Haan (film)

Haan (Korean: Haan 한길수; RR: Haan, Han Gil-su) is a 2005 South Korean spy thriller film starring Ahn Jae-mo, Im Yoo-jin and Go Jeong-il. Written and directed by Lee In-soo, it is based on the true story of Korea's first double agent, Haan Kil-soo (also known as Kilsoo Haan),[1] who learned of the Japan's impending attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, tried to warn the U.S. but was ignored.[2]

Haan
Directed byLee In-soo
Produced byLee In-soo
Written byLee In-soo
StarringAhn Jae-mo
Im Yoo-jin
Go Jeong-il
Music byMun Won-gyeong
CinematographyChoi Geon-hee
Edited bySin Cheol, Song Seong-il
Production
company
Triumph Pictures
Distributed byMedia Line Pictures
Release date
  • September 23, 2005 (2005-09-23)
Running time
92 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Lee studied historical documents about Haan for seven years and had already made a television documentary about the Korean-American spy. The two-part documentary titled X-file on Haan Kil-soo received a monthly award by the Korean Broadcasting Commission after it was aired on KBS1 in 2002.

Lee said: "There are three things that made Americans know about Korea, according to historians: the Korean War, the Koreagate scandal and Haan Kil-soo. The reality is that people hardly remember Haan, who is better known in foreign countries. I always felt sorry about that." Lee added: "Haan might have played a decisive role in achieving Korean liberation."[3]

Plot

Han Gil-soo works at the Japanese consulate in Honolulu, Hawaii. But he is really a double agent spying for the United States with whom his true loyalties lay. When he discovers Japan's intent to attack Pearl Harbor and destroy the America's Pacific Fleet in a surprise attack meant to cripple the U.S. Navy, he attempts to warn the Americans, but is put off and his dire warnings apparently ignored.[4]

Cast
  • Ahn Jae-mo as Han Gil-soo
  • Im Yoo-jin as Nanami/Yoon Ji-in
  • Go Jeong-il
  • Lee Yeong-seok

Reception

BeyondHollywood wrote: "Han Gil-su succeeds by entertaining as well as educating. The film, whether most of it is based on fact or made up for the purposes of a good movie, nevertheless sheds light on an unknown hero of the Pearl Harbor attack. Because of this, Han will not only appeal to history buffs, but any moviegoer that appreciates a finely crafted thriller that takes a new angle on a story that has been told many times in many different ways. The perspective in Han Gil-su is one you definitely haven't seen before."[4]

References
  1. "Guide to the Kilsoo Haan Papers, 1933-1973". Online Archive of California. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  2. Paquet, Darcy. "Commercial Releases in 2005". www.koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  3. Shim, Sun-ah (18 November 2004). "Sino-Korean Peoples' League, a Korean underground group". Yonhap via newsgroups.derkeiler.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
  4. Savitski, Joseph (7 February 2006). "HAAN Han Gil Su (2005) Movie Review". BeyondHollywood.com. Retrieved 2016-04-04.
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