The Suspect (2013)

Betrayed and on the run, a North Korean agent tries to uncover the volatile secrets hidden inside the eyeglasses of a dead man.

Director:

Shin-yeon Won

Writer:

Sang-yoon Lim

Stars:

Jong-ryol Choi, Jo Jae-yoon, Eui-sung Kim

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Jong-ryol Choi	...	Butler Moon
Jo Jae-yoon	...	Cho (as Jae-yun Jo)
Eui-sung Kim
Seong-gyoon Kim	...	Lee Gwang-jo
Hee-soon Park	...	Min Se-hoon
Won Poong-Yeon	...	Kim Seok-Ho's underling
Jo Sung-ha	...	NIS director Kim Seok-ho (as Seong-ha Jo)
Da-in Yoo	...	Choi Kyeong-hee
Gong Yoo	...	Ji Dong-cheol
Lee Chae Yun	...	Park Hwi-Soon's daughter

Storyline

Dong-chul (Gong Yoo) is the best field agent in North Korea - until he is abandoned during a mission, his wife and daughter murdered. Hunted and on the run, torn between grief and vengeance, he takes a job as a night driver for the CEO of a powerful corporation. The chairman is brutally assassinated - but gives Dong-chul a pair of glasses before he dies. Now, he's on the run again. Accused of murder, wanted for treason, and desperate to uncover the volatile national secrets hidden inside the glasses. Dong-Chul wants the truth. And he'll start a war to get it.

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Plot Keywords:

eyeglasses | 

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Genres:

Action | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Yoon Kyesang was originally cast in the lead role, but dropped out after costar Choi Min-sik left the project.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Connections

References Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance (2002)

User Reviews

Another day, another Bourne copy, and it's a good 'un

THE SUSPECT is another in a long line of Bourne-influenced spy thrillers from South Korea, films that predictably mine North/South tension for their thrills. This one has much in common with THE BERLIN FILE in its tale of a North Korean defector who finds himself pursued by both the bad guys and authorities in his quest for vengeance.

The worst thing about this film is the slightly confusing, complicated nature of the narrative - at least, when you watch it for the first time. It actually tells a simple, two-fold tale: there's a straightforward revenge narrative here mixed in with a mystery involving a conspiracy so that the viewer spends his or her time trying to work out who the bad guy is. The first half of the film is particularly muddled but it does all become clear towards the end, although it's probably a film you'll need to watch twice to get full enjoyment from. In fact, I did just that, and found myself enjoying it much more the second time around once I knew what was going on.

THE SUSPECT is a very well made movie and it's absolutely action packed. There are car chases, fights and shoot-outs galore here, all dealt with with maximum intensity and captured in loving detail by the director. The cast are also strong in their roles, and as with a lot of these movies, there's a strong emotional core which gives it heart as well as muscle. However, be warned: this is a film that employs extreme shaky-cam throughout, so if you're not a fan of that particular style then this probably isn't the movie for you.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [South Korea]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

10 January 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Suspect

Filming Locations:

Seoul, South Korea

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$86,137, 12 January 2014

Gross USA:

$218,693

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$28,674,130

Company Credits

Production Co:

Green Fish Pictures, Musa Productions, Showbox/Mediaplex

Technical Specs

Runtime:

137 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1