Swiri (1999)

South Korean agents Ryu and Lee are tracking a female assassin from North Korea who has mysteriously disappeared. With new killings and the theft of a deadly bomb, time is running out to catch her.

Director:

Je-kyu Kang (as Je-gyu Kang)

Writer:

Je-kyu Kang (as Je-gyu Kang)

Stars:

Suk-kyu Han, Min-sik Choi, Yunjin Kim

7 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Suk-kyu Han	...	Jong Won Yu
Min-sik Choi	...	Mu-young Park
Yunjin Kim	...	Myung-hyun Lee / Bang-hee Lee (as Yoon-jin Kim)
Kang-ho Song	...	Jang-gil Lee
Johnny Kim	...	Dae-Ho Jung (as Derek Kim)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jung-min Hwang	...	(as Jeong-min Hwang)
Hyo-Seon Jang
Hyun-Sung Jang	...	(as Hyeong-seong Jang)
Soo-Ro Kim	...	(as Su-ro Kim)
Seung-shin Lee	...	(as Seung-Shin Lee)
Yong-woo Park	...	Sik

Storyline

North Korea's 8th Special Forces hijacks a shipment of CTX, a potent new liquid explosive, and threatens South Korea as part of a plot to re-unify the two countries. Ryu and Lee, special agents of O.P.--South Korea's secret intelligence service--attempt to track down the terrorists and find the CTX. Meanwhile Hee, the 8th's ultra-bad female sniper, resurfaces to wreak havoc and haunt Ryu.

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Plot Keywords:

man murders a woman | woman with a gun | murder of an innocent person | shooting a soldier | threat to murder | 

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Taglines:

No clues. No leads. No time.

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and some language

Did You Know?

Trivia

Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry. This was due to South Korea's major economic boom that occurred in late 90's.

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Goofs

The CTX convoy is shown driving to the right, including throughout the tunnel just before the ambush, but then it suddenly switches to the left side of the stripe when stopping at the checkpoint.

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Alternate Versions

For non-Korean versions, a text narrative is added at the beginning of the film, explaining the political climate between the two Koreas.

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Connections

Referenced in Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever (2002)

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Soundtracks

When I Dream
Written by 'Sandy Mason Theortet'
Performed by Carol Kidd

User Reviews

Slick, action-packed Korean political thriller

Security agent Ryu stumbles upon a plot by North Korean fanatics (led by terrorist Park and assassin Hee) to disrupt peace and re-unification efforts by North and South politicians using high tech explosives and the hunt is on to stop them. Much gun play follows, as well as much talk about the politics and sociology of possible Korean re-unification. Given North Korea's history of selling weaponry to anyone with hard currency and South Korea's position as an important diplomatic and military ally of the U.S., such discussions are actually of worldwide interest. Since emerging in the mid-90s as a distinct cinematic power, South Korea has become filmdom's leading edge for cult actioners and this movie shows why. It is fast paced, uberviolent, with a polished look, tightly crafted plot line and strong performances by its ensemble cast.

Details

Official Sites:

film.ru (Russia) Imagine Pix

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

13 February 1999 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Shiri

Filming Locations:

"The Hill of Shiri", Joongmoon-Dong, Seogwipo, Cheju Island, South Korea

Box Office

Budget:

$5,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$29,187, 10 February 2002

Gross USA:

$98,452

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$135,892

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, CJ E&M Film Financing & Investment Entertainment & Comics, Frontier Works Comic

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1