Assassination

Assassination is set in Korea in 1933, during the Japanese occupation, and follows a resistance plot to kill a senior Japanese military figure and a prominent Korean collaborator. A resistance operative recruits a sniper, a demolition expert and a third fighter for the mission, but a traitor inside the group hires a contract killer to eliminate them before they can carry it out, and the plan collapses amid double-crossings and counter-assassinations.

Choi Dong-hoon directed and co-wrote the film with Lee Ki-cheol, produced by Kim Sung-min. It is the fourth of the director's six features to date, arriving between The Thieves and Alienoid. Jun Ji-hyun plays the sniper Ahn Ok-yun, with Ha Jung-woo as the hitman Hawaii Pistol, Lee Jung-jae as Yeom Seok-jin, Cho Jin-woong as Chu Sang-ok, Oh Dal-su as Pomade and Lee Kyung-young as Kang In-gook. Thirty-seven cast members and forty-nine crew members are credited.

The film was made for about 16 million USD and took roughly 98 million USD worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds 7.2 out of 10 from around 8,800 votes, and on TMDB 7.3 out of 10 from about 290 votes. A critics' rating of 6.7 out of 10 from twelve reviews places it somewhat below both audience scores. It runs 140 minutes and blends action, adventure, drama, history and thriller elements.