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Based on the real story that happened during the time that Japan ruled the Korea, The Age of Shadow is very successful history-based movie. It is a fine mixture of Korean characteristics and Western characteristics. Until these days, many Korean movies have sought for ways to put Korean-exclusive stories into the frame of Western film-making. The result has been somewhat successful but also somewhat disappointing. It fulfilled Korean people's wishes to watch Hollywood-ish Korean movies. However, it couldn't convince foreign people of the reason to watch Korean movies instead of Hollywood movies. I mean, no matter how hard Korean movies try, the budget is lower than Hollywood, and spectacles are also lesser.

However, this movie, The Age of Shadow, is different. This one is unique. I'm not going to praise action scenes, or comedy scenes because they were not that outstanding. What I want to praise is atmosphere in this movie that keeps suspense alive throughout the whole running time. Well, for better understanding I could use Quentin Tarantino as an example. Even though he is famous for violence in his movie, many people who watch his movies for the first time find them very non-blockbuster like but still quite amusing. The Age of Shadow is quite similar. This movie's acting, dialogue and visuals give this movie a special atmosphere that keep audiences' focus. I'm not saying that this movie is Tarantino-like though. Kim Jee-Woon and Tarantino are similar in a way that they use special atmosphere throughout the movie but their atmospheres are different. Kim Jee-Woon has the ability to form a Korean-exclusive atmosphere that is based on Korean culture. I'm not sure how to name it but it is something that can move Korean people's heart without stating it in a specific way. And I believe this movie will be quite amusing and also exotic experience for you if you are not Korean. This movie is not like other Korean movies, but also the most Korean-like movie. I recommend it.

Do you want to know more about Korean actors? Then this movie is exactly what you've been looking for. Including Hollywood-famous Byung-hun Lee, Korean actors in this movie presents overwhelming performances. However, this is the movie's strength and there's obvious downsides too (a lot). First, the storyline has a wrong tempo. Sometimes, it's too slow and sometimes it's too sudden. This causes a lack of suspense. Second, the clichés in this movie are quite troublesome. I don't know how foreign people would feel about them, but to Korean people those clichés are definitely overused and used only in one pattern in this movie. This makes the story quite predictable. Third, the message of this movie is in vain. The director should have given more thought about how to resolve social corruption or how to give an alert about it more effectively. Since the resolution shown in this movie is so simple (I won't tell more specifically. Just watch the movie), it sounds so empty. It just doesn't resonate in my mind Yes, in conclusion this movie is quite cheesy and has many flaws. But still, actors' performances are so amazing that they make this movie look well-made Crime/Thriller movie with authentic aura. Should you watch it? Well, if you are into Korean movies I would say 'definitely!'

Making zombie blockbuster movies outside of Hollywood is not an easy task. Money is the biggest problem, of course. Since it takes a lot of money, success should be guaranteed before making a movie is decided. However, because there are no other precedents, you can't tell whether it's going to succeed or not. This bad cycle kept Korean directors from making zombie blockbusters. This tells how bold movement it was to make 'Train to Busan'. This movie was destined to be 'hit' or 'flop' and it turns out to be 'hit'. Then, this gives a food for thought. What made this Korean zombie blockbuster movie which is definitely unfamiliar to Korean people successful? Ironically, the secret lies in familiarity. Let's take a look at this movie. Yes, it has zombies, but is this movie all about them? No. Unlike 28 days later or resident evil, this movie actually doesn't care about zombies that much. Zombies are not explained much. Their origin, their ability, cure for zombies…These are the things that are not being handled well in the movie. In this movie, zombies are just tools to represent 'threats'. The main theme of this movie is about how people react to threats. Selfishness, altruism, violence, love and much more are being depicted in this movie. And Korean people are quite accustomed to these elements. When directors mix these elements well, then the movie becomes a hit, just like this one. However, this movie still has some downsides too. Acting of Jin-hee is quite unbearably bad and the character Yong-suk (who keeps trying to sacrifice others to save himself) had gone way too far. Yes, I can get mad at bad guys but I don't want to get annoyed at them. Also, getting annoyed gets worse when it is not properly resolved as this movie does. Overall, this is a quite well-made movie, though it still has some bad moments. I believe this movie will be a new beginning for Korean blockbusters. And I recommend you to watch this movie to stay alert for rise of Korean movies.