Age of Shadows (2016)

There is nothing like a film about a group of spies trying to pull of a doomed mission. The tension, suspense, mistrust, duplicity, all make for great story telling. The setting: WWII. The place: Japanese occupied Korea. The mission, resistance group turns Japanese collaborator to help them ship explosives to assist the rebellion against the occupiers.

Director Kim Jee-woon sets up his little chess game perfectly. He sets out the characters and gives them each a clear motivation and potential areas for double cross. He sets the story into motion filming with a beautiful hazy style which captures the beauty of the classic age. He tells a thrilling, edge of your seat adventure with a beautiful accomplished cast. Age of Shadows is the full package.

One of the pieces which makes this all work so well is the relationship that is built between Gong Yoo's character and Song Kang-ho's character. They both play their roles so intricately, creating rich characters that pull you into their lives, into their stories. The whole cast comes together but it's the bond struck between these two men, who have made very different choices when faced with their time and place, which makes this whole dance so fascinating to watch.

And Kim Jee-woon's action directing is spot on. A good action director makes all the difference for a film like this. His structuring of each scene creates a building energy which propels you through the story. It's adrenaline. The combo of the fascinating tango of a relationship between two men who can't be sure who to trust, and the riveting, well choreographed action, makes for an exciting thriller which is completely satisfying.

Age of Shadows
Starring: Song Kang-ho, Gong Yoo, Lee Byung-hun, Han Ji-min
Writer/Director: Kim Jee-woon