TeenzTen An action-packed slog

AnhartLinkin This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Chantel Contreras It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Mike-DD I read a short review of the film before watching it and so expected it to be a typical Korean comedy. But it surprised me with credible drama and lots of parkour-style action as well.In short, this is a film about 3 North Korean sleeper spies in the South. The first half of the film shows them in their sleeper lives and how they, especially Won (played by Soo Hyun Kim), live their dual lives. Won as the village idiot has the best role - an intelligent, highly capable spy acting as a dumb grocer's assistant. It's always a treat to see him alternate between his dual identities, though his dumb act consists mostly of falling down or off something.The other characters warm your heart too. There is the musician-wannabe spy who mocks Won and his loyalty to the North, the young spy who looks up to his idol-mentor Won, the party girl whose deepest secret is her longing for her unplanned child given away for adoption, the son of the grocer who cares for and loves his mother and Won more than he appears to, and the grocer-mother who treats Won as a son despite her crusty exterior, and others.The humor in the dialogue is sometimes unexpected, which is another plus. The parkour-style action scenes are short but thrilling, and the fight choreography are exciting to watch. Stories involving the different characters are told within the main story, creating subplots which are heartwarming and interesting for the most part. When the final order comes, the internal and external conflicts over it drive the 2nd half of the movie. And I loved and hated the ending for being so good and being so good it hurt that it didn't end any other way.If you're looking for a comedy with heart and action, I'd definitely recommend this over the common rehashed Hollywood ones. At the very least, it manages to get the story told (and it's a long story) without too many distractions or wishy-washy segues.

mini-cheer-soso to be honest I never cried that much for a movie. this movie is outstanding. At the beginning the movie could appear long but when you get to the middle, you are just in it. All the action is really good. A lot of people said it was long, but not for me. I strongly recommend it. seriously. really inspiring. I cry every time I think of the movie. Watch the movie till the End! Kim Soo Hyun was srly the best. He has really good acting skills. It gave me goosebumps. The story line is a bit complicate at the beginning but at the End you understand everything. If you are very emotional, this movie is for you (might need tissu boxes)! Well watch the movie till the End. seriously it's really good:)

Gordon-11 "Secretly, Greatly" tells a captivating story of three young man, trained to be killing machines, sent to South Korea as spies and assimilate into the local society. While they await further instruction from the party, they forge a friendship with the local community.The first half of the film is comedic, with the lead character acting foolish and funny. However, right from the start, the viewers know he is just pretending to be stupid, as he makes many mental calculations on all possible permutations of events in his head. Such a double life requires a lot of dedication and perseverance.The second half of the film turns into a adrenaline fuelled action film, with much brutal fist fights and valiant defiance of orders. It is presented so well, that it keeps people captivated with the three men's psychological struggle and physical struggle. They manage to take down tens of tough guys in fist fights normally is unrealistic and even annoyingly silly, but in "Secretly, Greatly" their seemingly omnipotent fists provide something for viewers to marvel at. Maybe it is because they are not just fighting for the sake of fighting, but fighting for survival, both physically and ideologically against a tyrannical regime.The interspersed subplot about the idiot's longing for his mother is very touching. In the three men's native country, people are brainwashed to believe that the party is way more important than their blood family. Hence there is a constant deep seated struggle; and their longings could never be fulfilled. The plot is profoundly powerful towards the end of the film, when everything culminates to an emotional and action climax."Secretly, Greatly" is a great gem that deserves to be seen. I enjoyed watching it tremendously.

Soosoo Kim This movie is based on a famous Korean web-toon, "Secretly, Greatly".Directing skill is not so impressive.Storyline is little different from the original web-toon.But talent of the leading-role actor, Soo-Hyun Kim, supports the whole movie. His eyes are shining.A north Korean secret spy disguises as a fool in South Korea. Such a plot makes the movie unique from other north Korean spy movies.Soo-Hyun Kim's acting range from a ridiculous fool to a chic elite spy is wonderful.Strongly recommended.