Silent Assassin

Commitment is a spy drama that takes place during the change of guard in North Korea where forces in the North are jockeying with forces in the South. Into this struggle, the son of a murdered spy is recruited to go to South Korea as an assassin, his reward being that upon the successful completion of his mission he will be reunited with his sister.

The acting is uniformly good, especially from Seung Hyun Choi as the spy, Ye-ri Han as the girl he meets, and Park Ji-Il as the South Korean agent who hunts him down. Most of these actors will be unfamiliar to U.S. audiences.

In recent years Korean films have been able to master the art of action sequences - "OldBoy" (2003), "The Chaser" (2008), "Bittersweet Life" (2005), "The Man from Nowhere" (2010). The current film does well, but at the heart of an action film one must believe that the hero is capable of performing the feats ascribed to him. In this case, it's only partially true. Neither by dint of his own physicality, nor the back story, are we able to believe that Seung Hyun Choi is capable of the martial arts skills he displays. In fairness to Choi , he does do OK, so it's not a question of disbelief, but neither is there an unquestioning acceptance.

Apart from some good action sequences, the film is an interesting travelogue about life in South Korea, as well as a look at police work in that Country.