Fantastic!

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Movie: The Berlin File (15)Rating: 4/5South Korean action thrillers are quite interesting to watch. Indeed I prefer watching mostly and rather, only action, drama and thriller films. So when I came across this action thriller THE BERLIN FILE starring one of my favourite actors Ha Jung-woo, I couldn't resist myself from watching it, and that too in high quality. However, I felt quite confused at times due to the script being convoluted to a great extent. What keeps you engaged is the brilliant action. THE BERLIN FILE has really brilliant action sequences, and that's a major reason why one finds it somewhat easy to ignore the flaws. Visually, the film is a gem. Story wise, it's a masterpiece. Execution wise, it's great but not excellent. Ha Jung-woo is extremely amazing in the role he plays. He's simply the best thing about the film. Just watch him in the action sequences and in the climax: his performance literally will blow your mind. Jun Ji-hyun is decent, and so is Ryoo Seung-bum: he's a firecracker when it comes to his act which he handles perfectly, and that's something which makes his character realistic.The director Ryoo Seung-wan does a decent job by handling the screenplay and direction well. The editing too is fine. But as said before, the execution is the only thing which needed to be better as in the beginning, after the first scene, it's difficult to follow the story as it keeps getting convoluted and things get more complicated when scenes end without much explanation. However, the film never loses its focus and manages to entertain you, leading to a thrilling climax which makes you forget rather every single flaw.THE BERLIN FILE is a powerful, breathtaking and intense action thriller which is a must see for the lovers of this genre. For others, I can easily recommend it, though they won't be easily able to follow the film in the beginning. Still, watch the film because the kind of action it offers is the one you won't have seen before.

The cover of The Berlin File DVD I purchased depicts Jung-woo Ha in the center of a metropolis as explosions take place around him, choppers taking to the air as crippled vehicles block the roads. This particular image does not do the film justice, which is far subtler in its portrayal of spies in alien environments suffering the repercussions of being betrayed.Rather than providing the viewer with environments tourists would often venture towards (with the exception of a couple attractions), the Berlin File is often set in locations including backstreets, maintenance areas, government buildings, highrises, hotels and the countryside. There are very few flashing, gorgeous attractions because the world of espionage does not take place in the eye of the public, but covertly, and the film generates this feeling perfectly.Ha plays North Korean ghost Pyo, who, after a weapons deal goes inexplicably wrong, finds himself questioning the loyalties of those around him in an attempt to discover who could have possibly set him up. The list of suspects not only includes the North Korean Ambassador (Lee Geung-young), but Pyo's wife Ryeon (Jeon Ji-hyun), a translator at the North Korean Embassy. The lacking passion in their relationship is well portrayed, with Pyo's love and dedication been firmly placed with his country, unable to realize the strain living in another country is doing to Ryeon.Initially it proves difficult to ascertain the loyalties of even the most enjoyable characters, the feature efficaciously building a story of suspense and intrigue where nothing is ever as it seems. The situation quickly escalates as South Korean agent Jung (Suk-kyu Han) attempts to find out who was involved in the failed weapons deal, alongside investigations by Mossad and the CIA, all of which begin converging upon Pyo. As the tension mounts, North Korean agent Dong (Seung-beom Ryu), is sent to fix the situation, and offers Pyo a solution. His decision, to accept or refuse the proposal, shapes not only the directionality of the story, but will lead to ramifications even he cannot escape.Part The Suspect, the Bourne Films and Mission Impossible, The Berlin File is not heavily reliant on explosions, instead providing the audience with a number of excellent close quarter combat scenarios that are as well choreographed as they are entertaining. Unlike in some films where the action is incredibly quick, it is easy to gauge what is transpiring during the confrontations.Ji-hyun portrays the only lead female in the entire film, originally her screen presence been limited, the story focusing on other events. Although the feature begins to focus more on her as it progresses, and despite there been enough information to understand the history she and her husband share, I would have appreciated the opportunity to see more of her character. Furthermore, with the majority of the film occupied by male cast members, I believe that the few female characters should have had a larger role, with other South Korean spy thrillers, such as Iris, often providing men and women alike an equal presence on screen.Ha is a great lead to build a film around, his acting, alongside his professionally gifted co-stars, and the achievements of the fights, proving to be an entertaining experience. The final battle will potentially remind people of fights that transpired in the Bourne Identity, Mission Impossible 2 and Flashpoint, and though very enjoyable, occasionally the film could have pushed for far greater originality.The film's conclusion could provide the assumption that a sequel might possibly bless our screens, however I personally have my doubts. If this is not your first foray into South Korean cinema, then you will know that not all movies from this part of the world end conclusively. Often, this isn't achieved so a pointlessly unnecessary sequel, the kind America often churns out, is created, but so the audience will have something to ponder about after the credits, causing them to think long after about what may hypothetically occur.Entertaining, intelligent and constantly causing the audience's head to spin with the many twists and turns, The Berlin File blends action together with drama and thrills to create a very enjoyable spy film that emotionally demonstrates the hardships of living a double life.

Being away from Korea at the moment, I only caught this film a few days ago. I'm quite a fan of 'serious' spy films like The Ipcress File or the more recent adaptation of Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy, so I decided to give this rather sombre-looking film a watch. For me, personally, there was almost nothing to dislike before I started watching; having seen Shiri, the first Korean spy-action film, as a kid, I was very excited about Han Seok-kyu returning to a more gritty role of an experienced Cold Warrior intelligence officer. Han mainly plays the role to be reminiscent of his previous appearance in Eye for an Eye (눈 에는 눈, 이 에는 이), wherein he portrays a veteran somewhat disillusioned with the ideals and organisation he fights for, but still employing his keen sense against his opponents. While not as off-the-rails as his character Baek Seong-chan in Eye for an Eye, Han's new-found propensity to add a little frenzy to the emotional mix added suspense to the unfolding plot.At the very basics, The Berlin File revolves around a botched arms deal between rogue state and non-state actors, whose ripple effects bring in the wider circle of the international intelligence community. Amidst the intrigue is the more personal relationships between the spies themselves, whether between those on the same side, or beyond ideological borders. To be honest, I found the overall story to be entertaining, but as others point out, somewhat convoluted for the fairly frenetic pace of the action and movements. It was quite clear that the film-makers were going for a kind of John le Carre flavour to the distinctly Korean mix of action and drama, even going so far as to actually use a copy of his novel The Spy Who Came in from the Cold as a prop in a scene (a German copy, which was a nice touch). Ha Jeong-woo and Ryu Seung-beom were ideal as North Korean fixers, the former having previously played a stoic action-based North Korean in the brutal 2010 film The Yellow Sea. Their tale of corrupted brotherhood might even have been an allegory of generational changes in the DPRK, just as Han Seok- kyu's conflicts with his own organisation might just symbolise such tumult in South Korea.Something that I did find rather disappointing was the limited role that Jeon Ji-hyeon, a decent actress in her own right, played in the story. I admit, I haven'이 seen most of her films, but in those that I am familiar with, she is known for her own brand of strong, spunky femininity, which allowed her to play the lead across a variety of genres. I wasn'이 so keen that in The Berlin File, she was reduced to a glorified damsel-in- distress, meekly awaiting her man to rescue her. Not that I was expecting her to bust out the wire-action as in her previous film The Thieves, which dazzled with glamour and wit as opposed to this deliberately dour and heavy-set piece, but I did want her to be given more initiative in how her character was presented. Nonetheless, Jeon Ji-hyeon does well to fulfil the position of an understated heroine.Furthermore, while trying to avoid spoilers as much as possible, I can'이 say I cared much for the blunt and unrelenting use of action scenes toward the end, albeit only for a sequence of, say, 10 minutes or so. If John le Carre and other 'hard' spy fiction wants to tell us anything, it's that the real world of espionage is far-flung from the glitzy fantasy landscape of James Bond, and even the action-fuelled chaos of the Bourne series. The real world of intelligence, apparently, is more painstaking paperwork and dead drops, than shoot-outs and gadgets. The first half of The Berlin File pays faithful homage to the slow and uneasy atmosphere of Western works with similar premise, while ratcheting up the action factor towards the end, probably, to appeal to a wider audience. Don'이 get me wrong, it's reasonably well done and much less gratuitous than otherwise might have been (looking at you, IRIS). My only gripe, as perhaps befitting a le Carre fan, is that it wasn'이 as tedious as it should have been!All in all, I think that a film is a decent one when the worst that can be said about it is that it's a "step forward for the Korean film industry", while the best praise for it puts it up there along with the global standard. And globally appealing it is too, partly due to the script supervision of an American film-maker that made the English and German dialogue less inept than Korean films in the past have allowed. I certainly hope to see The Berlin File gather at least some recognition outside of Korea, and maybe even to see more of its kind in the future.

I was actually quite impressed by this film, probably since it caught me off guard. Because Korea comes out with some good and even great films but just not so much when it comes to action movies. Maybe just few. This is actually a really good action popcorn flick that is entertaining and enthralling most of the way through. It felt like it blends elements from the "Bourne" films but has enough of it's own elements to be it's own film. The actors in this is just fantastic with their roles. Ha Jung-Woo has really worked himself up to becomes one of the top stars of Korea. He may not be the best looking lead actor in movies but that is why his characters are more believable, plus he is a good actor and charismatic as well. Ryoo Seung-Bum is the show stealer in this film and just about every scene he is in is chilling and also entertaining to watch. Han Suk-Kyu is basically Han Suk-Kyu in just about every movie he is in. But he usually fits the role and he fits right in with this one as well. Gianna Jun is also in this but her role could have been played by almost anyone. This film is probably even good enough to go toe to toe with some Hollywood action movies. Even the fight sequences are second to none because it has that "Bourne" movie vibe going for it but it's not all choppy and crap. Even if few action parts doesn't make much sense. You can actually see everything that is going on. Overall if you like Korean films and also action movies than check this one out. If not, just check it out anyways.7.8/10