The Spy Gone North

The Spy Gone North
Theatrical poster
Hangul 공작
Hanja 工作
Revised Romanization Gongjak
Directed by Yoon Jong-bin
Produced by
  • Kuk Su-ran
  • Han Jae-duk
  • Son Sang-bum
Written by
  • Kwon Sung-hwi
  • Yoon Jong-bin
Based on Stone Comics Entertainment characters
Starring
Music by Cho Young-wuk
Cinematography Choi Chan-min
Edited by
Production
company
  • Sanai Pictures
  • Moonlight Film
Distributed by CJ E&M
Release date
  • May 11, 2018 (2018-05-11) (Cannes)
  • August 8, 2018 (2018-08-08) (South Korea)
Running time
 137 minutes
Country South Korea
Language
  • Korean
  • Mandarin
  • Japanese
Budget US$14 million
Box office US$38.5 million[1]

The Spy Gone North is a 2018 South Korean spy drama film directed by Yoon Jong-bin. It stars Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong and Ju Ji-hoon.[2][3][4] The film is loosely based on the true story of Park Chae-seo, a former South Korean agent who infiltrated North Korea's nuclear facilities.[5] The film was released in theaters on August 8, 2018.[6]

Plot

The story follows a South Korean spy who infiltrates the North to obtain intelligence on the country's nuclear weapons plans in the mid-1990s.

Cast

Production

Filming began on January 24, 2017 and concluded on July 25, 2017.[8] Some parts of the film that are set in Beijing and North Korea were filmed in Taiwan.[9]

Release

The film made its world premiere in 2018 Cannes Film Festival.[10] It released theatrically in South Korea on August 8, 2018, with age 12-rating.[2] The film was sold to more than 100 countries, and was released theatrically in North America on August 17, 2018.[11]

The Spy Gone North was released on VOD by CJ E&M on September 13, 2018.[12]

Reception

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, The Spy Gone North has an approval rating of 100% based on 13 reviews and an average rating of 6.8/10.[13] On Metacritic, the film received average score 69 out of 100 based 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]

Charles Bramesco of The Guardian rated the film 3 out of 5 and said, "Yoon [Jong-bin] executes all the classic double-agent set pieces with finesse, and those enamoured of the genre will appreciate a change of setting."[15]

Maggie Lee of the Variety wrote, "Instead of the usual dose of action and suspense one expects of this genre, watching this dense 140-minute political drama unfold is like fumbling through a long tunnel that’s nonetheless worth it when the ray of light emerges at the end."[9]

Deborah Young of The Hollywood Reporter said the film "is a stylish, blood-pounding thriller of the type Asian cinema is so good at making...For sheer topicality, the film is hard to beat, and to find a full-blown entertainment yarn in Cannes' midnight section that's partially set in newsworthy North Korea is rather astounding."[16]

Box office

The film finished second during its opening week behind Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days, with US$15.7 million gross over five days screening (Wednesday to Sunday).[17] On its second weekend, the film finished second behind The Witness, with a 45% drop in gross to US$6.3 million.[18] After finishing second for two consecutive weekends, the film placed third during its third weekend, behind On Your Wedding Day and The Witness. It had a 59% drop in gross, earning US$2.6 million from 317,447 attendance.[19]

On August 28, 2018, the film reached its break-even point with 4.7 million audience members having watched the film.[20] During its fourth weekend, the film had a 74% drop in gross compared to its third weekend, finishing at seventh place with 86,336 attendance.[21] The film stable on seventh place during its fifth weekend.[22]

As of September 24, 2018, the film grossed US$38.3 million from 4,970,004 total attendance.[1]

Awards and nominations

Awards Category Recipient Result Ref.
27th Buil Film Awards Best Film The Spy Gone North Won [23][24]
Best Director Yoon Jong-bin Nominated
Best Actor Hwang Jung-min Nominated
Lee Sung-min Won
Best Supporting Actor Ju Ji-hoon Won
Best Screenplay Kwon Sung-hwi & Yoon Jong-bin Won
Best Art Direction Park Il-hyun Won
55th Grand Bell Awards Best Film The Spy Gone North Pending [25]
Best Director Yoon Jong-bin Pending
Best Actor Hwang Jung-min Pending
Lee Sung-min Pending
Best Supporting Actor Gi Ju-bong Pending
Best Screenplay Kwon Sung-hwi & Yoon Jong-bin Pending
Best Cinematography Choi Chan-min Pending
Best Editing Kim Sang-bum & Kim Jae-bum Pending
Best Art Direction Park Il-hyun Pending
Best Lightning Yoo Suk-moon Pending
Best Costume Design Chae Kyung-hwa Pending
Technical Award The Spy Gone North Pending
Best Planning Pending
2nd The Seoul Awards Best Film Pending [26]
Best Actor Lee Sung-min Pending
Best Supporting Actor Ju Ji-hoon Pending

References

  1. 1 2 "The Spy Gone North (2018)". Korean Film Biz Zone. 23 September 2018. Retrieved 24 September 2018.
  2. 1 2 "공작". Movie.naver.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  3. ↑ "Daum영화 <공작>". Movie.daum.net. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  4. ↑ "영화 [공작] 상세정보". Cine21.com. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  5. ↑ "'The Spy Gone North' is about a spy undergoing identity change, says director". Yonhap. 2018-05-14.
  6. ↑ https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/art/2018/08/689_253795.html
  7. ↑ "이효리, 황정민 만날까?…영화 '공작' 출연 - 머니투데이 뉴스". News.mt.co.kr. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  8. ↑ "HWANG Jung-min Wraps NK Action-Drama BLACK VENUS". Koreanfilm.or.kr. Retrieved 11 January 2018.
  9. 1 2 "Cannes Film Review: 'The Spy Gone North' (Gong Jak)". Variety. May 17, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Cannes title 'The Spy Gone North' sells to over 100 territories". Screen Daily. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  11. ↑ "S. Korean spy thriller 'The Spy Gone North' released in U.S., Canada". Yonhap News. Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  12. ↑ "씨네폭스, 13일부터 '공작' VOD 서비스 시작!". Busan Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  13. ↑ "The Spy Gone North (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "The Spy Gone North (2018)". Metacritic. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  15. ↑ "The Spy Gone North review – timely Korean spy thriller proves a real nail-biter". The Guardian. 12 May 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  16. ↑ Young, Deborah (2018-05-12). "'The Spy Gone North' ('Gongjak'): Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 26 May 2018.
  17. ↑ "Korea Box Office: 'Along With the Gods' Sequel Beats Trio of Prominent Newcomers". Variety. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  18. ↑ "Korea Box Office: Local Films, Headed by 'The Witness,' Dominate the Weekend". Variety. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
  19. ↑ "South Korean Box Office August 24-26, 2018". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 27 August 2018.
  20. ↑ "'공작', 손익분기점 돌파…웰메이드 영화의 경쟁력 입증". SBS funE (in Korean). Retrieved 31 August 2018.
  21. ↑ "[무비:스코어] '너의 결혼식' 194만 돌파, 1위 수성…'서치'·'상류사회' 2·3위". Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved 3 September 2018.
  22. ↑ "[영화순위]'서치' 박스오피스 1위…2위 '너의 결혼식'·3위 '업그레이드', '신과함께2' 역대 12위 등극". Kyungin Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 11 September 2018.
  23. ↑ "[23회 부산국제영화제] 부일영화상". Busan Daily (in Korean). 20 September 2018.
  24. ↑ "5관왕 '공작', '허스토리'와 함께 부산 품었다(종합) [27회 부일영화상]". MK Sports (in Korean). 5 October 2018.
  25. ↑ "제55회 대종상, 각 부문 후보 공개…'공작' 12개 최다부문 노미네이트". Sports Seoul (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  26. ↑ "'제2회 더 서울어워즈' 10월27일 개최, 드라마-영화 각 부문별 후보공개". iMBC (in Korean). September 28, 2018.
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