowg
Daejong Film Award 2016
- Award in the Best Supporting Actor category for Uhm Tae-goo
- Award in the Best Art Design category for Jo Hwa-sung
Asian Film Award 2017
- Award in the Best Film Composer category for Mowg
Baeksang Arts Awards 2017
- Award for Best Director for Kim Jee-woon
- Award in the Best Actor category for Kim Sang-ho
Web links
- The Age of Shadows in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- The Age of Shadows in the Korean Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Certificate of Release for The Age of Shadows . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF).
- ↑ a b Deborah Young: 'The Age of Shadows' ('Miljeong'): Venice Review. In: The Hollywood Reporter . September 4, 2016, accessed November 11, 2018 .
- ↑ Sonia Kil, Patrick Frater: Warner Bros. Sets Kim Jee-woon's 'Secret Agent' as Debut Korean Production (EXCLUSIVE). In: Variety . August 3, 2015, accessed November 11, 2018 .
- ↑ Chung Joo-won: S. Korean film "The Age of Shadows" submitted to Oscars. In: Yonhap . August 30, 2016, accessed November 10, 2018 .
- ^ Sonia Kil: Warner Bros. ' 'Age of Shadows' Picked as Korea's Oscar Contender. In: Variety . August 30, 2016, accessed September 1, 2016 .
- ^ The Age of Shadows (2016). In: Korean Film Biz Zone. KOFIC, accessed on November 10, 2018 .
- ^ The Age of Shadows. In: Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 11, 2018 .
- ↑ Jay Weissenberg: Film Review: 'The Age of Shadows'. Cult director Kim Jee-woon delivers the goods with an ultra-stylish cloak-and-dagger actioner set in 1920s Korea, under the Japanese occupation. In: Variety . September 2, 2016, accessed November 11, 2018 .
- ↑ 'Age of Shadows': Venice Review. In: ScreenDaily. September 2, 2016, accessed November 11, 2018 .
- ^ Rumy Doo: 'Age of Shadows' shrouded in intrigue, style. In: The Korea Herald . September 4, 2016, accessed November 11, 2018 .
- ↑ Winners Of The 53rd Grand Bell Awards Revealed. In: Soompi . December 27, 2016, accessed November 11, 2018 .
- ↑ Kim So-yeon, Guardian, The Handmaiden win big at Baeksang Awards. In: The Korea Herald . May 4, 2017, accessed November 11, 2018 .