Commitment 동창생 2013- South Korea

Unlike, many of the other films I have reviewed, this is the only film I have written about so far that was not groundbreaking in South Korean cinema...heck it wasn't even nominated for anything. You may be thinking...why Whitney? I can tell you now, it is NOT because TOP (Choi Seunghyun) is the main character! Okay, well maybe a little :D However, this blog is about reviewing the best and the not so best films from East Asia. So let's begin. 

Commitment (동창생) is a 2013, spy thriller film starring TOP / Choi seunghyun (from the Kpop group- BigBang) as Li Myung-hoon, a nineteen year old North Korean. After his father fails a spy mission, Myung-hoon and his sister are sentenced to once of the many labor camps. Since their father was hig-ranking at one time, military offical Colonel Moon (Jo Sung-ha) proposes a deal with Myung hoon- if he becomes a spy, like his father, he and his sister will be released from the labor camp.  
                      
Sounds like a pretty cool storyline, and this film isn't THAT bad. The action sequences are actually pretty exciting and nicely choreographed. I was honestly surprised how well TOP was able to look natural in the fight scenes. For someone who is in one of the most popular pop groups of South Korea, who typically hardly moves his mouth when he sings (haha) , it was surprising to see how good he was in the action scenes, let along acting all together. Though TOP has been in several other films/dramas. 

For the storyline, the film was just not there. I feel they had a great idea in mind, and could have really done something great with this film, but for many reasons it just didn't get there. I found at times the storyline a bit confusing, and wondering why something had to happen in the first place. The film plays off the power struggle in North Korea, and the death of Kim Jong Il, however, it doesn't really go into detail how this affects our protagonist's storyline, yet it does. The credibility of this film is also very lackluster, as North Korean spies easily enter South Korea with ease.

I was very surprised T.O.P wasn't casted into a film with a strong love story. Commitment sweetly pairs him with classmate, Lee Hye-in (Han Ye-ri), and their relationship unfolds into a more brother/sister type of love, which actually was a bit refreshing and something different. They could have easily had T.O.P. shooting guns and kissing ladies in the film, but alas they refrained. 

In the end, I still think this is a good film to watch,even if it did not win awards, and lets be honest, T.O.P. wasn't bad to watch for 113 min. either! Haha

Check out the trailer for Commitment below! and make sure to check it out on Netflix!

Fan of musicians in movies? What other East Asian films do you enjoy with musicians in the leading role? Comment below!

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Enjoy

W