"Action master" director Ryu Seung-wan handles romantic sentiment with such deftness. His new film "Humint" unleashes relentless, punchy action—his hallmark—across the big screen, and the delicate romantic emotion surrounding the protagonist adds a layer that shakes both the head and the heart.
The film "Humint" (director Ryu Seung-wan, distributed by NEW, produced by Oeyunaegang Co., Ltd.) depicts a clash in Vladivostok among people with different aims, where secrets and truths are submerged in a cold sea of ice. Zo In-sung passionately plays Jo, a National Intelligence Service (NIS) agent and director; Park Jeongmin plays Park Geon, chief of the North Korean State Security Department; Park Hae-jun plays Hwang Chi-seong, the North Korean consul general in Vladivostok; and Shin Sae-kyeong plays Cha Seon-hwa, a North Korean restaurant worker who becomes a humint to survive.
"Humint" shares a universe with Ryu Seung-wan's 2013 hit "Berlin," which drew more than 7 million viewers. The secret agent Pyo Jong-seong (Ha Jung-woo) from "Berlin" is mentioned, sparking interest from the start.
While investigating bingdu (ice drug) that entered Korea, NIS director Jo witnesses the death of a valued informant before his eyes, and later meets another North Korean informant, Cha Seon-hwa, in Vladivostok. Determined never to lose an informant so futilely again, he spends four months carefully trying to recruit Cha Seon-hwa, but a new phase begins when Park Geon, chief of the North Korean State Security Department, appears. It turns out Park Geon and Cha Seon-hwa had been engaged lovers in the past, and matters get complicated when North Korean consul general Hwang Chi-seong, who notices their relationship, becomes involved.
Although "Humint" partially shares a universe with "Berlin," it is clearly a different work when you look inside. While "Humint" is a spy-action genre film, instead of a complex, meticulous information war of deceiving one another, it focuses on individual characters and concentrates on "emotion" and "relationships." It also shows the harsh reality that, living out their missions within North and South systems, people ultimately become tools to extract information rather than humans.
Ryu Seung-wan's action direction shines again. Realistic action that makes the audience's bodies twist is arranged throughout the film, and the scene in which Jo and Park Geon enter the lair of a Russian human trafficking ring and engage in gun action with dozens of large men is a highlight. The actors—Zo In-sung, Park Jeongmin, Park Hae-jun—and Ryu Seung-wan's direction deliver a catharsis through performances that throw their whole bodies into the work.
Also, the romance between Park Jeongmin and Shin Sae-kyeong contains no physical contact throughout the film, yet by the end it is so poignant it triggers tears. The reason romance is so pronounced in "Humint" is evident even in the title. In an age of cutting-edge technology, the story centers on information "obtained through people," that is, activity as humint, and this carefully built emotional line meets the passionate performances of Park Jeongmin and Shin Sae-kyeong to create explosive power.
Zo In-sung, who keeps redefining "handsomeness" in Ryu Seung-wan's works, once again leads the film and delivers excellent action. Park Jeongmin, who has risen as a "woman-stealer," proved he is a "do-it-all actor" through his romantic acting with Shin Sae-kyeong, and Shin Sae-kyeong, joining the "Ryu Seung-wan world" for the first time, leaves a strong impression with unexpected aspects such as a Pyongyang dialect and singing. Park Hae-jun, meanwhile, shed the lovelorn Yang Gwan-sik from When Life Gives You Tangerines and put on a new face.
Opens Feb. 11, rated 15 and older, 119 minutes.
[Photo] Provided by NEW
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