Operation Chromite (film)
| Operation Chromite | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpeg) Poster | |
| Directed by | John H. Lee (Lee Jae-han) |
| Produced by |
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| Written by | Lee Man-hee |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Lee Dong-joon |
| Edited by | Steve M. Choi |
Production company |
Taewon Entertainment |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release date |
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Running time | 111 minutes[1] |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language |
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| Budget | US$12.7 million[2] |
| Box office | US$50 million |
Operation Chromite (Hangul: 인천상륙작전; Hanja: 仁川上陸作戰; RR: Incheon Sangryuk Jakjeon) is a 2016 South Korean war drama film directed by John H. Lee and based on the real-life events of the Battle of Inchon,[3][4] although it presents a fictionalised version of the historical CIA/US military intelligence operation "Trudy Jackson", conducted before the actual landing operation. It was released on 27 July 2016 in South Korea.[5]
Plot
The year is 1950, just a few months after North Korean forces have overrun most of South Korea. After a UN coalition led by the U.S. comes to the nation’s aid, General Douglas MacArthur devises a secret plan to attack behind enemy lines at the port city of Incheon. The risky strategem is opposed by leaders of the other military branches, forcing MacArthur to devise a clandestine operation to gather essential information from within occupied Incheon by coordinating a weeklong South Korean intelligence operation known as X-Ray.
The linchpin of this top-secret incursion, Captain Jang Hak-Soo of the South Korean Navy Intelligence Unit (a former North Korean Army officer who defected to South Korea after seeing his father executed in front of him by his fellow communist officers), and seven members of the X-Ray unit disguise themselves as a North Korean inspection unit and infiltrate the North Korean army command center in Incheon, coordinated by Soviet-trained Commander Lim Gye-Jin, a protégé of the North Korean leader, Kim Il-Sung. Their prime objective is to determine the placement of North Korean defenses (such as mines and artillery) and the tactical characteristics of the Incheon harbor, notorious for swift currents and major tidal surges and secure a lighthouse crucial to the landing's success.
Immediately suspicious of Jang’s "inspection mission", Lim attempts to impede his comrade’s investigation and orders his staff to monitor the new arrivals closely. The U.S. command relays MacArthur’s orders to obtain navigation charts showing naval mine placements in the harbor and prepare a strategy to assist the coalition forces with landing an amphibious assault in a narrow two-hour window between tides. When contacts within the South Korean military intelligence unit known as KLO (Korean Liaison Office, predecessor to current day South Korean Headquarters of Intelligence Detachment, or HID) warn Jang that time is running out to successfully complete the mission, he pushes his group to extremes. Meanwhile in Tokyo, MacArthur prepares Operation Chromite, an invasion force of 75,000 UN troops and over 200 warships to imminently depart for the Korean Peninsula.
Cast
- Lee Jung-jae as Jang Hak-soo
- Lee Beom-soo as Lim Gye-jin
- Liam Neeson as General Douglas MacArthur[7][8]
- Jin Se-yeon as Han Chae-seon
- Jung Joon-ho as Seo Jin-cheol
- Park Chul-min as Nam Ki-seong
- Kim Byeong-ok as Choi Seok-joong
- Jon Gries as Hoyt Vandenberg
- Choo Sung-hoon as Baeksan
- Kim Sun-a as Kim Hwa-young
- Kim Young-ae as Na Jeong-nim
- Park Sung-woong as Park Nam-cheol
- Sean Dulake as Lt. Col. Edward L. Rowny
- Kim Hee-jin as Ryu Jang-choon
- Lee Won-jong as Kim Il Sung
Reception
The film was number-one on its opening at the South Korean box office, grossing US$18.47 million.[5] with around seven million tickets sold as of 5 December 2016. It grossed US$50 million worldwide.[2]
It received 33% approval with an average rating of 49 percent from 18 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.[9]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Citation(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 53rd Grand Bell Awards | Best New Actor | Kim Hee-jin | Nominated | |
| Best Costume Design | Oh Sang-jin | Nominated | |||
| Best Music | Lee Dong-jun | Nominated | |||
| Best Sound Recording | Nominated | ||||
| Best Visual Effect | Moon Byung-yong, Cho E-suck | Nominated | |||
| Popularity Award | Lee Beom-soo | Won | |||
| New Rising Star Award | Kim Hee-jin (Tied with Choi Ri of "Spirits' Homecoming") |
Won |
References
- ↑ "Operation Chromite (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- 1 2 "Operation Chromite (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ↑ Kim, Dong-joo. "The cast for movie Operation Chromite finalized". StarN News. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- ↑ "Operation Chromite to pay homage to hidden heroes of Incheon Landing". The Korea Herald. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- 1 2 Kil, Sonia (31 July 2016). "Liam Neeson’s Operation Chromite Tops Korean Box Office". Variety. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ↑ Lowe, Justin (12 August 2016). "Operation Chromite: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- ↑ Kil, Sonia (12 August 2015). "Liam Neeson Joins Korea’s ‘Operation Chromite’ As General MacArthur". Variety. Retrieved 2015-12-08.
- ↑ Hancocks, Paula (27 July 2015). "Liam Neeson on Korean War film: 'We are all very concerned' by Pyongyang". CNN. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
- ↑ "Operation Chromite". rottentomatoes
- ↑ "Winners Of The 53rd Grand Bell Awards Revealed". soompi.com