KIM JEE-WOON
Name in korean:
김지운
Name pronunciation:
gim ji un
Profession:
Director
Date of Birth:
07/06/1964
Gender:
Man
Biography
Kim Jae-woon is one of the most eccentric and talented directors in Korean cinema today. His career is extraordinary: with only 6 films he has conquered an international audience and the attention of major festivals, both in Korea and in the West. The formula for its success is made up of a skilful syncretism between the existential virtuosity of contemporary Korean cinema and the great tradition of Hollywood genres (black comedy, noir, horror, western, etc.). This latest film of his is no exception: The Age of Shadow is an elegant spy-movie with a classic structure, perfectly set in the historical vicissitudes of Korea, in which intrigues, betrayals, ambiguities and heroism follow one another at a very fast pace. The two main characters, with their endless and no-holds-barred challenge, constitute the double fulcrum of a mise-en-scène that Kim wanted to be full of virtuosity and tributes to the history of cinema (the sequence set on the train is illuminating, from this point of view), for a film that is deliberately artificial, but effective in the limpid calligraphy of its style.