The Berlin File (2013)

Jong-seong, a North Korean ghost agent, interrupts an illegal arms sale in Berlin. A notorious North Korean agent tests the loyalties of everyone involved as Jong-Seong prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice.

Director:

Seung-wan Ryoo

Writers:

Ted Geoghegan (english dialogue), Stefanie Y. Hong (translation)

Stars:

Jung-woo Ha, Suk-kyu Han, Seung-bum Ryoo

9 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jung-woo Ha	...	Pyo Jong-sung
Suk-kyu Han	...	Jung Jin-soo
Seung-bum Ryoo	...	Dong Myung-soo (as Seung-beom Ryu)
Ji-Hyun Jun	...	Ryun Jung-hee (as Gianna Jun)
Kyeong-yeong Lee	...	Ri Hak-soo
John Keogh	...	Marty
Numan Acar	...	Abdul
Pasquale Aleardi	...	Dagan
Moo-Seong Choi	...	Kang Min-ho
Do-won Kwak	...	Blue House Investigator
Seo-hyeong Kim	...	North Korean Embassy Secretary
Thomas Thieme	...	Sigmund
Tayfun Bademsoy	...	Asim
Werner Daehn	...	Yuri
Sinja Dieks	...	Restaurant Waitress

Storyline

A North Korean agent in Berlin is betrayed and cut loose in the midst of a financial espionage intrigue. Together with his wife, a translator at the North Korean embassy in Berlin, they try to escape being purged, as North and South Korean operatives relentlessly pursue them.

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Plot Keywords:

espionage | split screen | die hard scenario | place name in title | death of pregnant woman | 

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Taglines:

When your country betrays you, who can you trust?

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

A scene in which Jung-woo Ha's character gobbles a baguette was not included in the final edit, and director Seung-wan Ryoo promised fans to make the footage public when the film exceeded 3 million admissions. The clip was released on February 7.

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Goofs

The Ford SUV used to drive to the remote house uses the wrong licence plates. The depicted plates (B-2452) are of a format reserved for official use only (i.e. Police). In addition, the plates are missing the vehicle inspection stickers ("TÜV-Plakette").

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Quotes

Dong, Myeong-soo: Revenge... is a dish best served cold!

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Connections

References Black Rain (1989)

User Reviews

Enjoyable action film

After an arms smuggling deal goes bad, North Korean agent Pyo Jong Sung finds himself and his wife, translator Ryeon Jung-hee under a cloud of suspicion and tries to uncover the real culprit. North and South Korean, Russian, U.S., Israeli, and Arab agents are everywhere, to the point where it seems it's only slightly more likely to see a German citizen on the streets of Berlin than if the action took place in Seoul.

Once all of these players are introduced, the movie does a good job of sorting them all out, as Jong Sung investigates who is responsible. There are a number of very effective action sequences throughout the film to keep things moving.

The relationship between Jong Sung and Jung-hee is central to to plot. For an action movie, the characters are very well presented. But fans expecting a repeat of Jun Ji Hyun's delightfully over-the-top performance in The Thieves will be disappointed. Her role as Jung- hee in The Berlin File rarely goes beyond that of a typical damsel in distress.

The movie is exceptionally well filmed to reflect a tense, somber mood. There were some shots that looked almost as if they were filmed in black and white to harmonize with the prevailing tone.

The end of the movie strongly foreshadows that a sequel is in the works. Of course that typically depends on how well the movie performs at the box office. By all reports The Berlin File easily did well enough to justify a sequel. I'll be looking forward it.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean English German

Release Date:

15 February 2013 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Berlin File

Filming Locations:

Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$665,210

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$48,979,656

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Base Berlin, Filmmaker R&K, Sun & Moon Pictures Intl

Technical Specs

Runtime:

121 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1