"10 Thieves, 1 Diamond
They've started to move!
In action together are Korean thieves Poppai, Yennicole, Chewing Gum, and Japarno. After successfully robbing an art museum, they hear about a new plan in Hong Kong proposed by their former partner from Macau, Park. Joining them unexpectedly is safe-cracker Papsi, just released from prison, and the five of them head to Hong Kong, each dreaming of their greatest twist of fate.
Waiting for the Korean thieves in Hong Kong are the four-member Chinese thief team: Chen, Andrew, Julie, and Johnny. With the best experts set up, Korean and Chinese thieves keep their guard up against each other. Amidst the tense atmosphere, Park reveals the target he has planned: the legendary diamond 'Tears of the Sun,' hidden in a Macau casino. Despite the risky plan with no guarantee of success, they cannot refuse the tempting offer of $20 million, and they begin their operation to steal the Tears of the Sun.
However, with mysterious intentions from Park, Poppai aiming for Park's betrayal, Papsi unable to forget past memories of betrayal from Park, Yennicole prioritizing immediate cash over the team's goal, and even Chen and the Chinese thieves distrusting the Korean thieves, the ten thieves, gathered to steal, begin to form their own plans, each with different intentions..."
"Confidential Assignment" is the fourth feature film directed by Choi Dong-hoon, released on July 25, 2012. It belongs to the heist genre, but unlike typical heist films where cooperation among colleagues is emphasized and conflicts are usually resolved over time or with one or two betrayals, "Confidential Assignment" portrays thieves who plot against each other from the outset. With a cast of around 10 main characters, understanding each one's psychology and intentions can make comprehending the overall plot quite challenging.
Nevertheless, the movie guarantees great entertainment with its unpredictable plot development, interplay between characters, and intriguing dialogues. Additionally, repeated viewings may reveal hidden meanings and complexities within the plot and dialogue, enhancing the immersive experience.
There is controversy over the blatant plagiarism of the movie "Ocean's Eleven." Firstly, the number of thieves is similar, and the scenario of various thieves forming a team to steal an important item matches. However, this similarity is mitigated by the inclusion of settings where thieves inherently distrust each other, devise their own plans to betray each other, and engage in pursuit after being betrayed.
Separate from the plagiarism issue, there arose a problem with the plausibility regarding the involvement of the Special Forces in capturing the thieves. The portrayal of the Special Forces does not align with reality, as they appear to be easily overwhelmed by the Wei Hong gang, a mere criminal organization. There should have been at least some depiction of the tactics employed when confronting the Wei Hong gang, but the absence of such depiction leaves the tactical aspect of reality completely unreflected.
Furthermore, the authenticity of weapon performance is poorly handled. A person is knocked down by shots from an UZI with a gangster grip. Similarly, scenes depicting the Special Forces using sniper rifles are flawed, as using a sniper rifle in a building corridor, supposedly to rescue a hostage, is unnecessary given the distance, and even an MP5 would suffice. Moreover, such situations endanger the hostages even further.
While it is common for movies to depict foreign SWAT teams as weaker, the numerous unrealistic scenes in this movie, possibly justified as cinematic allowances to showcase the strength of the Wei Hong gang, are criticized for breaking immersion.
The film enjoyed explosive success upon its release, attracting 3.86 million nationwide viewers in just one week and securing the top spot at the box office. By the 18th day of its release, it had drawn 8.82 million viewers, maintaining its position as the top ranked film. Although there were high expectations for it to achieve the fastest 10 million viewership in Korean cinema history, competition from other blockbusters released around the same time prevented it from setting a new record. However, it reached 9.75 million viewers nationwide in just 21 days, ranking sixth in all-time box office records, and surpassed the 10 million mark on the 22nd day. It continued to maintain its top position at the box office for over three weeks, breaking numerous records along the way, including surpassing the record set by "Haeundae" with 11.48 million viewers by the 22nd day and surpassing the record set by "The King and the Clown" with 12.32 million viewers by the 30th day. Despite weekday screenings attracting a steady 50,000 viewers per day, it reached 12.39 million viewers by the 31st day, 12.65 million by September 4th, and 12.85 million by September 10th. On September 23rd, it recorded an additional 6,969 viewers over the weekend, bringing the cumulative total to 12.94 million. Although the distributor claimed 13 million viewers based on its own statistics on September 29th, the Korean Film Council's statistics showed 12.95 million viewers. On October 2nd, it was announced that it had surpassed "The Host" with 13.02 million viewers during the Chuseok holiday. However, the Korean Film Council continued to tally 12.98 million viewers and disregarded the distributor's claim of 13.02 million viewers, mentioning it only as the second-highest grossing Korean film. As of 2023, it ranks 10th in terms of all-time Korean box office viewership and 12th in terms of revenue. Controversy arose over director Kim Ki-duk's exclusive screening of "Pieta" and its persistent screening despite only attracting around 15% of the audience.
Many Chinese actors, particularly from Hong Kong, appear in the film, but there are also several Korean actors portraying Chinese characters. Ye Soo-jung plays the role of Tiffany, while Choi Duk moon portrays the seductive casino owner tempted by Japanno. Additionally, Ki Gu-rae plays the role of Wei Hong, who is the brother of the lead actor Ki Joo-bong. The charismatic henchman of Wei Hong is portrayed by Choi Jin-ho.
Several famous actors' family members also make appearances in the film. Chae Gook hee, portraying the mother who deceives the gang as part of the scam, is the sister of actress Chae Si-ra, while Jeong Guk-sang, playing Johnny on the Chinese team, is the son of actor Jeong Ji-wi.
Park Shin-yang was offered a role in the film, possibly that of Macau Park, which is speculated to be played by Kim Yoon-seok, his peer and someone who recommended director Choi Dong-hoon for his debut film "The Big Swindle."
The Mercedes-Benz G-Class driven by Wei Hong in the film belongs to actor Lee Jung-jae.
In a scene where the gang breaks into an art museum, they decipher the password using sound. In reality, the button tones of safes are often set to be identical for such scenarios, which is also considered a cinematic allowance.
Five languages are featured in the film: Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Cantonese, English, and Japanese. While the main characters are foreigners capable of communicating in their respective languages as needed for the plot, there are moments where the pronunciation of Chinese characters portrayed by Korean actors, such as Japanno, Wei Hong, and the manager, sounds awkward due to their mother tongue. Additionally, scenes involving communication between Mandarin Chinese and Cantonese speakers depict the language barrier between them.
Despite some discrepancies in language proficiency among characters, Macau Park is the only character fluent in Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and English, while Andrew can communicate in Korean, Mandarin Chinese, and English. Chen, Johnny, and Julie from the Chinese team can converse in Cantonese, and when they communicate with Andrew and Macau Park, it's in Mandarin Chinese. Furthermore, Chen and Japanno converse in Japanese. The characters' ability to communicate with each other creates narrative tension. Additionally, there are scenes where characters experience embarrassment due to assumptions about language proficiency.
Kim Yoon-seok and Oh Dal-su reportedly spent a month together studying Chinese.
Several products from the headphone brand Sennheiser are featured in the film, possibly as a sponsorship deal.
The film draws inspiration from the "Ocean's" series and the "Jung Hwa Sa" novel.
The wire action scenes in Macau Park's apartment are a homage to the action scenes from the 2000 Western film "The Vertical Ray of the Sun." There are numerous scenes in the film that can be seen as references to this movie.
The salaries of some actors were disclosed through the media. Kim Yoon-seok received the highest fee of 600 million won, followed by Jun Ji-hyun with 380 million won, and Kim Hye-soo with 370 million won.