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Typhoon

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Typhoon reviews
46
8.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 16 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 1 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Action  |  Drama  |  Foreign  |  Suspense/Thriller

Written by: Kwak Kyung-taek

Directed by: Kwak Kyung-taek

Release Date:
Theatrical: June 2, 2006

Running Time: 124 minutes, Color

Origin: South Korea

Language(s): Korean / English / Thai / Russian / Mandarin (with English subtitles)

Summary

RATING: R for strong violence and brief language

Starring Dong-Kun Jang, Jung-Jae Lee, Mi-yeon Lee, David McInnis, David No, and Chatthapong Pantanaunkul

The story of a modern-day pirate planning a massive attack on North and South Korea.

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

70

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

A few others have compared this to a James Bond movie, but it's more of a piece with a Tom Clancy movie; it never leaves the real world that far behind, it has a fair sense of documentary reality, and the action sequences -- from shootout to car chase to a commando takedown of a tanker on the high seas to a final knife fight -- are extremely well managed.

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70

Chicago Reader J.R. Jones

Eventually develops into a pleasantly bombastic Bond-style adventure.

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70

Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas

Ambitious and impressive, both in its provocative themes and superb production design using striking sets and locations in Korea, Russia and Thailand, this handsome epic amply rewards audiences willing to go the distance.

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63

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

An international caper with James Bond and Tom Clancy overtones - and Austin Powers undertones, too.

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63

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Liam Lacey

Eventually, Typhoon succumbs to the usual special-effects bombast and plot overkill.

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63

TV Guide Ken Fox

The action come fast and thick, and the sentimentality reaches near-operatic proportions.

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50

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

This may be the biggest production in Korean-film history, but viewers should search elsewhere for a better sampling of what the country has to offer.

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50

LA Weekly David Chute

The movie is executed by director Kwak Kyung-Taek with flair, technical polish and tumescent firepower that the shriveled cinemas of Hong Kong and Japan can no longer match. But every gesture feels synthetic, from the back story about North-South separation to massage the emotions of the home audience, to the 24-style globe-hopping nuclear-terrorism premise.

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50

Chicago Tribune Michael Wilmington

As silly movies go, this one is at least pretty exciting. But in the end, Typhoon leaves you feeling as exiled from the two Koreas as Sin is.

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50

The New York Times Laura Kern

Typhoon aims high but misses the emotional mark in most instances, resulting in some awkward melodramatics. Even so, it flourishes during its well-executed action sequences and commands attention almost instantaneously, though, in the end, it will be forgotten just as quickly.

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50

San Francisco Chronicle G. Allen Johnson

Kwak is indeed a highly original voice, but you wouldn't know it from Typhoon. It seems as if he's constrained by the conventional material.

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40

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

While a huge hit in its native country, is neither arty nor truly thrilling enough to greatly impress American audiences.

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38

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

An exhausting combination of generic thriller, political tract and sentimental weepie.

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25

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

The humorless and self-important execution attempts an operatic scale but only succeeds in sinking the remnants of the story's integrity. By the time it makes landfall, this incoherent production has blown itself out.

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25

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Mainstream moviegoers will be put off by the subtitles, and art-house fans will be insulted by the story's shallowness.

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20

Village Voice Luke Y. Thompson

A cheap-looking action movie that sabotages itself at almost every turn.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 8.0 (out of 10) based on 1 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Ken G. gave it an8:
I don't know why critics missed the boat so badly here. This has plenty of well done action ( including a particuluarily well done climax), plus it also has more heart and soul then most Hollywood action thrillers. The only thing I can think of is that the villain here is driven to commit monsterous acts more by justifyable hate, then by madness or evil.

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