The Berlin File is a 2013 South Korean spy thriller written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan.Ha Jung-woo stars as a North Korean agent in Berlin who is betrayed and cut loose when a weapons deal is exposed. Together with his wife, a translator at the North Korean embassy in Berlin played by Jeon Ji-hyun, they try to escape being purged, with Ryu Seung-beom and Han Suk-kyu playing North and South Korean operatives on their trail.The film was released in South Korea on January 31, 2013. It also had a limited theatrical run in 21 North American cities on February 15, 2013, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Chicago, New York, New Orleans, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.


ABOUT THE STORY:-

After a tense illegal arms deal in a Berlin hotel involving North Korean spy Pyo Jong-seong (Ha Jung-woo), a Russian broker, and a Middle Eastern terrorist goes wrong when disrupted by unknown assailants, Pyo narrowly escapes but encounters morass of conflicting evidence that may reveal why he was set up.Also investigating the failed weapons sale, embattled South Korean intelligence agent Jung Jin-soo (Han Suk-kyu) goes after Pyo to uncover his identity, but is left trying to decode whether the North Korean "ghost" agent (whose information cannot be found on any intelligence database) is a double agent or taking the fall for a more insidious plot. Finding himself embroiled in a vast international conspiracy, Jung must determine the North's role in the deal, as well as the potential involvement of the CIA, Israel's Mossad, international terrorist organizations, and any other covert operatives lurking in Berlin's polyglot underworld. Confronting the possibility of a double agent within Berlin's North Korean embassy where his wife Ryeon Jung-hee (Jeon Ji-hyun) is a translator, Pyo discovers that Pyongyang security authorities have dispatched ruthless fixer Dong Myung-soo (Ryu Seung-beom) to sort out potentially conflicting loyalties at the consulate. Dong's investigation quickly implicates Ryeon and he gives Pyo just 48 hours to incriminate his wife, who is suspected of leaking information on the arms deal to South Korean agents trying to gain access to a secret multi-billion dollar bank account controlled by Pyongyang authorities.Despite an apparently loveless marriage, Pyo is reluctant to betray Ryeon, particularly after she discloses she's pregnant. He senses that she was set up by Dong and his father to gain favor with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. But when the North Korean ambassador makes an attempt to defect to the West, Pyo becomes incriminated as well. Narrowly escaping an assassination squad dispatched by Dong, Ryeon and Pyo go on the run, with the rival Korean intelligence agencies closing in fast.




ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:-

While preparing for the film, director Ryu Seung-wan met with several North Korean defectors and shot the documentary Spies for Korean broadcaster MBC as part of a special series that aired in 2011, intending "to make a realistic, fast-paced, Korean-style espionage action film about South Korean agents discovering North Korea's secret accounts and how political dynamics between the two Koreas get involved." Ryu said he wanted the film to be reminiscent of The Bourne Identity, and on an emotional level, to focus on the solitude and sorrow of those who live as secret agents.Budgeted at US$9 million, the film was produced by Ryu's own production shingle Filmmaker R&K, and financed by CJ Entertainment. Seasonal aspects play an important part in the film; Ryu shot the film almost 100% on location in Europe, hoping to capture its eerie chill. Filming began on April 16, 2012 on a film set in Namyang, south of Seoul, in Gyeonggi Province. After wrapping there, cast and crew relocated to Berlin, Germany and Riga, Latvia in early May 2012, and among the locations were the roof of Berlin's Westin Grand Hotel, in Schöneberg, at the Hackescher Markt, and on Pariser Platz in front of the iconic Brandenburg Gate in full view of the American and French Embassies. The shoot involved a 15-person German crew from Film Base Berlin, but the majority of production elements and talent were Korean, including around 80 crew members who brought their entire equipment. Observing that Ryu did the recces of the locations with the actors so that they could get used to the settings, Film Base boss Mathias Schwerbock described the director as "very thorough and precise in his preparations. They are fast at shooting and very efficient." Stunt coordinator Jung Doo-hong choreographed the film's action sequences. With over 40% of the film in English, American screenwriter Ted Geoghegan was hired to construct and polish the film's English dialogue, based on writer/director Ryu's translated Korean text.





BOX OFFICE:-

The action blockbuster had a strong opening, drawing more than 2.8 million admissions (US$19 million) in just over a week after its release, with 1.53 million tickets sold during its first weekend alone. A scene in which Ha Jung-woo's character gobbles a baguette was not included in the final edit, and director Ryu Seung-wan promised fans to make the footage public when the film exceeded 3 million admissions. The clip was released on February 7. The film reached 5 million admissions after 14 days of release, and 7 million by March 5, 2013. It took in US$48,146,202 at the Korean box office.




CRITICAL RECEPTION:-

Local critics gave unequivocal praise for the action set-pieces and acting performances, with the caveat that the film's overall quality was hindered by the overly convoluted plot. According to Yonhap and Screen Daily, the film's highlights were "its spectacular and breathtaking fight and action scenes" and "secretive and gloomy atmosphere." Film Business Asia stated that the film is "flawed by a finale that doesn't top the previous set pieces but otherwise contains enough superbly staged action and rich performances to keep any audience hooked for two hours."

The Korea Times called the actors "superb," with special mention to how Ha Jung-woo "breathe(s) a layer of complexity into the shortest of lines," the "brilliant" Ryu Seung-beom, and that Jeon Ji-hyun "deftly handles" her role. But though it opined that Ryu "has never produced a more polished action movie" with its "tightly-packed and smartly-placed action scenes," it panned the script for being "preposterous and un-ambitious at the same time."

The Berlin File received mostly positive reviews from major US media outlets during its North American theatrical release. The New York Times hailed its "exhilarating action set pieces," adding that Ryu "brings his brand of muscular action and quicksilver agility to the shifting battleground of international espionage." The Hollywood Reporter praised the careful balancing of narrative tension, writing that "the film crackles with tense character conflict."

Bloomberg gave it four stars out of five, saying, "the film offers just about all you could ask of a genre flick; poisoning, defections, a secret North Korean bank account, gloriously choreographed fights that go insanely over the top, febrile tension and doomy romance."The Village Voice said, "the enjoyable analog antics end with one character boarding the train bound for Vladivostok, but judging from the evidence, it's Hollywood where we can expect to see Ryu Seung-wan appear before long."

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Well , because I found other review, unfair , I decided to write a new review after watching this drama . I have not regretted at all to give it try!

Story: reminded me of " slave hunters \ Chuno " to some extent. I loved it, and engaged in events without any boredom , beside the young king who does not know how to distract things the nation , and his minister , who is trying to be commanding and forbidding , the minister and his followers who believe in Confucianism , and we can look at it like communism and democracy at this moment - Modern and Contemporary History -

Characters & Acting : Characters also done a good job , I liked the fight scenes that is different from the other fight scenes in historical drama, because it was HD\3D , this seemed to be realistic and to be honest I liked the fight scenes so much unlike the fight scenes I've seen in most previous historical series , which puts the viewer in the form of an asshole for being fake!

The OST: also reminded me of song from " slave hunters \ Chuno ", it is somewhat similar to the song of the end of this drama!!!


If you like historical drama, then you should give this one a try!!!!

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I loved this drama, and something more unique story
I did not expect that the medical drama will be like this, very interesting
It tells the story of a doctor looking for his wife's killer
Killer attacked his wife in her home and the husband was returning from work hurried save his wife but his wife was stabbed with a knife
So he fighting whith killer husband tries to reveal the mask killer because he was masked!

during the fighting the doctor stabbed the killer in his hand with a blunt object left a hole in the palm, the killer fled .. after that .. husband became accused of killing his wife! but the evidence was not sufficient and was acquitted, quit his job at the hospital because people consider him bad
And open a clinic called (late night hospital)
for looking for a person who has a hole in his right hand!!!

There are many events
But this brief
There is the question
(the gang that forced the doctor to work at this clinic)
(unidentified killer who is in fact dead)
(the doctor who lost his wife suffers from tremors in his right hand)

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