2018 film by Yoon Jong-bin
"Gongjak" redirects here. For the mountain, see
Gongjaksan
.
The Spy Gone North
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Theatrical poster
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Hangul
| 工作
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Hanja
| 工作
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Revised Romanization
| Gongjak
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|
Directed by
| Yoon Jong-bin
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Written by
| - Kwon Sung-hwi
- Yoon Jong-bin
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Produced by
| - Kuk Su-ran
- Han Jae-duk
- Son Sang-bum
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Starring
| |
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Cinematography
| Choi Chan-min
|
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Edited by
| |
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Music by
| Cho Young-wuk
|
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Production
companies
| - Sanai Pictures
- Moonlight Film
|
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Distributed by
| CJ E&M
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Release dates
|
- May 11, 2018
(
2018-05-11
)
(
Cannes
)
- August 8, 2018
(
2018-08-08
)
(South Korea)
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Running time
| 137 minutes
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Country
| South Korea
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Languages
| |
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Budget
| US$14 million
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Box office
| US$38.5 million
[1]
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The Spy Gone North
(
Korean
:
工作
;
Hanja
:
工作
;
RR
:
Gongjak
) is a 2018 South Korean
spy
drama film
directed by
Yoon Jong-bin
. It stars
Hwang Jung-min
,
Lee Sung-min
,
Cho Jin-woong
and
Ju Ji-hoon
.
[2]
[3]
[4]
The film is loosely based on the true story of Park Chae-seo, a former South Korean agent who infiltrated North Korea's nuclear facilities.
[5]
It was released in theaters on August 8, 2018.
[6]
Plot
[
edit
]
The story follows a South Korean spy who infiltrates the North to obtain intelligence on the country's nuclear-weapons plans in the mid-1990s
only to find his own side is manipulating his country's political elections with the help of the North.
Cast
[
edit
]
Production
[
edit
]
Filming began on January 24, 2017 and concluded on July 25, 2017.
[8]
Some parts of the film that were set in
Beijing
and North Korea were filmed in
Taiwan
.
[9]
Release
[
edit
]
The film made its world premiere in
2018 Cannes Film Festival
.
[10]
It released theatrically in South Korea on August 8, 2018, with
age 12-rating
.
[2]
The film was sold to more than 100 countries, and was released theatrically in North America on August 17, 2018.
[11]
The Wilson Center
's Center for Korean History and Public Policy hosted the film's
U.S. East Coast
premiere on August 14, 2018.
[12]
The Spy Gone North
was released on
VOD
by
CJ E&M
on September 13, 2018.
[13]
Reception
[
edit
]
Favorable response
[
edit
]
On
review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes
,
The Spy Gone North
has
an approval rating of 100%
based on 20 reviews and an average rating of 7.1/10.
[14]
On
Metacritic
, the film received average score of 69 out of 100 based on 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
[15]
Charles Bramesco of
The Guardian
rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote: "Yoon [Jong-bin] executes all the classic double-agent set pieces with finesse, and those enamoured of the genre will appreciate a change of setting."
[16]
Maggie Lee of the
Variety
wrote: "Instead of the usual dose of action and suspense one expects of this genre, watching this dense 140-minute political drama unfold is like fumbling through a long tunnel that’s nonetheless worth it when the ray of light emerges at the end."
[9]
Deborah Young of
The Hollywood Reporter
described the film as "a stylish, blood-pounding thriller of the type Asian cinema is so good at making...For sheer topicality, the film is hard to beat, and to find a full-blown entertainment yarn in Cannes' midnight section that's partially set in newsworthy North Korea is rather astounding."
[17]
Gary Goldstein of
The LA Times
wrote: "Park and Ri’s evolving friendship adds depth and humanity to this timely, ambitious tale which boldly reflects some of the region’s more unsettling aspects. Eerily vivid re-creation of Jong-il’s insular, lockstep-oriented world, plus a stirring score by Cho Young-Wuk, are highlights."
[18]
Yoon Min-sik of
The Korea Herald
wrote: "The scene of South and North Koreans sitting together and conspiring over what to do in order to retain power shows that things are not always so black and white. Heukgeumseong, taught to regard all elements of the hermit kingdom as evil, sees the human side of the North Koreans through his interaction with them, extending his perspective to beyond what is presented to him... The flick looks at the event that occurred more than two decades ago, yet the message is strangely contemporary. The search for what is right and wrong is an eternal question."
[19]
Boon Chan of
The Straits Times
wrote: "Things get really riveting in the last act when larger forces come into play, proving the cynics' case that politics makes for the strangest of bedfellows and the fundamental aim of those in power is to stay in power."
[20]
Critical response
[
edit
]
James Marsh of the
South China Morning Post
rated the film 3.5/5 and wrote: "Rather than strive for a James Bond-style spy caper, Yoon explores his characters’ patriotic motivations, and in the process humanises many of the film’s primary antagonists, while exposing endemic corruption in South Korean politics. Thankfully these moments are countered by some expertly executed sequences of high-stakes espionage, balancing the film’s even-handed politics with similarly assured thrills."
[21]
Nicola Chan of the
SCMP Young Post
wrote: "There are, however, some logical flaws in the plot. While Park is a highly skilled double agent, there are a few traps in the movie that even he shouldn’t have been able to avoid. And the ending, while touching, is somewhat cliche."
[22]
Box office
[
edit
]
The film finished second during its opening week behind
Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days
, with
US$15.7 million
gross over five days of screening (Wednesday to Sunday).
[23]
On its second weekend, the film finished second behind
The Witness
, with a 45% drop in gross to
US$6.3 million
.
[24]
After finishing second for two consecutive weekends, the film placed third during its third weekend, behind
On Your Wedding Day
and
The Witness
. It had a 59% drop in gross, earning
US$2.6 million
from 317,447 attendance.
[25]
On August 28, 2018, the film reached its
break-even point
with 4.7 million audience members having watched the film.
[26]
During its fourth weekend, the film had a 74% drop in gross compared to its third weekend, finishing at seventh place with 86,336 attendance.
[27]
The film stable on seventh place during its fifth weekend.
[28]
As of September 24, 2018, the film grossed
US$38.3 million
from 4,970,004 total attendance.
[1]
Awards and nominations
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"The Spy Gone North (2018)"
.
Korean Film Biz Zone
. 23 September 2018
. Retrieved
24 September
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"工作"
.
Movie.naver.com
. Retrieved
11 January
2018
.
- ^
"Daum映畫 <工作>"
.
Movie.daum.net
. Retrieved
11 January
2018
.
- ^
"映畫 [工作] 詳細情報"
.
Cine21
. Retrieved
11 January
2018
.
- ^
"
'The Spy Gone North' is about a spy undergoing identity change, says director"
.
Yonhap News Agency
. 2018-05-14.
- ^
"Movie about real-life Korean 'double' agent becomes box office hit"
. 14 August 2018.
- ^
"이효리, 황정민 만날까?…영화 '工作' 出演"
.
News.mt.co.kr
. 3 August 2017
. Retrieved
11 January
2018
.
- ^
"HWANG Jung-min Wraps NK Action-Drama BLACK VENUS"
.
Koreanfilm.or.kr
. Retrieved
11 January
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"Cannes Film Review: 'The Spy Gone North' (Gong Jak)"
.
Variety
. May 17, 2018.
- ^
"Cannes title 'The Spy Gone North' sells to over 100 territories"
.
Screen Daily
. Retrieved
11 September
2018
.
- ^
"S. Korean spy thriller 'The Spy Gone North' released in U.S., Canada"
.
Yonhap News Agency
. Retrieved
11 September
2018
.
- ^
"
"The Spy Gone North" Film Screening | Wilson Center"
.
www.wilsoncenter.org
. Retrieved
2023-10-02
.
- ^
"氏네폭스, 13日부터 '工作' VOD 서비스 始作!"
.
Busan Daily
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
11 September
2018
.
- ^
"The Spy Gone North (2018)"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
.
Fandango
. Retrieved
10 October
2021
.
- ^
"The Spy Gone North (2018)"
.
Metacritic
. Retrieved
24 August
2018
.
- ^
"The Spy Gone North review ? timely Korean spy thriller proves a real nail-biter"
.
The Guardian
. 12 May 2018
. Retrieved
26 May
2018
.
- ^
Young, Deborah (2018-05-12).
"
'The Spy Gone North' ('Gongjak'): Film Review"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
26 May
2018
.
- ^
Goldstein, Gary (2018-08-08).
"Review: A double agent, nuclear weapons and election meddling in taut South Korean thriller 'The Spy Gone North'
"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
2023-10-03
.
- ^
Min-sik, Yoon (2018-08-02).
"[Herald Review] Words spark tension in 'The Spy Gone North'
"
.
The Korea Herald
. Retrieved
2023-10-03
.
- ^
Chan, Boon (2018-09-04).
"South Korean thriller The Spy Gone North with Hwang Jung-min sizzles in its final act"
.
The Straits Times
.
ISSN
0585-3923
. Retrieved
2023-10-03
.
- ^
"The Spy Gone North review: exploits of a South Korean secret agent"
.
South China Morning Post
. 2018-09-04
. Retrieved
2023-10-03
.
- ^
"
'The Spy Gone North' starring Hwang Jung-min is not your typical spy thriller [Review]"
.
Young Post
. 2018-09-02
. Retrieved
2023-10-03
.
- ^
"Korea Box Office: 'Along With the Gods' Sequel Beats Trio of Prominent Newcomers"
.
Variety
. 13 August 2018
. Retrieved
24 August
2018
.
- ^
"Korea Box Office: Local Films, Headed by 'The Witness,' Dominate the Weekend"
.
Variety
. 20 August 2018
. Retrieved
24 August
2018
.
- ^
"South Korean Box Office August 24-26, 2018"
.
Korean Film Biz Zone
. Retrieved
27 August
2018
.
- ^
'工作', 損益分岐點 突破…웰메이드 映畫의 競爭力 立證
.
SBS funE
(in Korean). 29 August 2018
. Retrieved
31 August
2018
.
- ^
[무비:스코어] '너의 結婚式' 194萬 突破, 1位 守城…'서치'·'上流社會' 2·3位
.
Xports News
(in Korean). 3 September 2018
. Retrieved
3 September
2018
.
- ^
[映畫順位]'서치' 박스오피스 1位…2位 '너의 結婚式'·3位 '업그레이드', '神과함께2' 歷代 12位 登極
.
Kyungin Daily
(in Korean)
. Retrieved
11 September
2018
.
- ^
[23回 釜山國際映畫祭] 夫日映畫賞
.
Busan Daily
(in Korean). 20 September 2018.
- ^
5冠王 ‘工作’, ‘허스토리’와 함께 釜山 품었다(종합) [27回 夫日映畫賞]
.
MK Sports
(in Korean). 5 October 2018.
- ^
第55回 大鐘賞, 各 部門 候補 公開…'工作' 12個 最多部門 노미네이트
.
Sports Seoul
(in Korean). 21 September 2018
. Retrieved
2018-09-21
.
- ^
'버닝', 大鐘賞 作品賞 榮譽...1周忌 故金柱赫, 特別賞 受賞 [綜合]
.
Osen
(in Korean). 22 October 2018.
- ^
‘第2回 더 서울어워즈’ 10月27日 開催, 드라마-映畫 各 部門別 候補公開
.
iMBC
(in Korean). September 28, 2018.
- ^
[2回 더서울어워즈] '나醫아저씨·工作' 對象…이병헌·김남주·河正宇·손예진 主演賞(綜合)
.
Ilgan Sports
(in Korean). October 27, 2018.
- ^
[公式]이성민·한지민 '映評賞' 男女主演賞…'1987' 作品賞
.
Sports Chosun
(in Korean). October 22, 2018.
- ^
靑龍映畫賞 候補 發表, ‘1987’ 最多·‘工作’도 9個部門 候補
.
Newsen
(in Korean). November 1, 2018.
- ^
2018年 第 26回 "大韓民國 文化演藝對象" 盛況裏 開催
.
NB News
(in Korean). November 29, 2018.
- ^
주지훈·한지민, 韓國映畫製作家協會上 男女主演賞 榮光
.
Newsen
(in Korean). 11 December 2018.
- ^
"EXO's D.O., Kim Tae Ri, and more win awards at the '18th Director's Cut Awards!"
.
Allkpop
. 14 December 2018.
- ^
"
'올해의 映畫上' 이성민X한지민, 男女主演賞..作品賞 '工作'[綜合]"
.
Osen
(in Korean). 30 January 2019.
- ^
Cho, Yeon-gyeong (April 5, 2019).
55回 백상藝術大賞 映畫部門 最終 候補 公開
.
Is Plus
(in Korean).
Naver
. Retrieved
April 5,
2019
.
External links
[
edit
]
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