Tae-poong (2005)

User Rating:

5.9/10   

Director:

Kyung-Taek Kwak

Writer:

Kyung-Taek Kwak (writer)

Release Date:

14 December 2005 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Revenge Is A Force Of Nature!

Plot:

A modern-day pirate plans a massive attack on North and South Korea.

Plot Keywords:

Pirate | Gun | Korean | Typhoon | Nuclear Waste

Awards:

4 nominations

Cast

Dong-Kun Jang	...	SIn
Jung-Jae Lee	...	Gang Se-jong
Mi-yeon Lee	...	Choi Myeong-ju
David Lee McInnis	...	Somchai (as David McInnis)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
John David Dix	...	(voice)
Wook Heo	...	Team Manager Choi
David No	...	Leather Jacket
Chatthapong Pantanaunkul	...	Toto

Also Known As:

Typhoon (International: English title) (USA) (literal English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence and brief language.

Runtime:

124 min | Norway:104 min (approx.)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean | English | Thai | Russian | Mandarin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | USA:R | Malaysia:18PL | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 (TV rating) | Finland:K-18

Filming Locations:

Busan, South Korea

nationalistic big budget action yarn

Typhoon tells the story of a North Korean man who with his family had previously failed in an attempt to defect to the South because of the existing political position of South Korea. The failed attempt occurred, according to the insight of one character in the story, because such things weren't possible until a year after this antagonist's attempt. Embittered over this turn of events, the man decides he will kill every South Korean since his mother was killed and his sister was humiliated due to unfavorable political circumstances. A South Korean agent enlisted to interdict this would be terrorist chases leads around much of Asia in his effort to stop the North Korean's plan.

The actor playing the would-be terrorist provides a completely over-the-top performance, with the terrorist character at times nearly foaming at the mouth when he is confronted by his enemies. His intense bond with his sister, whom he hasn't seen in 20 years by the way, borders on the psychotic. The South Korean agent assigned to find him is cool, analytical and competent, yet the agent somehow manages to feel a strong bond with his deranged prey, being reluctant to kill the terrorist despite his clearly murderous intent. While this plot development does not work on the screen, it plays directly to pan-Korean nationalist sentiment in its target audience, and I'm sure it is appreciated by the home crowd for exactly that reason. Ohterwise this film is a bit mediocre in spite of the production values it clearly has.