The Korean movie is based on the assassination operation by the Korean Provisional Government during the Japanese colonial period. It is inspired by the actual assassination mission that took place in March 1932, targeting the Korean Governor General of Chosun, Ugaaki Kazushige. The film not only depicts the assassination operation but also gives significant weight to Kim Won-bong, who has been relatively underrated in the independence movement history, along with the movie "The Age of Shadows."
The year is 1933, an era when the homeland has vanished.
The Korean Provisional Government designates three individuals for an assassination mission without exposing them to the Japanese side. They are An Ok-yoon, a sniper from the independence army; Sok-sapo, a graduate of Shinheung Military Academy; and Hwang Deok-sam, an expert in explosives. Yum Suk-jin, the chief of the Korean Provisional Government's Intelligence Bureau, who enjoys Kim Gu's strong trust, begins to search for them. The targets of the assassination team are the commander of the Korean Garrison Army, Kawaguchi Mamoru, and the pro-Japanese activist Kang Inguk. Meanwhile, a contract killer named Hawaii Pistol, who has received a large sum of money for the job, starts to pursue the assassination team.
The unpredictable fate of these individuals surrounding the pro-Japanese assassination mission unfolds!
Critics mainly criticized the lack of coherence in the characters' actions and the loose structure of the plot. They also pointed out the similarity to the director's previous works and criticized the characters for being overly conventional. Additionally, some critics felt that the romantic storyline was not well developed. However, the director mentioned that the relationship between An Ok-yoon and Hawaii Pistol was more about sympathy and comradeship rather than romantic love.
Nevertheless, the film received praise from audiences for presenting the era of the 1920s and the Japanese colonial period in a light-hearted action movie rather than a heavy documentary-like genre. Successful anti-Japanese films like "Assassination" are rare, and apart from dramas like "Mr. Sunshine," there haven't been many works that effectively highlight the anti Japanese movement. Consequently, despite mixed critical reviews, the audience ratings were generally positive.
While the story received criticism for its lack of coherence, overall reception was positive. The excellent performances by the actors, the vibrant characters, and the portrayal of Kim Wonbong, an independence activist who had been forgotten under the label of a leftist socialist, received praise. Moreover, since 2015 marked the 70th anniversary of Korea's liberation, the film was praised for shedding light on forgotten independence activists in the context of that unique historical period.
In Japan, reactions were mixed. While some appreciated the atmosphere, they criticized certain scenes for being contrived, awkward Japanese pronunciation by nonJapanese actors, and the lack of explanation for Kimura's support for Korean independence. Some scenes, like Kawaguchi meeting Hawaii Pistol on a train and immediately asking for protection, lacked credibility. Despite these criticisms, Jun Ji-hyun received high praise.
Director's statement reveals that the character Yeom Suk-jin, played by Lee Jung jae, is based on a real person named Yeom Dong-jin. Yeom Dong-jin, a member of the Southern Manchuria Army, was arrested by the Japanese Kwantung Army in 1937. After being released in 1940, there were rumors of his collaboration with the Japanese, but he vehemently denied them. He had a relationship intertwined with both love and resentment with Kim Gu, similar to Yeom Suk-jin's portrayal in the film. During the Korean War, he was captured by North Korea.
The character's name played by Jun Ji-hyun, 'An Ok yoon,' is derived by taking one character from the names of three independence activists: An Jung-geun, Kim Sang-ok, and Yun Bong-gil. Originally, her name was intended to be 'Yun-ok,' but it was changed to 'Ok-yoon' due to its similarity to Kim Yoon-ok, the wife of former President Jeon. Kim Sang-ok, like the character An Ok-yoon in the film, committed suicide after throwing a bomb at the Jongno Police Station in Seoul and engaging in a shootout with hundreds of police officers.
In a scene where Yeom Suk-jin is at an opium den, he utters the phrase "Minna dorobodesu" which means "Everyone is a thief" in Japanese. This phrase was a habit of Kim Kap sun, a collaborator and a Chōsen district official during the Japanese colonial period. In 1982, this phrase became a national catchphrase in South Korea after being broadcast in a drama depicting Kim Kap-sun's life, coinciding with societal absurdities like the Jang Young-ran and Lee Cheon-hee financial fraud scandal.
After Yeom Suk-jin supposedly becomes a full fledged collaborator, he utters the line "Mulji moshalgeomyeon jitjido marayajo," which means "If you can't bite, don't bark" in Korean. This phrase was originally used by Yun Chi-ho to criticize the March 1st Movement, and it appears numerous times in his diaries. Yun Chi-ho wrote all his diaries in English under the pretext of practicing English composition, and "Don't bark if you can't bite" is an English aphorism.
The organization mentioned by Hawaii Pistol (played by Hwang Jung-min), 'Salbugye,' a group of anti-Japanese youth intending to kill pro Japanese collaborators, is a fictional organization. However, there is a mention in the Baekbeom Ilji (The Memoirs of Baekbeom) that communists established the Salbugye. According to the text, "For example, Yihayun's descendants formed the Salbugye, because they remained faithful to communism. However, they didn't kill their own fathers with their own hands but killed each other's fathers. This shows that some humanity remained." The setting of Salbugye in the film appears to be derived from the 1989 novel "Father and Son" by Han Seung-won, where left-wing activists assassinate pro-Japanese fathers amid the confusion of left-right confrontation after liberation. The concept of Salbugye reappears in the 2007 play "Kill Your Father," where it is depicted as the children of pro-Japanese collaborators who studied abroad in Japan ten years after the March 1st Movement, aiming to kill their traitorous fathers. The Salbugye story in the film seems to be inspired by the Baekbeom Ilji or this play.