In cinemas this week is the Korean film, Confidential Assignment 2, that’s raking it in at their box office, and just surpassed the 6 million moviegoers mark after 26 days of general release in the country. This is a faster record than the previous highest 30 day mark of this year, credited to Top Gun: Maverick. This places this sequel of the 2017 Confidential Assignment as the No. 4 in box office this year, and it’s obviously still picking up audiences.
The film once again stars Hyun Bin as a North Korean detective who’s made to partner with one from South Korea, as portrayed by Yoo Hae Jin. Also in the cast is Im Yoon-Ah as the South Korean detective’s sister-in-law, and Korean-American Daniel Henney as Jack, a New York detective who eventually forms the trio that exists as the new twist on the tale. Jin Sun Kyu plays the leader of a North Korean criminal organization, that acts as the chief villain of the narrative.
I must confess here that I’ve never finished an episode of Crash Landing On You, and only watched bits of the series as Issa (Litton) would follow it. But I am fully aware of Hyun Bin’s popularity, and can see why he’d enjoy such a mass following here. If anything, this film should further that appeal; as he plays the stoic policeman, with rugged determination and loyalty to his profession, while constantly self-deprecating about his looks.
It’s an action comedy film that knows exactly which buttons to press. Yoo Hae Jin, with his less than classic leading man looks, provides much of the comedy, and it falls to Im Yoon-Ah to inject humor with her every scene as the girl who’s desperately in love with Hyun Bin’s character but wants to play it cool and not lose her self-respect…too much.
It’s low-hanging fruit, and knows the formula to perfection. The action scenes are timed to periodically keep the male audience at attention, while scenes with Hyun Bin, and the laughs elicited by his interaction with Yoon-Ah should have the female watchers screaming in delight.
I’ll admit that while there are the requisite twists and turns in the storyline, we all know how it’ll end, and the getting there forms part of the pleasure of watching the proceedings unfold. There is an element of things taking too long, and brisker editing might have enhanced the film’s pace. But who am I to critique the film’s length? Over six million Koreans have obviously given their unwavering approval.
The main stars and Director of Confidential Assignment 2 celebrated their surpassing the 6 million moviegoers mark last October 2nd.
If this is the other side of the coin of the Korean film industry output, the more commercial side, as opposed to such films as Parasite or The Handmaiden, I do see why the industry is such a robust one. CA2 is slickly packaged, and knows how to balance the comedy with the action, and throws up memorable heroes and villains. If anything, there’s something a shade too stereotypical about the villains, with their bad hairstyle days-look, and always dressed from head to toe in black.
I can predict audiences will flock to this on the strength of Hyun Bin’s looming presence, but they’ll also be entertained. It’s Lethal Weapon re-mixed as Three Amigos, and has the mainstream audience in the palm of its now cash-heavy hands. It is Cash Landing, with more to come.