The Suspect

The action is fast and furious in Won Shin-yun's spy-on-the-run movie, a kind of Asian variant on The Bourne Identity. Gong Yoo plays Dong-chul, a former North Korean operative who defected to Seoul after his bosses betrayed him during a mission. Now working as a chauffeur for a wealthy businessman who has ties to the communist government in Pyongyang, the dour, taciturn Dong-chul is thrown back into the game when his employer is murdered by a pack of masked intruders, and Dong-chul winds up being framed for the crime. Before dying, the old man gives Dong-chul a pair of eyeglasses that are the key to some top-secret data, which sends the “suspect” on a mission not only to recover the information and prove his innocence, but also to learn the fate of the wife and daughter he left behind, and mete out retribution for their supposed demise—all while being pursued by a South Korean agent who bears a grudge against him, as well as an occasionally helpful woman who is working on a film about defectors. A weapons-for-food subplot adds some contemporary political resonance to the proceedings, but The Suspect is far less interested in making any serious points than it is in serving up a succession of set-pieces involving choreographed fights and frantic car chases. At two-hours-plus, the film is too long, and the convoluted plot is overloaded with flashbacks and saccharine sentiment—but action genre fans will not be disappointed. A strong optional purchase. (F. Swietek)