Argemaluco I frequently complain against the espionage films which sacrifice intrigue and suspense in favor of the action. That's why I'm glad to say that the film The Berlin File combines both aspects with a remarkable expertise, offering us an interesting and complex screenplay, accompanied by solid action scenes overflowing of energy. Besides, the cosmopolitan atmosphere of the European settings increments the realism of a story which gets more complicated with every new scene. And I would also like to applaud the political subversion of the film, financed by the studio CJ Entertainment (the biggest one in South Korea), but with a North Korean main character. I don't know whether that might have been a mere political correction, or a genuine call to the cooperation between both nations... after all, what matters is the dramatic richness that that "small" detail brings to the narrative. Some people compared The Berlin File to the Jason Bourne saga, but it reminds me more of the TV series The Americans (even though it has more shootouts and martial arts), because it also handles an interesting moral disjunctive, putting us on the side of the "evil ones" in order to point out the fact the "good ones" might not be as much so as we had thought. And both also portray the tense family dynamic between spies who, besides of everything, also have to deal with the difficulties of marriage. Some couples discuss about financial matters; the husband and wife from The Berlin File talk about putsches or betrayals to the motherland. Anyway, the combination is very satisfactory. My only complaint against The Berlin File is that the intelligent screenplay occasionally employs clichés which feel a bit out of place, such as the talkative villain, and the convenient "don't kill him yet", when there's no valid reason to wait... except for creating the opportunity to the hero to escape. Nevertheless, that's a minor complaint, and it doesn't avoid me from enthusiastically recommending The Berlin File as an excellent espionage film.

petarmatic It is time for North Korea to abandon Communism and defect to the South! Just as DDR abandoned Communism and joined democracy, so should DPRK become part of the South. One Korea in capitalist heaven! As far as the film goes, it was made to ease that transition, just as the Gangham style conquered to world so will North give up Communism and become part of the united Korea.The film was just another film of action. Seen many like that in my past.I would love to add more lines of text but I am not sure what to add, because film was average.

nick fredrikson This film taught me a lesson. Trust the rating more than the reviews. After reading all this positive reviews I really looked forward to see it. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. From the beginning to the end I just stared at the screen with an puzzled , disoriented expression on my face that read : What is going on?! Trying to hard to be all action-ey and fast paced , Berlin Files doesn't bother to introduce the viewer to the story AT ALL. OK , there is apparently some conspiracy plot going on but everything is so rushed that the legitimate question arises , WHAT actually is rushed. Why are the characters dying , why is this happening , why that?! This case is an example of a film can be ruined with trying to hard to be fast paced. All in all it's style without substance. And in this case it's bad. A conspiracy spy-thriller without substance is just an collection of fight scenes , gunplay and chases. Speaking of which , whoever was responsible for the action is a genius. The 5 stars go entirely to them. The action scenes are so well executed and bombastic , Hollywood has to lie down in a fetus position and cry...Long story short: If you don't mind watching without knowing what is going on and enjoy superb action-watch it. On the other side , if you like conspiracy thrillers with a good plot-don't waste your precious lifetime.

mohammad-yousaf This is one of the best movie I have seen in recent years and I don't think it is less than Skyfall..... specially the cinematography is awesome and special effects are so amazing that we see rarely and only in big production house movies.The main characters are smart and beautiful.. and Director didn't forget to put an emotional touch of unspoken love in the movie.... the background music is impressive and go along with situations and action sequences and at several points it charge you specially towards the ending.Movie will keep you entertained and busy.. with duration of around 2 hours, you won't feel losing interest at any point.Above all, the Director Mr. Seung-wan Ryoo really knew the art of making a true entertainer.I have become a true fan of characters and of course South Korean Cinema too!