Tag Archives: Spy

The Wife of a Spy (2020) ☆☆☆(3/4): A dry but compelling historical drama by Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Posted on April 5, 2021 by kaist455

Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s latest film “The Wife of a Spy”, which won the Silver Lion award at the Venice International Film Festival in last year, is a dry but compelling historical drama set in Japan during the World War II. While … Continue reading →

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Spies in Disguise (2019) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): Your average spy action comedy animation film

Posted on January 29, 2020 by kaist455

“Spies in Disguise” is your average spy action comedy animation film, and that is all. Although it is occasionally amusing as diligently throwing gags and jokes, the film does not feel particularly fresh while doing lots of predictable things inside … Continue reading →

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Spectre (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : Mr. Bond’s another personal problem to deal with

Posted on November 15, 2015 by kaist455

After all those bitter tough journeys he went through, James Bond still has other things to brood over. While serving us with a number of spectacular action sequences as well as many of its familiar conventions including pretty ladies, fancy … Continue reading →

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The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4): So they come to work together…

Posted on November 14, 2015 by kaist455

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” shows some potentials for better things to come, but, though it is not wholly without entertainment, it ultimately fizzles in the end due to its mediocre plot and weak characterization. The whole movie feels like being … Continue reading →

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Bridge of Spies (2015) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4) : The Lawyer Who Came into the Cold

Posted on November 9, 2015 by kaist455

Steven Spielberg’s new film “Bridge of Spies” is a compelling Cold War story deftly balancing itself between several different factors just like its no-nonsense lawyer hero who came into the Cold. Although it can be said that the movie is … Continue reading →

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Spy (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4) : An uproarious action comedy fueled by Melissa McCarthy

Posted on May 26, 2015 by kaist455

Let me tell you one thing: “Spy” is an exhilarating hybrid of action and comedy a lot funnier than whatever its very simple title suggests. With its brash, indomitable comic spirit ready for more outrageous things coming along the plot, … Continue reading →

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A Most Wanted Man (2014) ☆☆☆(3/4): It’s still cold and melancholic out there

Posted on August 10, 2014 by kaist455

“Spying is waiting.”   – from “The Russia House” by John le Carré When I read John le Carré’s “The Spy Who Came in from the Cold” for the first time around 1993, I was not very impressed by that novel. … Continue reading →

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The Suspect (2013) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A taxi driver from the North

Posted on December 25, 2013 by kaist455

 “The Suspect” is a well-made action film which will remind you of many, many thriller films about a lone guy on the run. Its busy style represented by quick cuts and shaky handheld camera movement is certainly influenced by none … Continue reading →

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Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy (2011) ☆☆☆(3/4) : A low-key 3D job during the Cold war era

Posted on January 21, 2012 by kaist455

 In John le Carré’s novels, you will not find any glamor or fancy gadget you have seen in James Bond stories. The spies in his novels are more or less than public servants in shadows. They tentatively move around their … Continue reading →

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Poongsan (2011) ☆☆1/2(2.5/4) : A Man between North and South

Posted on June 28, 2011 by kaist455

Some movies depend on very preposterous premise you cannot believe easily, and “Poongsan”, one of the latest South Korean movies, is a good case. How can he cross the border between South Korea and North Korea so easily? How can … Continue reading →

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