The mismatched buddy/action comedy is pretty much a staple of major film industries around the world. Check out any international film market (France, Japan, Russia etc.) and invariably you’ll find films, most of which don’t really go outside their own borders, that if they were in English wouldn’t be too far off from their Hollywood counterparts. Though it has grown kind of stale, the sophomore effort by director Hun Jang (“Rough Cut”) breathes some life into the genre by casting his latest effort “The Secret Reunion” (which he wrote) through the prism of Korean politics.
The film stars Song Kang-ho (“Thirst,” “The Host,” “Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance”) as Lee Han-kyu, a wild-man agent for a South Korean government agency that hunts down Northern spies or, as he so lovingly refers to them, “commies.” As per usual for this kind of movie, he’s divorced, has a daughter and is paying alimony, but is dedicated to the job, even if it means his breaking the rules and ruffling the feathers of his bosses.
In the truly remarkable opening twenty minute sequence that slowly builds from a series of enigmatic scenes, into a full-on chase and race-against-the-clock, we’re introduced to Song Ji-won (Dong Wong-kan). New to the espionage game, Song trains under an older gentleman known only as The Shadow, who is a highly wanted man in South Korea. Together, under orders from the North Korean government, they track down prominent defectors from the North and ruthlessly assassinate them. Pursued by the Lee in the opening moments as they head to their next assignment, The Shadow engages in a deadly shootout with South Korean agents allowing Song to slip away unnoticed and go into hiding.
Six years go by. Lee, now fired from the force, runs a business tracking down mail order brides who have run away from their “owners.” It’s a dirty job but someone’s gotta do it, and the pay is pretty decent for what is, for Lee, a relatively easy gig (when it’s not being messed up by his two incompetent sidekicks). While working a job, Lee stumbles across Song who has taken a job at a factory as a cover. Both recognize each other but don’t give it away, and when Lee offers Song a job in his independent business, he accepts but both have ulterior motives: Lee hopes to use Song to find The Shadow, arrest them both, save his career and pocket the reward money, while Song, still thinking Lee is working undercover as agent, hopes to infiltrate and dig up info on government operations against the North’s spies. Of course, this results in some comedic hijinks as the two go into business together tracking down runaway brides, while trying to spy on each other. It’s your classic “Odd Couple” scenario with the untamed methods of Lee knocking up against the straight-laced approach of Song.
Jang handles the proceedings with a subtle and assured hand, allowing the audience to easily overlook some of the more unbelievable parts of the premise, particularly the fact that Song agrees to live with Lee. While the film does bite off a bit more than it can chew, juggling thematic issues of immigration and Korean politics, along with the sometimes overly-convoluted machinations of the twisty plot (there are several characters who end up being forgotten about or written out a bit too easily), it is buoyed by two fine performances by Han-yu and Ji-won which bring some real depth to the characterssr, particularly in the film’s later scenes.
Yes, “The Secret Reunion” does eventually become a bit a schmaltzy and Kumbaya-esque, particularly in the latter stages when Jang wants to drive his point home about the nameless victims of a still-divided Korea. But boosted by the aforementioned crackerjack opening, strong and charismatic performances and another extended setpiece in the film’s climax, “The Secret Reunion” finds a fresh, enjoyable approach to a genre that could use more of it. [B-]