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| Comedy action film "Confidential Assignment 2" hit local theaters, Sept. 7. Courtesy of CJ ENM |
By Lee Gyu-lee
"Confidential Assignment 2: International," the sequel to the 2017 hit comedy action film "Confidential Assignment," had a successful opening day, Wednesday, topping the local box office with over 216,000 ticket sales.
Directed by Lee Seok-hoon, who directed the 2014 comedy action film "The Pirates" and 2015 drama "The Himalayas," the latest blockbuster flick picks up on the original film's plot, about North Korean agent Lim Cheol-ryung (Hyun Bin) and South Korean detective Kang Jin-tae (Yoo Hae-jin) forming an unusual partnership in a joint operation.
The sequel welcomes a new actor, Daniel Henney, as a Korean American FBI agent named Jack. To hunt down North Korean crime lord Jang Myung-joon (Jin Sun-kyu), the two Korean agents reunite for another mission, joined by the FBI agent, while secretly working toward their own objectives.
"(About six or seven years ago,) director Lee told me that he was thinking of making a sequel and he was interested in me taking part. So we started talking quite early," Henney told The Korea Times during an interview via video chat, Tuesday. "I didn't get the script until about a year and a half ago. And I knew that it was going to be the next big project in Korea."
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| Daniel Henney plays the role of an FBI agent in the film "Confidential Assignment 2." Courtesy of CJ ENM |
Emphasizing that he has been a big fan of the first film, the actor said that he felt the sequel was capable of carrying on the success of the original.
"The scenario of 'Confidential Assignment 2' complemented the first one perfectly. I'm a big fan of the film. That's one of my favorite Korean movies. So to make a good sequel, I think it's important to have elements of the first one to bring in fans to the sequel. And I thought it did that perfectly," he said.
The character of Jack adds a certain comedic flair amid the nail-biting, action-packed scenes via the rivalry with Cheol-ryung and their love triangle with Jin-tae's sister-in-law Min-young (Lim Yoon-a).
"The first time I saw the scenario, I loved it. I was really excited about playing this comedic element in Jack's character. I don't think I've done that before this project. So I was excited to have fun with it," he said. "I just saw (Cheol-ryung and Jack) as the mirror opposite with the same sort of masculine aspect. And that helped me create Jack."
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| Lim Yoon-a, right, in a scene from action film "Confidential Assignment 2" / Courtesy of CJ ENM |
Actress Lim, who has reprised her role as the high-spirited character, shared that taking part in the sequel meant a lot to her, adding that the first film is was meaningful project in her acting career.
"'Confidential Assignment' is my film debut and since my character has gotten so much love, I felt very thankful and happy to reprise the role of Min-young," she said. "And when I heard other co-stars would be reprising their roles, I did not hesitate to take part."
She said that reuniting with the co-stars, in addition to some of the new cast members, has been such a pleasing experience, which led them to grow closer to each other.
"It's been five years since I saw them, but it didn't feel like it. That's how much we were comfortable and used to each other … it has been a more fun and enjoyable environment to film," she said.
"Because Min-young is quite a character, I was curious about how she would be in the second one. And I tried to portray her as more mature. I didn't really try to present the character as comical but rather focused on the character itself. So if people say I did a good job on showing the comical side of the character, I'm thankful."
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