Shiri
by Je-kyu Kang
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DVD details
Actor: Johnny Kim, Kang-ho Song, Min-sik Choi, Suk-kyu Han, Yunjin KimDirector: Je-kyu Kang
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Sung-Bok Kim
Writer: Je-kyu Kang
Editor: Gok-ji Park
Producer: Kwan-hak Lee
Producer: Moo-Rim Byun
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 5.1; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; Korean (Original Language), Dolby Digital 5.1; French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 5.1
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen, 1.85:1
Running Time: 125 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-04-09
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Shiri
DVD Review: Two parts intense drama, one part action...
Summary: 3 Stars
Typically, I hate American Hollywood action films. Nine times out of ten you will find yourself immersed in the same plot, the exact same characters, and an overabundance of explosions when the focus should be on learning more about the characters. Our focus when making Hollywood action films is completely skewed. We could take a page from the ways that other countries make action films. While most will think that they are all made the same (conflict, girl, explosion, tense ending), I witnessed a completely different representation of the action genre with Swiri. While it wasn't perfect, it was a stride in the right direction giving us human characters, realistic tension, with a plot synopsis that may make any teacher think it was plagiarizing a film called The Rock. While the similarities may be great, where The Rock missed, Swiri gladly picked up and ran with it creating a challenging film that was two parts intense drama, one part action ... a great recipe never used in Hollywood action.
Swiri takes amazing strides towards redefining the action genre by giving us flawed characters. This is a concept missing in Hollywood action films. When I think of movies like Air Force One, Armageddon, or The Rock (aka Michael Bay-isms), you typically have a centralized character that could be shot at a million times, but never be hit. Who else is tired of these films? In Swiri, thankfully, we are granted a rare opportunity to see actual heroes that are flawed. Heroes that either have 1) emotional baggage or 2) more trouble in their lives than just bullets whizzing in their direction. Heroes that actually make us perpetuate some form of emotion at the end of the film, not just the hidden Hollywood "hurray for America" subliminal message. Heroes that make us stay on our toes wondering if they truly are as "good" as we have conceived them to be. Again, in your typical Hollywood film, if Harrison Ford is your heroine and top billing, you already know he will survive the end and be the ultimate "good" guy. In Swiri, director Je-gyu Kang keeps us second-guessing ourselves. Who is the "mole" in the system? Until the final, explosive moments of the film, we honestly have no clue, which leads us to a very emotional showdown at the end. It is these types of characters that keep us glued to our films, instead of getting a bite to eat in the middle and still visualizing how the ending will conclude.
With such strong characters, you honestly didn't need a detailed story with Swiri. From the music to the indiscreet plot, many cinephiles will argue that this was nothing more than a completely plagiarized version of The Rock. In some cases they will be right, but in others they will be utterly wrong. Outside of the characters (which are the staple of this film), the less CGI graphics really keep you focused on the human drama surrounding this picture. The conflict between the two countries is a dominant element surrounding these characters. It isn't just terrorists trying to disrupt peace, it is a cause ... a reason for the destruction. The action is suspenseful and tactfully realistic. I enjoyed seeing blood whenever villains were shot, I thought that the "gore" factor in this film was a cut above your normal Hollywood film. There is a scene when one of the "terrorists" is captured and she chooses suicide instead of capture, which is nearly unheard of in the American action genre. Swiri oozed with the type of action I only imagined I would find in The Corrupter.
Swiri caught my attention on several levels, most of which I have already mentioned, but there was a missing element that I just couldn't put my finger on until I began this review. I remember when I first started this film I was confused. I had trouble seeing the characters, their stories, and their connections with each other. The violent introduction pulled me in, but as we became more developed, I felt lost and confused for about forty minutes, then I was able to find my footing. I don't know if it is just the rocky beginning, but I just thought that the first couple of instances when we get to see Hee in action were cheap. It could have been developed stronger. I wanted to know more about the CTX, more about it's destruction. As our terrorists begin announcing their plans, I felt there was quite a bit of waiting around and hoping the "good" guys would discover the truth and save the day. The sense of urgency was definitely lacking from some of the crucial moments of the film. If I had to name three things that I think were a downfall to this film they would be 1) pacing 2) confusing development and 3) Hee's true powers. I felt there was a whole hour that could have been dedicated to learning about the horrors that Hee had done prior to going into hiding. I needed more Hee!
Overall, through all of this bantering, I thought that Swiri was a decent film. It was better than any action film that American Hollywood has to offer, but I think I need to see more work from Korea to fully grasp the ability that they have. It is always good to support the film that overtook Titanic at the box office. It is always good to support a film that gives you equal parts realistic human drama and explosions (which were kept to a minimal). Finally, it is always good to support a film that uses fish in a genuinely interesting, and mind-bending, way. I loved the twists and turns (reminded me of a great car chase), but I hated the confusing introduction. I needed more Hee, less random targets.
Grade: *** out of *****
Description of Shiri
SHIRI - DVD MovieA dazzling action movie from South Korea, Shiri follows two South Korean government agents, Ryu and Lee, as they pursue a female super-assassin from North Korea. Meanwhile, an elite paramilitary squad from North Korea has stolen a shipment of CTX, an undetectable liquid explosive of enormous power, which they've planted all over the city of Seoul. As their investigations are successively foiled, Ryu and Lee begin to suspect that there is a mole within the ranks of the agency--and it may be one of them. Both hyperstylish and hyperrealistic, Shiri rips along as a smooth fusion of Hong Kong and American action movies. Ryu's troubled romance with his alcoholic fiancée adds a striking emotional counterpoint to the blazing gunfights and high-speed chases; the ending is unexpectedly moving. It's not surprising that this film beat Titanic's box-office records in Korea. --Bret Fetzer
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