Confidential Assignment

A North Korean detective crosses into the South chasing a criminal group that fled his country, and under the cover of a joint investigation has to work with a South Korean policeman. One man is disciplined and silent, the other is a mess, in debt and living with his in-laws. Kim Sung-hoon puts the question of a divided country on top of the buddy cop template, drawing the comedy from cultural difference and the tension from neither side being able to trust the other. Hyun Bin plays the northerner and Yoo Hae-jin the southerner. The action is carefully staged and the fight choreography is clean. It was a large hit in Korea and produced a sequel. Who it is for: viewers who like Korean action comedy and buddy cop films. Who it is not for: anyone wanting political depth, since the division is used as backdrop.