Desertman84
Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry.It was created as a deliberate homage to the "high-octane" action film made popular by Hollywood.It stars Han Suk-kyu,Choi Min-sik,Kim Yoon-jin and Song Kang- ho.Also,it also contained a story that draws on strong Korean national sentiment to fuel its drama.It was written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.A dazzling action movie from South Korea, it follows two South Korean government agents, Ryu and Lee, as they pursue a female super-assassin from North Korea. Meanwhile, an elite paramilitary squad from North Korea has stolen a shipment of CTX, an undetectable liquid explosive of enormous power, which they've planted all over the city of Seoul. As their investigations are successively foiled, Ryu and Lee begin to suspect that there is a mole within the ranks of the agency it is believed that it may be one of them.The movie rips along as a smooth fusion of Hong Kong and American action movies that is both hyper-stylish and hyper-realistic.It's a post-Cold War action yarn with a nose for melodrama, and a loopy cop drama with undeniable entertainment value.
GonzoLubitsch
This is one of the worst Action/Thriller movies I have seen for some time. Contains an amusing amount of blood and violence at the beginning, setting a storyline that is full of patriotic nonsense. Normally one does not necessarily expect a sensible story line from an action thriller, but not it is not only the story line that is moronic. The cinematography is not much better. And the action is equally unoriginal and thus predictable. There really is nothing new in this terrorist action movie. Special effects are at best poor. And compare to effects used years ago in the action classics such as Die Hard (only then they were some what new and original!).I would not advise anyone to waste their time and to watch this movie, reading the telephone book for an hour and a half will prove more entertaining and will not give you as bad a headache as this film!
Andy (film-critic)
Typically, I hate American Hollywood action films. Nine times out of ten you will find yourself immersed in the same plot, the exact same characters, and an overabundance of explosions when the focus should be on learning more about the characters. Our focus when making Hollywood action films is completely skewed. We could take a page from the ways that other countries make action films. While most will think that they are all made the same (conflict, girl, explosion, tense ending), I witnessed a completely different representation of the action genre with Swiri. While it wasn't perfect, it was a stride in the right direction giving us human characters, realistic tension, with a plot synopsis that may make any teacher think it was plagiarizing a film called The Rock. While the similarities may be great, where The Rock missed, Swiri gladly picked up and ran with it creating a challenging film that was two parts intense drama, one part action … a great recipe never used in Hollywood action.Swiri takes amazing strides towards redefining the action genre by giving us flawed characters. This is a concept missing in Hollywood action films. When I think of movies like Air Force One, Armageddon, or The Rock (aka Michael Bay-isms), you typically have a centralized character that could be shot at a million times, but never be hit. Who else is tired of these films? In Swiri, thankfully, we are granted a rare opportunity to see actual heroes that are flawed. Heroes that either have 1) emotional baggage or 2) more trouble in their lives than just bullets whizzing in their direction. Heroes that actually make us perpetuate some form of emotion at the end of the film, not just the hidden Hollywood "hurray for America" subliminal message. Heroes that make us stay on our toes wondering if they truly are as "good" as we have conceived them to be. Again, in your typical Hollywood film, if Harrison Ford is your heroine and top billing, you already know he will survive the end and be the ultimate "good" guy. In Swiri, director Je-gyu Kang keeps us second-guessing ourselves. Who is the "mole" in the system? Until the final, explosive moments of the film, we honestly have no clue, which leads us to a very emotional showdown at the end. It is these types of characters that keep us glued to our films, instead of getting a bite to eat in the middle and still visualizing how the ending will conclude.With such strong characters, you honestly didn't need a detailed story with Swiri. From the music to the indiscreet plot, many cinephiles will argue that this was nothing more than a completely plagiarized version of The Rock. In some cases they will be right, but in others they will be utterly wrong. Outside of the characters (which are the staple of this film), the less CGI graphics really keep you focused on the human drama surrounding this picture. The conflict between the two countries is a dominant element surrounding these characters. It isn't just terrorists trying to disrupt peace, it is a cause … a reason for the destruction. The action is suspenseful and tactfully realistic. I enjoyed seeing blood whenever villains were shot, I thought that the "gore" factor in this film was a cut above your normal Hollywood film. There is a scene when one of the "terrorists" is captured and she chooses suicide instead of capture, which is nearly unheard of in the American action genre. Swiri oozed with the type of action I only imagined I would find in The Corrupter.Swiri caught my attention on several levels, most of which I have already mentioned, but there was a missing element that I just couldn't put my finger on until I began this review. I remember when I first started this film I was confused. I had trouble seeing the characters, their stories, and their connections with each other. The violent introduction pulled me in, but as we became more developed, I felt lost and confused for about forty minutes, then I was able to find my footing. I don't know if it is just the rocky beginning, but I just thought that the first couple of instances when we get to see Hee in action were cheap. It could have been developed stronger. I wanted to know more about the CTX, more about it's destruction. As our terrorists begin announcing their plans, I felt there was quite a bit of waiting around and hoping the "good" guys would discover the truth and save the day. The sense of urgency was definitely lacking from some of the crucial moments of the film. If I had to name three things that I think were a downfall to this film they would be 1) pacing 2) confusing development and 3) Hee's true powers. I felt there was a whole hour that could have been dedicated to learning about the horrors that Hee had done prior to going into hiding. I needed more Hee! Overall, through all of this bantering, I thought that Swiri was a decent film. It was better than any action film that American Hollywood has to offer, but I think I need to see more work from Korea to fully grasp the ability that they have. It is always good to support the film that overtook Titanic at the box office. It is always good to support a film that gives you equal parts realistic human drama and explosions (which were kept to a minimal). Finally, it is always good to support a film that uses fish in a genuinely interesting, and mind-bending, way. I loved the twists and turns (reminded me of a great car chase), but I hated the confusing introduction. I needed more Hee, less random targets.Grade: *** out of *****
Marc Medina
Shiri is an absolutely stunning, well thought out action/spy/thriller/political drama. It needs a US theatrical release. The first five minutes is quite gory, showing how ruthlessly the North Korean military spies are trained, but the rest of the movie hinges on all of this, so it's required. The acting is top notch - better and more believable than most American films. When you think it's over there is still another 10 minutes of movie to complete the story. As a parent, I wouldn't show the movie to children (under 15 at the minimum) due to the content, but then again it is rated R. This movie is also typical of Asian movies in that things that you don't think will happen DO happen and it's always a surprise or unexpected twist that moves the story along in a way that keeps you from predicting what will happen next.This is certainly a "don't miss" movie.
