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Even before Netflix's newest hit, the tense relationship between South Korea and North Korea is ripe for dramatic storytelling, but it has also been used liberally in romance and sci-fi. However, the most engaging storytelling about the two countries often happens in the espionage genre. A new movie on Netflix, in which a South Korean agent and a North Korean agent clash in Russia, is emerging as a massive hit. The movie was directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, who, after working as an assistant to the legendary Park Chan-wook, made several films that dealt with geopolitical intrigue. His latest film was recently released on Netflix, following a theatrical run in Korea.
The movie grossed approximately $16 million in its home country a few months ago. It stars Zo In-sung and Park Jeong-min in the lead roles, with Shin Se-kyung playing a pivotal role in their characters' confrontation. The film serves as the final installment of director Ryoo's spiritually linked trilogy revolving around global politics — the first film, The Berlin File, was released in 2013, and the second, Escape from Mogadishu, was released in 2021. Both previous movies were major box-office hits, with The Berlin File grossing nearly $50 million and Escape from Mogadishu generating around $30 million.
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Ryoo's new hit is Humint, which premiered on Netflix in late March. According to FlixPatrol, it's now the most-watched movie on the global Netflix chart, having unseated the Cillian Murphy-led Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man from the number one spot. Humint also outperformed Alan Ritchson's holdover sci-fi action hit War Machine and Kevin Costner's Yellowstone-adjacent crime movie Let Him Go. Humint doesn't have an official Rotten Tomatoes score yet, though all listed reviews are positive. On IMDb, the film currently holds a 6.6 out of 10. The last few weeks have been quite significant for Korean content on streaming, especially on Netflix. The platform hosted the highly anticipated comeback concert of BTS, which was followed by a special documentary a week later.
You can watch Humint on Netflix and stay tuned to Collider for more updates.
Release Date
2018 - 2022-00-00
Network
BBC
Directors
Lisa Brühlmann
