Rating:
Director: Kang Je-Gyu
Producer: Moo-Rim Byun, Kwan-Hak Lee
Screenplay: Kang Je-Gyu
Director of Photography: Kim Seong-Bok
Cast: Han Suk-Kyu, Song Kang-Ho, Kim Yun-Jin, Choi Min-Sik
| SHIRI Rating: Director: Kang Je-Gyu Producer: Moo-Rim Byun, Kwan-Hak Lee Screenplay: Kang Je-Gyu Director of Photography: Kim Seong-Bok Cast: Han Suk-Kyu, Song Kang-Ho, Kim Yun-Jin, Choi Min-Sik |
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Review by: Warren
Curry
2/3/02
Shiri, the second feature film by Korean director Kang Je-Gyu, is by far the most successful domestic movie in the country's history. Released in 1999 in its native land, Shiri is the kind of blockbuster that we Americans have grown largely unaccustomed to seeing, meaning that its broad scope is coupled with deft execution and solid craftsmanship. It also contains another crucial element missing from the typical U.S. "event" film - a brain.
The subject the movie presents is a touchy one the reunification of North and South Korea. Shiri opens with a montage of scenes depicting the brutality of North Korean military groups, and specifically the ruthlessness of a female sniper named Hee. As North and South grow more understanding of one another, Hee disappears for several years only to re-surface when a soccer game is announced between the two countries in hopes of serving as a tool for national peace. Upon her return, she allies with a militant North Korean group known as the 8th Special Forces Unit, who daringly attempt and succeed in stealing an experimental nuclear weapon from South Korea. On the trail of Hee are Agents Ryu and Lee; the former a happily engaged, somewhat flexible man, while the latter's distrusting disposition and single mindedness lead to further complications in tracking down the mysterious and elusive woman.
In the wrong hands a film such as this could devolve into black and white stereotypes and simple sloganeering. The challenge of Shiri is to look beyond the surface of the characters and situations. No line is drawn between villains and heroes, and no easy answers are given as to why the political climate of the two nations remains at its current state. The film is structured to inspire questions, and to further that goal, the central figures all expose some sort of contradictory behavior.
Shiri is also undeniably an action movie, and Kang shows quite an effective command of orchestrating spectacle. He mixes hand-held, tracking and static shots superbly creating a visual fabric that is complex, yet incredibly fluid. In one scene, when Hee sets her automatic weapon's sights on the unsuspecting Ryu as he meets an associate for lunch, the tension builds to a brilliantly excruciating level. It's this kind of moviemaking that wholeheartedly restores my faith in the action genre. A bit of the dialogue crosses the line into awkward melodrama (like I said, it's an action movie!), but that offense is entirely forgivable.
My biggest complaint about the film has to be, of all things, the soundtrack. First of all, the sound FX are much too loud in the mix. The constant staccato of machine gun fire had been branded into my subconscious for hours after the final credits rolled. Also, the score left a whole lot to be desired, not only in the music itself, but the spots in which it is placed. Its prevalence in the opening scenes of the film, which too come across a bit disjointedly, seem like a harbinger of bad things to come, but Shiri quickly rights itself and the 2 hours that follow are exciting and provocative.
It appears that Korean cinema is finally beginning to create a small impact in the American market. If Shiri and Kang Je-Gyu are any indication of the talent that resides in the country, then U.S. audiences have been kept in the dark far too long. Thankfully, Shiri completely justifies its strong global box office receipts.
Make sure to read Warren's interview with Kang Je-Gyu here.
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