In this day and age, and of course depending on which side of the fence you’re on, Kim Jee-woon‘s new espionage thriller, The Age of Shadows, may look like a film about a terrorist sleeper cell planning an audacious and deadly attack on the authorities of the day in the centre of a big city. That’s the news report.
In actuality, Kim’s film is the grizzly tale of Korean resistance fighters hitting back at the Japanese regime from their exiled base in Shanghai right into the stronghold of the occupation in Seoul, the capital and heart of their annexed nation. And from this perspective, what you’re given is a master period piece of intrigue, double crosses, plans within plans, turncoats, thrills and suspense. There’s also some high action, great drinking, brutal torture and some light reprieve (though not much).
The resistance period piece is not new ground for Korean cinema and The Age of Shadows has big boots to fill as Choi Dong-hoon‘s Assassination, just released more than a year ago, really did set the benchmark in box office success, thrilling action and production value. What director Kim delivers with his film stacks up pretty well in comparison, though perhaps not all the way.
First up, as a production piece, audiences will be plenty awe-struck by the stunning visual gymnastics utilised in the film’s cinematography. The Age of Shadow‘s exciting opening sequence, a rooftop ambush, has some quite extraordinary camera operation as the camera glides from the ground level, up to the rafters and finally up and over to the next house as Japanese soldiers scramble following an elusive partisan. It’s a high impact beginning that also signals impeccable attention to detail in production value. The art direction too is seamless 1920s China and Korea and they are not shy of using big wide shots and large crowds; it’s not hard to get lost in this world.
The real strength of this film comes from the espionage — it has an intricately interwoven plot and cross plot, double agents, informers, traitors, stitch-ups and snitches. The Age of Shadows is very tight and thrilling and it will keep you guessing and this is in part thanks to the direction and co-writing of Kim Jee-woon. The other writing credits go to Lee Ji-min and Park Jong-dae.
But all the writing and solid direction would amount to nothing without a solid cast and The Age of Shadows is fortunate enough to be blessed by a Korean cinema heavyweight in Song Kang-ho (his collaborations with modern Korean masters, Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho, Hong Sang-soo and Lee Chang-dong have not gone unnoticed). He does his reputation no wrong in The Age of Shadows, playing the role of a Korean resistance fighter turned Japanese police officer who is tasked with breaking up the sleeper cell in Shanghai. It’s a complex character and he plays it deftly and with finesse.
The other standout in this mostly male ensemble is Gong Yoo who was last seen as the father in zombie blockbuster Train to Busan. Here he plays a senior ranked resistance fighter and his performance is mostly mesmerising; he and Song play off each other effortlessly and effectively, driving the plot forward for the most of the film.
Where The Age of Shadows does let itself down, however, is in its lengthy running time. Standing at 140 minutes long, the film does get lost at the end. Although the mission is ultimately successful, there is a lot of collateral damage for the resistance movement and this is where the plot comes a bit unstuck. The payoff and twists at the end feel a bit functional and don’t have the satisfaction, energy or skill of the thrills and spills of the first 80 minutes; in short, it tends to drag a bit.
On a personal aside, I’m a big fan of epic cinema — think Lav Diaz or Sion Sono’s Love Exposure — but to push beyond the two hour mark requires great skill in storytelling and this one, although good, doesn’t quite match it. This mostly comes down to a lot of the characters that drive the film initially being taken out, and we end up with some that we don’t quite care for so much. Pacing also slows the story right down as well.
That being said, it has been great to see that these blockbuster Korean films have been making their way to our shores and that we can see them in a cinema cause that’s where these films should be experienced. And Kim Jee-woon’s The Age of Shadows is a worthy member of this genre with its great cinematography, stellar cast members and mostly tight story and direction. It’s a whole lot more than a slice of proud Korean history and very much worth seeing for the masterful Shanghai and train to Seoul sections, but just be prepared for a softer landing after the thrilling take off.