`Secret Reunion` goes beyond spy drama

Early in "Secret Reunion," a clever tale of two marginalized men, middle-aged anti-spy agent Han-kyu (Song Kang-ho) ruefully complains about how the external world is "inconsistent" in driving him to the wall.

His job is to track down and arrest North Korean spies, but when one of the missions he leads fails miserably, his superiors, mindful of their own job security, rush to put all the blame on the working-level officer. Han-kyu`s half-comic and half-saddening comment about his sorry state not only showcases Song`s trademark acting skill but also highlights the film`s message.

Han-kyu`s opposite is Ji-won (Kang Dong-won), an extremely handsome and intelligent North Korean spy who carries out a mission through encrypted messages sent via e-mails.

On their first encounter, they get a brief glimpse of each other without knowing they end up in an embarrassing situation six years later. After all, the center of attention on that fateful day was elsewhere. A super-charged North Korean agent nicknamed "Shadow" leaves several South Korean agents and innocent civilians dead in the broad daylight in Seoul.



So far, a typical spy drama based on decades-old inter-Korean espionage. Fortunately for the audiences, director Jang Hoon, who scored a hit with the 2008 sleeper "Rough Cut," shifts gears drastically when the clock advances by six years when the two main characters are set to meet again.

Han-kyu`s present life is not pretty. He lost his job as part of restructuring efforts at the anti-spy agency and got divorced. He occasionally talks to his daughter on the phone and sends money to his ex-wife.

Han-kyu`s current job is functionally the same as the old one: tracking down people. He runs a sort of private detective agency, and he charges Korean farmers for hunting down runaway Vietnamese or other foreign brides.

Ji-won`s life in the South is equally disappointing. The high-profile incident six years ago was chaotic in execution, resulting in confusion about who did what wrong. What is clear, at least for the North Korean authorities who control the spy operations against the South, is that Ji-won should take the blame, a sorry conclusion not dissimilar to what had happened to Han-kyu.

The two men, both ignored, sidelined and marginalized happen to live together for a while, each dreaming of a different outcome. The camera keeps throwing hints about how far removed the two men are from their dreams, while interspersing funny moments with some action sequences to spice up the otherwise melodramatic mood of the second half.

Jang might have been tempted to crank up the socio-political criticism to a higher level, but he wisely did not opt for that obvious track. Instead, he focuses on the basic human emotions flowing from people whose social status turns into that of outsiders overnight.

Song masterfully delivers what he is supposed to do for the tricky character. Han-kyu seems deeply world-weary but never loses his sense of self-deprecating humor. Even when he accidentally traps himself in his own apartment, his awkward facial expression appears genuine and earnest, turning that particular scene all the more hilarious.

Kang, who also stars in the current box-office film "Jeon Woo Chi," manages to bring to life a North Korean agent whose empathy is extraordinary, but some may find his character a tad unrealistic due to his glamorous appearance that is not suitable for a super-secret agent.

"Secret Reunion" is scheduled to open nationwide on Feb. 4.

(insight@heraldm.com)



By Yang Sung-jin