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Shiri

Shiri (2002)

February. 08,2002
|
6.5
|
R
| Adventure Drama Action Thriller

North Korea's 8th Special Forces hijack 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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Reviews

Solemplex
2002/02/08

To me, this movie is perfection.

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VividSimon
2002/02/09

Simply Perfect

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Siflutter
2002/02/10

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

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Curt
2002/02/11

Watching it is like watching the spectacle of a class clown at their best: you laugh at their jokes, instigate their defiance, and "ooooh" when they get in trouble.

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Prashast Singh
2002/02/12

Movie: Swiri (15): Action - KoreanPositives:The basic concept of CTX is extremely impressive.The lead actors Suk-Kyu Han, Song Kang-ho and Choi Min-sik steal the show with their powerful performances while Hwang Jung-min too impresses in a cameo.The background score and sound effects are very impressive.The action scenes are well choreographed and also entertaining.The film has good production values.A lot of plot twists and thrills are pretty impressive.The climax is excellent.Negatives:Yunjin Kim's performance is just fine, and for the most part it's not very impressive.Even though the action scenes are decent, they are not filmed very well. Too much of shaky cinematography during a few action blocks spoils the impact slightly.Editing is another major negative as the film could've easily done away with some 10 minutes. The romance subplots only add to the length. It was difficult to finish this film in once only due to the editing.Repeat value: Can't saySWIRI is an entertaining action film with some decent plot twists and overall entertainment, and further worth seeing if you love action films. But that factor too can act slightly negative since the action scenes are just fine and don't really hold a repeat value, though a few action blocks are done excellently too, at the same time.

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Bene Cumb
2002/02/13

Nevertheless, the approach is catchy and thrilling, there are multiple well exercised action and chasing scenes, and foreign viewers obtain additionally an overview of daily life and habits in South Korea (by the way, the country has higher standard of life than in many EU countries). True, the filmmakers have their paragons in Hollywood and Hong Kong, hence some unreal elements and protracted romantic scenes are included to please the viewers, to broaden the audience. The actors/actresses are yet credible and versatile, although the faces of supporting actors seemed identical to me at times... Anyway, the film is recommended to all those fond of Hollywood without its actors.

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Christopher
2002/02/14

This Korean spy thriller centers on an assassin from North Korea (Kim Yoon-jin from Lost) and a team of special forces (the leader is Choi Min-sik from Oldboy) that hijacks an shipment of a new type of explosive. Two members of the South Korean counter-terrorism unit (one of whom is played by Song Kang-ho, who has been in JSA, Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, Lady Vengeance, and The Host) must track them down before they blow up Seoul. There is a good mix of drama and action here. One of the South Korean agents is engaged, but she doesn't know what he does for a living. The other is obsessed with finding Hee, the assassin. There are some nice running gun fights with hand-held camera work that emphasized the chaos. I really would have liked to see at least one decent car chase, though. Well acted all around and the direction by Kang Je-gyu (Tae Guk Gi), who also wrote the script, was very solid. There is one very sudden twist at the end that really makes you take notice and that really makes the film more than your standard actioner.

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gmwhite
2002/02/15

Having been led to believe that Shiri was a good example of a recent burst of Korean action films I started it with high expectations. After all, if Hollywood is so conservative, shouldn't non-Hollywood, and particularly foreign films, offer an original alternative? Seems logical.The story has to do with a deadly female assassin from North Korea, who had fallen out of circulation for a while in South Korea after being identified. With a bit of help from a rogue North Korean special forces unit, she is about to be reactivated. Sound familiar? If the general idea sounds standard action-film fare, just wait till you get to the details of the laughably cliché-ridden plot and characterisation. These are a few of the numerous clichés that sprang to mind.***Major spoilers ahead. Don't read until after seeing the film***If there is a chase on foot, both the baddies and the police should knock over lots of people, especially those carrying baskets. They also upset food stalls. If possible they also go the wrong way down escalators. The hero's partner is killed. Bombs always have red LED countdown displays. A super-powerful secret weapon is stolen from a government laboratory. The super-powerful weapon is be hidden in a sports stadium. Baddies frown a lot so you can tell they are bad. Sniper's rifles should be carried in cases with molded foam compartments inside. Bombs should not be deactivated until there is less than .1 second left on the timer If the baddie is a woman, she will fall in love with the hero and find herself unable to shoot him when the time comes. The female baddie and the hero will nevertheless find themselves aiming at each other in the last minutes of the movie.When it looks as if the hero is about to be shot, one of his colleagues will enter and gun down the baddie just in time. Baddies dress in police or army uniforms at least once during the film. Rooms in which there is an unusual amount of glass are the best place for shoot-outs. (Aquariums stores are obviously first choice). The main baddie cannot be shot until the end of the film, no matter how many rounds are discharged in his direction until then.***End of spoilers***This aside, there really isn't much left to discuss. The acting was suitably standard for this kind of fare (I can't take the suggestion seriously that these leads are the Korean equivalents of DeNiro and Pacino). The camera work was lively, with plenty of cuts, probably intended to give the impression of dynamism, but really just covering up for a startling lack of inspiration and originality. The current situation of a divided Korea is mentioned, but not in a manner than is informative beyond showing a general dissatisfaction with a divided motherland and the comparison of abundance versus starvation. I really can't recommend this one, except to those interested in compiling lists of action-movie clichés, which is about the only joy a viewer will derive from this film. At 2 hours long, the director has given himself enough time to pack this film to overflowing with them. It's not even original enough to be a true turkey in the classic mold. It's just boring. See Joint Security Area instead.

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