Typhoon

Director: Kwak Kyung-Taek

Starring: Jang Dong-Kun, Lee Jung-Jae, Lee Yeon-Mi, David McInnis and Chatthapong Pantanaukul

Plot: While trying to defect to South Korea, Sin (Jang Dong-Kun) witnesses the south betray them, this results in his whole family being massacred before his eyes, only he and his sister escape. Over time they lose contact with each other, Sin grows up to become a modern day pirate who swears revenge on all of Korea while his sister (Lee Yeon-Mi) becomes addicted to opium.

After a ship’s nuclear cargo is stolen off the shore of Taiwan, the investigation leads them back to Sin. The officials know they need an agent who they can rely on, so they transfer Gang Se-Jong (Lee Jung-Jae) into their very own division.

Its not long before Se-Jong is hot on the heels of Sin. After Se-Jong beats Sin to his own sister he is forced to cooperate with the police. Now aware of his plans to release the nuclear waste into a “Typhoon” that’s heading for Korea, the agent only has a matter of time to stop him. Meanwhile the US army have launched a secret submarine armed with torpedoes. With the “Typhoon” due to hit any time now it’s a race against the weather.

Review: It’s evident from the offset that Typhoon has a big budget, it uses it to blockbuster effect, such as the overhead aerial shots, so if you like your Hollywood action flicks this might be worth seeking out. I’m a fan of the directors past film “Friend” so I had high expectations going into this one, and I am happy to report that it didn’t disappoint. The acting is flawless, the script is well written (considering that there are so many different languages; Korean, Thai, English, Russian and Mandarin) the score is well composed, the action scenes are gripping, the camera work is fluid and the editing is fresh in its use of different film speeds.

Jang Dong-Kun does a superb job at playing the villain, his acting is very convincing considering that he uses all of the languages listed above. The director has made sure that the audience sympathise with him, making it a strange experience, do you want the good to succeed and overthrow the bad? I feel that the ending was very well written, it could’ve ruined the whole film if it had ended as I believed it was going to, but it was surprising to see such a different approach to this type of film. Lee Jung-Jae on the other hand has nothing for the audience to feel sorry about, he seems to want to take down Sin for the good of Korea. His character is loyal to his country, he doesn’t care for medals and fame but just wishes to succeed in what he does, even if that means a suicide mission. Lee Yeon-Mi is the only strong female character in the film, she is used as bait to lure her evil brother out of hiding. She explains about their childhood and why Sin is so full of vengeance. I was surprised to see a dreadlock ridden Chatthapong Pantanaukul in the role of Sin’s Thai arms dealer. He has acted in Thai action films along side Tony Jaa in Ong-Bak and Dan Chupong in Born To Fight. He remains loyal to Sin throughout, aiding him raid the ship at the beginning to helping him set up the nuclear toxins near the end.

The ending, being set on a ship, out at sea in the eye of a typhoon, is obviously going to call for a lot of special effects. I assume most of the budget was spent on the effect shots. While the CGI is very realistic it still looks too much like computer graphics, thankfully the shots of the ship are keep to a minimum, the main point of focus being the mad rush inside the hold. The tense finale is gripping and action packed, action junkies won’t be disappointed.

Typhoon is a great piece of filmmaking, that is wonderfully acted and shouldn’t be missed by anyone interested in Korean cinema.

Rating: 8.9 out of 10