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The Spy Gone North

Play trailer 1:42 Poster for The Spy Gone North Released Aug 10, 2018 2h 21m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 85% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
A South Korean army major poses as a businessman to infiltrate a North Korean nuclear facility in 1993.

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The Spy Gone North

Critics Reviews

View All (21) Critics Reviews
Tim Grierson Screen International One of Spy's unanticipated pleasures is its ability to wring drama out of the minutia involved in what might seem like an esoteric business deal. Sep 5, 2018 Full Review David Ehrlich indieWire [It's] a twisty, hyper-talkative historical epic that peers behind the curtain of political theater to offer a peek at how North and South Korea really stay in touch. Rated: B- Aug 8, 2018 Full Review Gary Goldstein Los Angeles Times A taut, slowly engrossing, effectively old-fashioned Cold War thriller. Aug 8, 2018 Full Review Pierce Conran ScreenAnarchy A timely though occasionally dense tale of covert agents and behind-closed-doors deals, the film employs detailed production values and a fascinating geopolitical context in a year that has seen the present-day Koreas draw closer than ever before. Aug 31, 2022 Full Review Andrew Gaudion THN The Spy Gone North may prove to be a little too slow for some, but for those willing to stick with it, they will be rewarded with a thriller that draws you in with political intrigue and a dangerous, powder-keg atmosphere. Rated: 3/5 Aug 28, 2020 Full Review Yasser Medina Cinefilia It's a spy thriller that keeps me glued off the seat, like if I were reading the Korean version of a Le Carré novel. [Full review in Spanish] Rated: 7/10 Aug 1, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (16) audience reviews
isla s This is a fairly slow moving film. It can somewhat tense scenes but its certainly not one for someone after a lot of quick action scene. I liked that there was some historical context provided at the start of the film and it gives you a feel for what people in authority in Korea may be like. I thought it was interesting seeing the typewriter with Korean letters - I suppopse I hadn't considered a non roman alphabet keyboard/typewriter but of course such things must exist. Its a fairly interesting film, in terms of seeing how more lowly figures judge those in higher authority and what happens in terms of the politics of things. I wouldn't say this is a particularly exciting or even an entirely fascinating film but it is pretty interesting and perhaps somewhat insightful..it has some witty dialogue too and not too many special effects (including battle/fights and the like). It's still interesting in terms of showing how people can try to read others motives and try to outwit the others. I suppose it's a 'who will blink first?' kind of a film. I'd only watch this if your particularly interested in Koreans and the time this depicts, so overall I wouldn't especially recommend it, no. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Hwang Jung min's best work. Tight pacing. Engrossing true life story. All work seamlessly together to tell the story of a Korean spy whose true story could have been buried in lies. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/05/23 Full Review Audience Member The best Korean movie. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/13/23 Full Review Audience Member بعيدا عن نمط أفلام الجاسوسية الأميركي المتكرر والذي يعتمد على الأكشن والخدع البصرية والأساطير التقنية، يقدم هذا الفيلم الكوري تجربة فريدة تنقلك إلى تفاصيل صراع العقول المخابراتية بين المعسكرين الشرقي والغربي في الكوريتين الشمالية والجنوبية بل والصراعات السياسية الداخلية في الأجهزة الأمنية وفي التيارات والأحزاب داخل كل بلد منهما، وكيف تنتج وتتداخل مع الصراعات النفسية والتنازع بين الطموح الشخصي مع المصلحة الوطنية والإنسانية. (تحفة مقتبسة عن قصة حقيقية). Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member An extraordinary story that is inspired by extraordinary real-life events. What starts out as a spy operation fascinatingly evolves into something far more complex, dangerous and compelling. It is a layered story full of depth and relies on this over any action it may contain. The Spy Gone North is an excellent and exciting dramatic thriller that notches up another high quality production from South Korea. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/21/23 Full Review Audience Member Super fascinating story of a piece of history in a part of the world we don't often get to hear too much about in the United States. Superbly acted and executed. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Spy Gone North

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis A South Korean army major poses as a businessman to infiltrate a North Korean nuclear facility in 1993.
Director
Yoon Jong-bin
Producer
Su-Ran Kuk
Screenwriter
Yoon Jong-bin, Kwon Seong-hwi
Distributor
CJ Entertainment
Production Co
Sanai Pictures
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Korean
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 10, 2018, Limited
Release Date (Streaming)
Jan 4, 2019
Box Office (Gross USA)
$500.8K
Runtime
2h 21m
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