By Woo Jae-yeon
This doesn’t mean the action is lacking; rather, the fight scenes in “Humint” serve as a storytelling device, enhancing the romantic narrative.
“Humint,” a thriller centered around human intelligence, begins with Manager Cho (Zo In-sung), a South Korean intelligence officer, losing a vital informant. This informant, a North Korean woman forced into prostitution in Southeast Asia, held key information about the North Korean regime’s drug operations.
Right from the start, “Humint” establishes its intense action style. The brutal fight sequences in the claustrophobic hotel room and corridors, where Cho fights to protect his informant, are raw and visceral, designed to make audiences flinch.
Haunted by his inability to protect his source, Cho relocates to Vladivostok, following the clues she left behind. There, he begins to cultivate a new informant, Chae Sun-hwa (Shin Sae-kyeong), a North Korean woman working at a local restaurant.
Simultaneously, North Korean security officer Park Gun (Park Jeong-min) arrives in Vladivostok, ostensibly to monitor Hwang Chi-sung (Park Hae-joon), the North Korean consul general suspected of narcotics and human trafficking.
However, Gun’s true objective is to find Sun-hwa, a former lover he left after her father’s brutal interrogation damaged their relationship.
One of the film’s most moving scenes occurs when Gun encounters Sun-hwa at the restaurant where she performs. As she sings a song filled with shared meaning, their past unfolds through subtle glances and an old photograph.
Shin Se-kyung’s performance beautifully captures the tragedy of their romance. While Park’s portrayal as a romantic lead is subjective, he effectively conveys the depth and vulnerability necessary to ground the love story.
As each character’s hidden motives emerge, the film intensifies, building suspense through relentless cat-and-mouse chases.
The stairwell fight between Park Gun and Assistant Manager Im (Jung Eu-gene), Cho’s colleague, showcases the film’s signature action style. It’s a raw, unrestricted confrontation that epitomizes “Humint”‘s approach to action choreography.
Ultimately, what resonates most is not the action, but the humanity and the characters’ choices, exploring themes of trust in both love and espionage. For some, “Humint” may be director Ryoo’s most compassionate work to date.
“Humint” premiered in theaters on Wednesday.
