Hur Jin-ho’s star-studded thriller “The Assassin(s)” transforms the gaps in a public investigation into an imaginative mystery reminiscent of Oliver Stone’s “JFK.” Much like Stone’s provocative film, Hur constructs a clockwork political saga designed to rekindle curiosity surrounding the 1974 attempted assassination of South Korean Prime Minister Park Chung-hee. The attack resulted in the death of his wife, First Lady Yuk Young-soo, and a young bystander.
The narrative weaves these historical events into broader themes regarding freedom of the press and inventive government conspiracies. While the film opens with a disclaimer acknowledging its fictional elements, the drama remains solid and propulsive. It begins with journalists from the Dong-sung Daily being harassed by the Korean Central Intelligence Agency (KCIA) for publishing troubling investigations leading up to the botched assassination attempt.
Three central characters drive the story: Lee Min-ho as Young-il, a fiery rookie journalist and the younger brother of a connected official; Park Hae-il as Jae-hwan, the world-weary head of the City Desk; and Yoo Hai-jin as Detective Cheol-goo, a diligent police contact. Young-il witnesses the chaos firsthand after the shooting disrupts the prime minister’s Liberation Day speech, while Jae-hwan investigates from a distance with Cheol-goo’s assistance.
Cheol-goo plays a pivotal role, having attempted to stop the eventual assassin from entering the auditorium before being overruled by senior authorities. Despite his efforts, he is punished by officials who refuse to listen, galvanizing the journalists’ investigation into a deeper web of collusion.
Supported by a strong ensemble, including Park Hoon as a vicious KCIA operative and Bae Seong-woo as the newspaper’s editor torn between integrity and censorship, the film unfolds at lightning speed. Hur judiciously builds scene after scene, pulling the various probes closer to and further from the truth, which feels both obscured and hidden in plain sight.
The movie luxuriates in the process of discovery, following its protagonists as they ask hard questions and examine documents in dangerous territory. This invigorating approach brings the characters face-to-face with critical threats, with stakes extending beyond personal safety to the ideals of a nation under political suppression. The plot traces a Zainichi assassin and explores fraying tensions between North and South Korea.
Turning total concoctions into riveting cinema is an admirable skill, and Hur uses it to elevate a tale of forensic malfeasance into high-quality mass entertainment. The film, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival as the second runner-up for the International People’s Choice Award, taps into a national mood of frustrated anti-authoritarianism. While it does not provide definitive answers to the day’s unanswered questions, it serves as a melodramatic tribute to those willing to speak truth to power, delivering rousing, popcorn-munching fun.
I loved the Park Hae-il performance, but is this really based on true events? Some parts felt a bit too dramatic for history.
Hur Jin-ho really captured that oppressive atmosphere. The tension in every scene felt incredibly real and gripping.