The Point Men

South Korea vs the Taliban! A relatively unknown Korean director has made a Korean variation on the American film Zero Dark Thirty (I would much rather see a variation on 13 Hours or Black Hawk Down). It's an unusual premise for the Koreans. The story is about Korean missionaries who are captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan, and it has a Korean diplomat and big star, Hwang Jung Min, trying to negotiate with the Taliban for the release of the hostages. He is seconded by Hyun Bin, so there is no shortage of stars and the production values are as usual very high, but is that enough ? Not for me. There's only one action scene, a well shot car chase with a fight in the car, but that's really not enough. The whole film focuses only on the investigation and the negotiation. It’s too much "step by step", and at times it is a bit boring, but some people will enjoy it. I would have preferred a shootout with the terrorists or torture. Though I do appreciate something a bit different than a hitman or gangster story, I wasn't too impressed. 6/10. (08.03.2023)