Operation Chromite (film)

Operation Chromite (Korean: 인천상륙작전; Hanja: 仁川上陸作戰; RR: Incheon Sangnyuk 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,[4][5] although it presents a fictionalized 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.[6]

Operation Chromite
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJohn H. Lee Jae-han
Produced by
  • Jeong Tae-won
  • Kyu C. Lee
Written byLee Man-hee
Starring
Music byLee Dong-joon
Edited bySteve M. Choi
Production
company
Taewon Entertainment
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • 27 July 2016 (2016-07-27)
Running time
111 minutes[1]
CountrySouth Korea
Language
  • Korean
  • English
BudgetUS$12.7 million[2]
Box officeUS$50.9 million[3]

Plot

In 1950, just a few months after North Korean forces have overrun most of South Korea, an American-led UN coalition is deployed to Korea to aid the struggling South Koreans. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur devises a secret plan to attack behind enemy lines at the port city of Incheon. The risky strategy 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 present-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.[7]

Cast

Reception

The film was number-one on its opening at the South Korean box office, grossing US$18.47 million .[6] with around seven million tickets sold as of 5 December 2016. It grossed US$50 million worldwide.[2]

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 37% based on 19 reviews, with an average rating of 7.89/10.[10]

Extended Cut

A South Korean release of the Blu-Ray version put the extended cut at 141 minutes.[11]

Sequel

The Battle of Jangsari 9.15, a sequel to the film Chromite, was released in 2019, the second part of a trilogy.[12] The film covers a later small attack at Jangsari, intended to draw North Korean attention from Inchon.[13]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient Result Citation(s)
53rd Grand Bell Awards Best New Actor Kim Hee-jin Nominated
[14]
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
24th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards Women's Best Actor Award Jin Se yeon Won [15]

References

  1. "Operation Chromite (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
  2. "Operation Chromite (2016)". The Numbers. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  3. "Operation Chromite (2016)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  4. Kim, Dong-joo. "The cast for movie Operation Chromite finalized". StarN News. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  5. "Operation Chromite to pay homage to hidden heroes of Incheon Landing". The Korea Herald. 30 October 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  6. Kil, Sonia (31 July 2016). "Liam Neeson's Operation Chromite Tops Korean Box Office". Variety. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
  7. Lowe, Justin (12 August 2016). "Operation Chromite: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  8. Kil, Sonia (12 August 2015). "Liam Neeson Joins Korea's 'Operation Chromite' As General MacArthur". Variety. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  9. Hancocks, Paula (27 July 2015). "Liam Neeson on Korean War film: 'We are all very concerned' by Pyongyang". CNN. Retrieved 5 December 2016.
  10. "Operation Chromite (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  11. "Operation Chromite (Blu-ray) (Full Slip Numbering Extended Edition) (Limited Edition) (Korea Version) Blu-ray Region A". YesAsia. Retrieved 11 August 2019.
  12. "The Battle of Jangsari (Korean Movie - 2018) - 장사리 9.15". HanCinema. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  13. "Megan Fox to appear in Korean film". koreatimes. 27 August 2018. Retrieved 26 September 2018.
  14. "Winners Of The 53rd Grand Bell Awards Revealed". soompi.com
  15. emna.kr http://emna.kr/. Retrieved 30 January 2021. Missing or empty |title= (help)
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