SYNOPSIS:
She
is a super agent – smart, beautiful and calm under pressure.
He is a bumbling rookie agent, who tries way too hard to impress.
Lying is part of their job, and secrecy is the name of the
game. However, AHN Soo-ji and LEE Jae-joon are also college
sweethearts, who have broken up due to Jae-joon’s inability
to put up with Soo-Ji’s frequent lies.
Unbeknownst
to each other, both of them now work for different spy departments
within the South Korean intelligence agency. Action-packed
hilarity ensues as their paths cross when a Russian organized
crime group sets out to steal an advanced chemical weapon
from Korea.
MOVIE REVIEW:
Like
many other run-out-of-mill romantic comedies, "My Girlfriend
Is An Agent" has it’s leading man and lady falling
in-and-out-of-love several times over the course of the almost
two hours long movie. However, despite the mentioned cliché,
this Korean comedy hit stands out not because of it’s
story being set in the dangerous world of espionage but the
perfect comedic timing of Kim Ha-neul and Kang Ji-hwan that
helps in charming the audience.
The movie opens with Jae-joon (Kang Ji-hwan)
making a heartfelt phonecall to his girlfriend, Soo-ji (Kim
Ha-neul) at the airport. Unknown to Jae-joon, Soo-ji who is
working as a superspy is far too distracted to respond to
her boyfriend’s grief of departing to Canada to further
his study. A misunderstand ensures and the lovebirds are separated
as a result. Three years later, Jae-joon returns and crosses
path with Soo-ji as Jae-joon is now working as a rookie agent
under the same agency with Soo-ji. The catch is neither one
of them knows each other’s true identities.
Concealing
certain habits or minor secrets is common between couples
and lovers but imagine a life-long job? That will be a tough
act to follow. Thus Soo-ji’s travel agent turns toilet
cleaner doesn’t sound much convincing especially when
she is a university graduate and in turn, Jae-joon’s
disguise as an accountant won’t last for long either
especially when he is caught red-handed in a pub with a suspicious-looking
Russian girl by Soo-ji. "My Girlfriend Is An Agent"
digs into the issue of trust between the two lovebirds and
churns out plenty of running gags from there. The humour is
intentionally silly but not to the extent of crude and offensive.
Stealing the limelight here is none other
than Kang Ji-hwan who plays the somewhat geeky, innocent and
zealous Jae-joon. His character is one that requires a larger
range than the usual male lead in a rom-com. He is absolutely
a hoot when he fumbles in his espionage missions not to mention
his relegation to a crybaby after a drinking session with
his bemused superior. Kim Ha-neul on the other hand is reduced
to a mere tough-as-nail, Michelle Yeoh type of super heroine
spy character that significantly pales as compared to Kang
Ji-hwan’s amusing, scene-stealing performance.
If
you are expecting the action in "My Girlfriend Is An
Agent" to be the likes of the immensely popular James
Bond series then you might be disappointed. The action sequences
here are at best serviceable and the villains are too one-dimensional
to leave an impression. At the end of the day, it all boils
down to the madcap relationship of this pair of passionate
lovers rather than the hoo-ha about saving the world from
some chemical weaponry. Some viewers might compare "My
Girlfriend Is An Agent" to "Mr and Mrs Smith"
but I assured you that there is almost zero similarities between
the two except the fact that the former features a couple
working as undercover agents while the latter has a couple
working as paid killers. The similarity ends here.
Both
actors had a fun time bouncing off each other and Kang Ji-hwan
especially shines in his role as the rookie agent. My Girlfriend
Is An Agent" is a fun, occasionally action-packed rom-com
that will surprise you.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
This
locally-produced DVD features snippets from the Singapore
Gala Premiere which has the leading man and lady
gracing the event at The Cathay. There are also snippets from
the press conference and mall event
held at the Heeren. The DVD is round up with the trailer.
For
a more comprehensive coverage and interview with the two stars,
do click here
the article
AUDIO/VISUAL:
It’s hard to fault the visual transfer
of this DVD and the Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack. Dialogue
is crisp and intelligible and there are no obvious artifacts
to mar your viewing pleasure.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Linus Tee
Posted
on 22 February 2010
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