Shiri

Rating:
Summary: EXCELLENT
Review: I don't speak Korean so I'm not always fond of movies with subtitles or that are dubbed... I saw the film in Korea with out subtitles or dubbing and it was pretty easy to follow... It keeps the viewer entracned... and the action is never purposless.

Rating:
Summary: Movie within special cultural context
Review: I don't think the movie meets the Hollywood standard for action movies. It is very well done, however it still lacks few elements that would make it a first class action movie. However, I would like to give five for its plot and portrayal of romance. The romance plays in the setting of very special circumstance, involving the division in North and South Koreas. I thought that this was a really good romance film.

Rating:
Summary: good start
Review: I first watched this movie when it was released in Korea a few years ago, and recently watched it again in its DVD version. Its plot is a quite predictable, and its action sequences are good, but not exceptional. Despite such shortcomings, this movie proves to be rather decent because of two things: the acting and the cultural context.
First acting: two of the main characters of the movie is played by two of the best actors in Korea working today: Han Suk-kyu and Song Kang-ho. It is quite amazing how seriously and convincingly these actors (as well as other actors in the movie) portray their characters given a somewhat far-fetched story line. Yet, they pull it off, rendering the movie much more credible and meaningful.
Secondly cultural context: As many other reviewers have remarked, this movie may have touched Korean audiences more due to its subject matter. While the movie seems to adopt "good vs. evil" approach where the North Koreans are the former and the South the latter, it is tastefully undercurrented by more personal and romantic theme, where a person loves another person free of political agendas or still very much lingering tragedy of Korean war. The result, in my opinion, is a much smarter film, in which the differnce between right and wrong is much more ambiguous, and audiences are able to understand / care for the characters more; the tragic divide between the two main characters and thier ultimate end seems to reflect the same kind of divide between South and North Koreas in which all Koreans can relate.
Having said all this, I like to note that this movie noted a beginning of contemporary Korean cinema which has come a long way since then (I think the theatrical release of "Shiri" was in 1997). Since then, many excellent Korean movies have sprung, and I wish that Shiri marks a beginning of further importation of new and improved Korean cinemas into US. As one other review has mentioned, "JSA" (Joint Security Area), starring Song Kangho (who also starred in Shiri), is an excellent example of such new and improved Korean films. Be sure the check it out when it comes out in US.

Rating:
Summary: Action-packed and suspenseful...
Review: I just finished watching this spectacular film. I won't go into what's already been said about this movie except that Shiri does rival all the major Hollywood blockbuster action flicks in terms of production and action. It even beat Titanic at the box office in its home country of South Korea! And all for a budget of $5 million! Certain scenes of the movie will keep you riveted to the screen as well as leave you in suspense! The plot involves a group of North Korean military operatives who steal a top secret explosive and plan to use it at a reunification soccer game between the two Koreas. It's up to two South Korean agents to stop the operatives from carrying out their devious plan. It's gets a little more complicated at first as there is also a romance with one of the agents involved, but it's makes perfect sense later on, and I'll leave it at that. Any way, this is a pretty darn good action film! Three and a half stars.

Rating:
Summary: Action-packed and suspenseful...
Review: I just finished watching this spectacular film. I won't go into what's already been said about this movie except that Shiri does rival all the major Hollywood blockbuster action flicks in terms of production and action. It even beat Titanic at the box office in its home country of South Korea! And all for a budget of $5 million! Certain scenes of the movie will keep you riveted to the screen as well as leave you in suspense! The plot involves a group of North Korean military operatives who steal a top secret explosive and plan to use it at a reunification soccer game between the two Koreas. It's up to two South Korean agents to stop the operatives from carrying out their devious plan. It's gets a little more complicated at first as there is also a romance with one of the agents involved, but it's makes perfect sense later on, and I'll leave it at that. Any way, this is a pretty darn good action film! Three and a half stars.

Rating:
Summary: A Good Romantic Movie
Review: I personally think there is too much criticism when rating this movie, especially since this particular film was produced in a country that didn't have the long history of film making and experience like american productions. If one expects so much out of this film and expecting professional quality cinematics and directing, why not just go rent or buy american action movies? They seem to deliver that quickly and effortlessly. However, I personally like the originality and creativity of this film. Other foreign films such as The Road Home starring Zhang Ziyi was one of my favorites. This wasn't because they had super action scenes or tear dropping romance like the Titanic. It was simply because the plot was creative,simple, and overall pleasant. One should understand that Shiri also portrays a similar feel - particularly at the end of the movie.

Rating:
Summary: One Of The Best Movies That I've Seen In A Long, Long Time!
Review: I think that this is an absolutely great film. I just watched the DVD last night. It has great action scenes, a great plot, great romance and many surprising twists. This is one of the few movies that you enjoy more when you know less about it before you see it (Don't read too many reviews. They give away too much about it. Its best watched "cold".). If I could only buy (10) DVDs in my life, this would be one of them.

Eddy C.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of Korean cinema
Review: I was excited about having a chance to watch this movie; after all, Shiri became South Korea's most successful and most-watched film of all time, surpassing even the mighty Titanic. It seems only right that a Korean film should hold the box office record in South Korea. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Shiri; I knew it was an action film involving a deadly female assassin from North Korea and that the plot revolved in some way around the idea of Korean unification, but that was the extent of my knowledge going in. Shiri definitely delivers, offering up heaping platefuls of suspense, action, and gritty violence; it also, much to its credit, carries an emotional payload of love, friendship, betrayal, duty, all of the angst that surrounds the question of unification. The special effects are well done (Shiri had a budget of only five million dollars, but that qualifies as a big budget in Korean cinema), the cinematography is beautiful, and the overall presentation of the film serves to touch the viewer in any number of ways.

I do have to admit that I found parts of the film somewhat confusing, especially early on; I also had trouble keeping some of the characters straight in my mind. I think this is explained by my American viewpoint and the fact that I could not devote all of my attention to the events on the screen as I had to depend on subtitles to follow the dialogue. Additionally, the whole theme of reunification obviously doesn't impact me the way it would a Korean audience. Even I can see how ambitious and daring the plot of this film was, though; this is truly a film borne out of the very soul of Korea.

Hee is North Korea's most infamous assassin, and as the movie opens, she seems to have reappeared for the first time in a year. South Korean special agents Ryu and Lee have been charged with the task of ending her reign of terror; this is no easy job, as she has left a trail of very important corpses right under their noses for years. As it turns out, Hee is not working alone now, and this only complicates things. Working alongside her now is a special, seemingly rogue element of the North Korean military. This group manages to steal a number of containers of a new super-incendiary device called CTX, and they stash these awful weapons throughout the metropolis of Seoul. These revolutionaries make demands that cannot be met, but their true goal is only made manifest in the final stages of the film. Against this backdrop, you have a highly visible cultural joining of both Koreas in the form of a soccer game in Seoul, the symbolism of which is made most obvious by the mutual attendance of the leaders of both Koreas. For special agents Ryu and Lee, the job of finding and eliminating the infamous Hee takes on incredibly emotional dimensions neither man could ever have anticipated, and it is on this highly personal level that the true heart of the movie plays out.

A 1999 film offering two distinct ideas about Korean reunification was definitely a risk for South Korean filmmaker Kang Je-Gyu. Of course, the greater the risk, the larger the possible reward, and this film proved the very opposite of divisive. South Koreans flocked to see Shiri, it is said that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il arranged to see a stolen copy of it, and the South Korean government itself treated foreign diplomats to a free screening of this historic block-buster. Those who crave action and realistic violence will find much to their liking here, but it is Shiri's surprisingly powerful emotional impact that really sets the film apart as something special.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece of Korean cinema
Review: I was excited about having a chance to watch this movie; after all, Shiri became South Korea's most successful and most-watched film of all time, surpassing even the mighty Titanic. It seems only right that a Korean film should hold the box office record in South Korea. I wasn't exactly sure what to expect from Shiri; I knew it was an action film involving a deadly female assassin from North Korea and that the plot revolved in some way around the idea of Korean unification, but that was the extent of my knowledge going in. Shiri definitely delivers, offering up heaping platefuls of suspense, action, and gritty violence; it also, much to its credit, carries an emotional payload of love, friendship, betrayal, duty, all of the angst that surrounds the question of unification. The special effects are well done (Shiri had a budget of only five million dollars, but that qualifies as a big budget in Korean cinema), the cinematography is beautiful, and the overall presentation of the film serves to touch the viewer in any number of ways.

I do have to admit that I found parts of the film somewhat confusing, especially early on; I also had trouble keeping some of the characters straight in my mind. I think this is explained by my American viewpoint and the fact that I could not devote all of my attention to the events on the screen as I had to depend on subtitles to follow the dialogue. Additionally, the whole theme of reunification obviously doesn't impact me the way it would a Korean audience. Even I can see how ambitious and daring the plot of this film was, though; this is truly a film borne out of the very soul of Korea.

Hee is North Korea's most infamous assassin, and as the movie opens, she seems to have reappeared for the first time in a year. South Korean special agents Ryu and Lee have been charged with the task of ending her reign of terror; this is no easy job, as she has left a trail of very important corpses right under their noses for years. As it turns out, Hee is not working alone now, and this only complicates things. Working alongside her now is a special, seemingly rogue element of the North Korean military. This group manages to steal a number of containers of a new super-incendiary device called CTX, and they stash these awful weapons throughout the metropolis of Seoul. These revolutionaries make demands that cannot be met, but their true goal is only made manifest in the final stages of the film. Against this backdrop, you have a highly visible cultural joining of both Koreas in the form of a soccer game in Seoul, the symbolism of which is made most obvious by the mutual attendance of the leaders of both Koreas. For special agents Ryu and Lee, the job of finding and eliminating the infamous Hee takes on incredibly emotional dimensions neither man could ever have anticipated, and it is on this highly personal level that the true heart of the movie plays out.

A 1999 film offering two distinct ideas about Korean reunification was definitely a risk for South Korean filmmaker Kang Je-Gyu. Of course, the greater the risk, the larger the possible reward, and this film proved the very opposite of divisive. South Koreans flocked to see Shiri, it is said that North Korea's leader Kim Jong Il arranged to see a stolen copy of it, and the South Korean government itself treated foreign diplomats to a free screening of this historic block-buster. Those who crave action and realistic violence will find much to their liking here, but it is Shiri's surprisingly powerful emotional impact that really sets the film apart as something special.

Rating:
Summary: an ok movie, but wait.....
Review: I watched it because it was a box-hit. Thoughout the movie, I felt nothing more but disappointment. This action movie is well plotted, yet with strong Hong Kong style. Just when I was about to throw this movie behind my collection, my Korean friend told me that SHIRI is a special fish that only lives between South and North Korea. Having that in mind, it changes how I view this movie entirely. And I get to appreciate how it becomes a box-hit in Korea, and how Koreans feel when they watch this movie.

4 stars if I know what shiri means !