140 minutes, Korean & Japanese & Mandarin language Drama/Action film with English Subtitles

The very first Korean-language film that Warner Bros. have financed and distributed is also South Korea’s official submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2017 Oscars. THE AGE OF SHADOWS, previously titled SECRET AGENT, which topped the South Korean box office for three consecutive weeks making $52 million USD, is based on real incidents and people.

Korea in the 1920’s is under Japanese occupation. A Korean-born police captain (played by Kang-ho Song, seen in SNOWPIERCER and THE HOST) in the Japanese police force is caught in the middle of a dangerous mission involving an armed resistance who are fighting for Korean independence.

The opening section of this masterful production may catch you off guard. Several associated characters are quickly ushered into a rather manic set-up for the parts they’re playing in a storyline that becomes more apparent once the structure has fully-formed. So hang in there, for THE AGE OF SHADOWS just gets better and better, right through to its stunning finale. 

The skilfully handled screenplay and direction from Jee-woon Kim effectively combine for a captivating game of cat-and-mouse, beginning with the resistance group who travel to Shanghai in order to obtain and bring back explosives to Seoul, where they intend to bomb a Japanese Headquarters.   

Featuring a handful of well-staged and impressive action sequences, an outstanding music score, some lavish cinematography and a few truly fine performances, THE AGE OF SHADOWS marks another very fine piece of cinema from South Korea, after the recent release of TRAIN TO BUSAN (which also stars lead actor here Yoo Gong). Well worth seeing on the big screen. 

3.5 out of 5 

Trailer 
THE AGE OF SHADOWS

Viewer Discretion 
MA15+ – Strong Themes and Violence 

Moviedoc wishes to thank Ben from Madman Entertainment and Madman for the in-season pass to view & review THE AGE OF SHADOWS. 

Review by Moviedoc 
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