Tag Archives: Espionage

Humint (2026) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A slick but bland genre product

Posted on February 12, 2026 by kaist455

South Korean filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest film “Humint” is a slick but deficient genre product. While there are a number of well-executed scenes to entertain us, the movie also feels a bit too trite and bland in terms of storytelling … Continue reading →

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Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning (2025) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): It delivers ponderously

Posted on May 17, 2025 by kaist455

“Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning”, which is a direct follow-up to “Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One” (2023), does not disappoint you in case of action despite being weaker than its recent predecessors. Yes, again, it will thrill … Continue reading →

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The Amateur (2025) ☆☆(2/4): Amateurish to say the least

Posted on April 12, 2025 by kaist455

“The Amateur” will not surprise or entertain you much for many bad reasons. Compared to all those countless spy thriller films during last several decades, the movie does not have any ounce of style and substance to distinguish itself at … Continue reading →

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Black Bag (2025) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Between marriage and espionage

Posted on March 23, 2025 by kaist455

Steven Soderbergh’s new film “Black Bag” is a slick and efficient genre piece to be savored for many good reasons. Although it may feel a bit too murky for you as you try to discern its rather twisty plot, the … Continue reading →

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The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (2024) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): A middling WWII action flick

Posted on March 21, 2025 by kaist455

Guy Ritchie’s latest film “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” is a middling copy of many similar World War II actions flicks ranging from “The Dirty Dozen” (1967) to “Inglourious Basterds” (2009). While it surely attempts to have some fun as … Continue reading →

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Lust, Caution (2007) ☆☆☆(3/4): A spy caught between lust and caution

Posted on January 5, 2025 by kaist455

Ang Lee’s 2007 film “Lust, Caution”, which is currently being shown again in selected South Korean theaters, is a slow but sensual period drama which works best whenever it focuses on the guarded psychology of the two very different main … Continue reading →

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The Pigeon Tunnel (2023) ☆☆☆1/2 (3.5/4): The last words from John le Carré

Posted on October 23, 2023 by kaist455

Errol Morris’ latest documentary “The Pigeon Tunnel”, which is currently available on Apple TV+, focuses on the life and the works of John le Carré via le Carré himself, who incidentally passed away in 2020 not long after interviewed by … Continue reading →

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Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): You will gladly wait

Posted on July 9, 2023 by kaist455

I come to have some admiration on Tom Cruise and his recent outputs in the Mission Impossible series. I often wondered whether the recent installments of the series were more or less driven by a sort of middle-life crisis or … Continue reading →

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Hidden Blade (2023) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Too convoluted to care

Posted on April 27, 2023 by kaist455

I often felt frustrated and exhausted as watching Chinese spy noir thriller film “Hidden Blade”, which was released in South Korea yesterday. Although I enjoyed its period mood and details to some degree, I did not get much fun or … Continue reading →

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Tetris (2023) ☆☆☆(3/4): A business competition at the end of the Cold War

Posted on April 20, 2023 by kaist455

“Tetris”, which was released on Apple TV+ at the end of last month, gives us a fun mix of comedy and thriller which is incidentally based on a real-life story about one of the most popular video games in the … Continue reading →

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