Shiri (Swiri, 1999)

Kang Je-Kyu

Korea

124 min, color, Korean (English subtitles)

Upon its release, Shiri broke the attendance record set by Titanic in Korea. An espionage thriller similar to a 007 outing, the film resonates with the national pain caused by half a century of forced separation of the two Koreas. This makes it more believable than the high-tech antics of the Cold War hero, and somewhat more poignant (if such a description is even applicable to Bond) in that the ending is anything but the usual.

Yu Jung-Won (Han Seok-Kyu) and Lee Jang-Gil (Song Kang-Ho) are special agents of the O.P., the South Korean secret intelligence service. When a frightened weapons dealer contacts them for protection and then is killed by an unseen sniper, the agents resume the chase of an old acquaintance of theirs, the North Korean assassin, and member of the elite Special 8th Corps, Lee Bang-Hee. Having disappeared a year ago, she has apparently been activated again, this time at especially sensitive political juncture---the North Korean leadership is about to visit the South to watch a soccer game in a show of reconciliation. The thawing seems most unwelcome by some patriotic Northerners, who are bent on instigating a international war that would supposedly lead to the unification. (That part of the plot certianly needed more work. It is unclear how a war would do that.) In any case, the elite unit infiltrates South Korea and steals CTX, an ultra-secret super-powerful liquid bomb developed by the government. This bomb looks like water, is undetectable, and needs no detonator, only light and some heat, to explode. (Why, on Earth, would any legitimate government develop a weapon more suited for terrorism, is beyond me.) They plan to blow up the stadium and the top brass to la-la land. Naturally, O.P.'s job is to thwart their diabolical plan.

Since most reviews reveal the interesting part of the plot, I will do the same. Don't read on unless you have seen the film and/or don't care knowing more about the little twist that makes it such a delicious viewing. As a matter of fact, I think the film might have done better to reveal the identity of Hee long before it does if only to observe her shattering inner struggle and the dilemma that leaves her the choice of becoming a traitor to the nationalist cause or murdering the only person she has ever loved. There are many instances of top foreign spies falling for handsome Western agents, at least in the 007 universe, and they never have problems betraying their cause for a one-nighter in some fancy hotel on the Riviera. To the film's credit, this is so remote from this assassin's agenda that the ending comes as no surprise even as it is so nonstandard.

In the confused aftermath of a first bombing, there is an apparent leak at O.P. and no one trusts anyone. Friends and partners bug each other's cars and apartments to find out who is keeping the Northerners a step ahead. Even as his wedding day draws near, Jung-Won suspects Jang-Gil of foul play. Clues, however, gradually point to Jung-Won's fiancee, Lee Myeong-Hyeon (Kim Yun-Jin), whose lapse in alcoholism comes suspiciously hot on the heels of an unsuccessful attempt on Jung-Won's life. Goaded by her commander, Park Mu-Young (Choi Min-Shik), she tries, but cannot bear the thought of offing her lover, but since she cannot overcome the indoctrination --- and there is a long introduction to the kind of training she had to undergo in the North --- she even attempts to blow her brains out in a display of patriotic regret. Of course, one is left to wonder whether that was a tremendous psychological ploy on her side... after all, she did betray the unit eventually, even if her message did not get through to Jung-Won in time.

Having literally put on a new face, Hee seems to become Hyeon in that she craves what every normal human being does --- affection and closeness. On the other hand, she is a ruthless assassin, and so she seldom wavers pulling the trigger when required. It is never answered in the film whether her relationship with Jung-Won was an infiltration scheme gone south (hehe, pun intended), or whether it was an accident that she ended up exploiting for the cause. At any rate, there was no gleeful transformation here, except that in the conflict between the public ideals and private feelings, the feelings seem to have won out. Curiously, it is Jung-Won that pulls the fateful trigger in the end for even as she is unable to win a stand off with him, he seems perfectly capable of defending his president. Oh well, I guess that is what "patriotism" is really like? I don't know. I ended up liking her more.

I am thus of mixed feelings. There's a lot of understated drama in this film that might have been developed at the expense of the extravagant action. Although these sequences are top-notch --- with the possible exception of the tower bombing, which looked quite fake --- there's too much bullet-play and too little characterization. I would have liked to see more of Hee-Hyeon's struggle. Comparing Shiri to another, somewhat similarly themed, recent release, Joint Security Area, I must say that the latter was far more effective precisely because it centered on the development of human bonds between supposed enemies. Although I liked that film better, Shiri is still a delight to see and should not be missed.

The DTS 2-disc Special Edition of Shiri is stunning. There is a gorgeous flip-open case and an insert (all in Korean, regrettably). The video transfer is excellent, I have rarely seen such good color definitions and crips edges. The Korean soundtrack sounds glorious (and I only watched the Dolby 5.1, not the DTS). The subtitles are bright and readable, the translation is error-free and a pleasure to have. The action sequences must have looked spectacular on the big screen. If you are going to own this film on DVD, then this is the edition you want. It is worth the $29 you might have to pay for it.

September 25, 2001.