If there is one thing Korea is good at, its genre
mixing movies. Especially action comedies.
In 2019 we were entertained with three excellent
additions to the genre with 
Extreme Job, Exit and Hit and Run Squad.
Can this movie join the list of entertaining
and fun Korean action comedies?
Hi I’m The Arty Dans from Asian Film Fans
and welcome to this review of the 
Korean action-comedy Hitman: Agent Jun
An elite secret agent Jun, working for a team
called Shield, has had enough 
of being a real-life hero. 
His real passion is drawing, and he thinks
he has the talent to create cartoons.
When he realises that his director will never
let him pursue his dream of doodling, 
he fakes his death during a deadly mission
to start the life he wants to live.
15 years later and he is married with a
daughter and living in a cramped apartment, 
living his dream of being an artist,
but it’s going nowhere fast. 
His latest webtoon isn’t a hit with the audience,
and his new manager has told him
to wrap up his series.
After a heart-to-heart with his rap star
wannabe daughter, Jun gets drunk and 
draws the ultimate cartoon: an action packed serial
that reflects his previous life as a secret agent.
When he wakes up the next morning nursing
a huge hangover, he doesn’t realise that his 
wife has sent his new webtoon to his publisher,
who has published his new work, 
becoming an instant hit with Korean netizens!
But Jun panics. 
These aren’t just stories, they are based on real events! 
And when his old team at Shield and the criminal
mastermind Jason find out about the series 
and that Jun is still alive, he is chased down
by both sides who want their revenge!
Korean action comedies are the ultimate popcorn flicks. 
2 hours of comedy and action tend to
be a fairly safe mix in Korean cinema.
As usual, these movies usually split their
genres without crossing over. 
The comedy parts are funny and the action
parts are full of action. 
However Hitman Agent Jun
adds a third genre – animation. 
There are some fantastic animated sequences
throughout the movie that fit in with the flow 
and highlight the personality and
experiences of our main character.
The performances are your very standard
Korean cinema affair. 
The comedy sections are funny, but like all
Korean action comedy films, there is a 
tendency for the usual melodramatic overacting
to take over certain scenes, 
something that unfortunately you’ll have to put up with.
The animation sections are fantastic, and break up
the action and flow of the movie in a positive way. 
From the opening scene where it’s used to
introduce the back story of a young Jun, 
to the thrilling scenes towards the end as we
explore one of Jun’s secret assignments, 
these scenes suit the movie and are animated
to the genre they are emulating accordingly. 
It’s also nice to see some 2D
animation in a modern movie.
The action scenes are the typical high energy,
quickly edited sequences we’ve come 
to expect from Korean cinema. 
The action choreography is good,
if a little over the top, 
with a lot of fast movements,
and towards the end, a bit of blood.
In regards to performances, Kwon Sang-woo
in the title role of Agent Jun, is a joy to watch. 
A fully expressional face allows him to pull off
both the comedy and action scenes with aplomb, 
and while he is also guilty of the overacting
that infiltrates the ending of the film, 
it doesn’t detract from his overall performance.  
Well the big thing is the overacting. 
I really don’t like it and I think it
really ruins Korean films. 
If the filmmakers are keen for a more international
audience, then I feel this is one aspect of their 
cinema that needs to be addressed. 
As an example, think back to films like
Parasite and even Train To Busan. 
Do you remember any ridiculous overacting in
those movies? Certainly not in Parasite.
Otherwise, I don’t feel there is any negative
elements to this film. 
It’s quite standard and in-offensive, an almost by
the books type film that had a goal and achieved it. 
You can’t ask for more with popcorn cinema.
I thought this was a thoroughly
entertaining and surprising film. 
I definitely wasn’t expecting this to be good
and thus it subverted my expectations, 
and I ended up really enjoying it.
If it wasn’t for the overacting, it would be a
guaranteed Must Watch, but because of that,
My recommendation is: 
