The Spy Gone North 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] The film was released in theaters on August 8, 2018.[6]
The Spy Gone North | |
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![]() Theatrical poster | |
Hangul | 공작 |
Hanja | 工作 |
Revised Romanization | Gongjak |
Directed by | Yoon Jong-bin |
Written by |
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Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Choi Chan-min |
Edited by |
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Music by | Cho Young-wuk |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | CJ E&M |
Release dates |
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Running time | 137 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Languages |
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Budget | US$14 million |
Box office | US$38.5 million[1] |
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.
Filming began on January 24, 2017 and concluded on July 25, 2017.[8] Some parts of the film that are set in Beijing and North Korea were filmed in Taiwan.[9]
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 Spy Gone North was released on VOD by CJ E&M on September 13, 2018.[12]
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.[13] On Metacritic, the film received average score 69 out of 100 based 6 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]
Charles Bramesco of The Guardian rated the film 3 out of 5 and said, "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."[15]
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 said the film "is 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."[16]
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 screening (Wednesday to Sunday).[17] On its second weekend, the film finished second behind The Witness, with a 45% drop in gross to US$6.3 million.[18] 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.[19]
On August 28, 2018, the film reached its break-even point with 4.7 million audience members having watched the film.[20] 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.[21] The film stable on seventh place during its fifth weekend.[22]
As of September 24, 2018, the film grossed US$38.3 million from 4,970,004 total attendance.[1]
Awards | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
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27th Buil Film Awards | Best Film | The Spy Gone North | Won | [23][24] |
Best Director | Yoon Jong-bin | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Hwang Jung-min | Nominated | ||
Lee Sung-min | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Kwon Sung-hwi & Yoon Jong-bin | Won | ||
Best Art Direction | Park Il-hyun | Won | ||
55th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | The Spy Gone North | Nominated | [25][26] |
Best Director | Yoon Jong-bin | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Hwang Jung-min | Won | ||
Lee Sung-min | Won | |||
Best Supporting Actor | Gi Ju-bong | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Kwon Sung-hwi & Yoon Jong-bin | Nominated | ||
Best Cinematography | Choi Chan-min | Nominated | ||
Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum & Kim Jae-bum | Nominated | ||
Best Art Direction | Park Il-hyun | Won | ||
Best Lightning | Yoo Suk-moon | Nominated | ||
Best Costume Design | Chae Kyung-hwa | Nominated | ||
Technical Award | The Spy Gone North | Nominated | ||
Best Planning | Nominated | |||
2nd The Seoul Awards | Best Film | Won | [27][28] | |
Best Actor | Lee Sung-min | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Won | ||
38th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Top 11 Films | The Spy Gone North | Won | [29] |
Best Director | Yoon Jong-bin | Won | ||
Best Actor | Lee Sung-min | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Won | ||
39th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | The Spy Gone North | Nominated | [30] |
Best Director | Yoon Jong-bin | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Kwon Sung-hwi & Yoon Jong-bin | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Lee Sung-min | Nominated | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Nominated | ||
Best Cinematography and Lightning | Choi Chan-min & Yoon Suk-moon | Nominated | ||
Best Editing | Kim Sang-bum & Kim Jae-bum | Nominated | ||
Best Music | Jo Yeong-wook | Nominated | ||
Best Art Direction | Park Il-hyun | Won | ||
26th Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards | Best Film | The Spy Gone North | Won | [31] |
5th Korean Film Producers Association Awards | Best Cinematography | Choi Chan-min | Won | [32] |
Best Lighting | Yoo Seok-moon | Won | ||
Best Art Direction | Park Il-hyun | Won | ||
18th Director's Cut Awards | Best Actor | Lee Sung-min | Won | [33] |
10th KOFRA Film Awards | Best Film | The Spy Gone North | Won | [34] |
Best Actor | Lee Sung-min | Won | ||
Best Supporting Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Won | ||
55th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Film | The Spy Gone North | Won | [35] |
Best Director | Yoon Jong-bin | Nominated | ||
Best Actor | Lee Sung-min | Won | ||
Best Screenplay | Kwon Sung-hwi & Yoon Jong-bin | Nominated | ||
Technical Award | Park Il-hyun (Art) | Nominated | ||
Projects directed by Yoon Jong-bin | |
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Television |
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Baeksang Arts Award for Best Film | |
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