| "Typhoon" is a movie that I wanted to like. And fortunately for me, I did. I've seen it described in many different ways, most of which turned out to be inaccurate. First and foremost, it is not an action movie. Yes, there are action sequences, but not enough to make it an action movie. The action plays out more like a Michael Mann film than a Michael Bay film. The film is more of what I'd call a suspense/thriller with some espionage. Yeah, there's gunfights. But more time is spent with the opposing parties trying to outsmart each other.
This is also a movie I'd describe as being big, especially for Korea. There's some very big and very well done CGI in the final act that really is impressive. The narrative isn't bad and the story plays out well. One of the few weaknesses of the film is the characters.
There's actually so much substance given to the antagonist that you almost feel sorry for him and want him to succeed in his plan. Ironically, the protagonist, to me, felt more shallow because they tried to tack on a backstory. I actually felt like he had more depth before they started bringing up his history. Although not an overly verbose fella, his subtleties, facial expressions, reactions to those around him- gave me a very big look at who this guy was.
Where "Typhoon" really shines is in its story. First off, the scheme the antagonist plans to unleash is very unique. It's not the standard bad guy takes something/someone hostage and demands a huge ransom or is trying to steal something very valuable. I really enjoyed seeing his plan come together. "Typhoon" has excellent pacing. You're not given the whole plan up front. Things are revealed slowly, often times you're left lagging behind the main characters. Only when they're done with what they're doing will you understand why they were doing it in the first place.
If you like the international intrigue (think James Bond-lite) with a tight story, good characters, a little soul, and large-scale filmmaking, "Typhoon" is a good pick. |
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