by allan tong for FILMbutton

One of the slickest thrillers to ever come out of South Korea is Cold Eyes. A squad of high-tech surveillance cops follow members of a gang of ruthless bank robbers around Seoul. The pretty and self-assured Han Hyo-joo plays the junior member of the team who survives her initiation to become a top-notch cop. The heist sequence early on is finely shot and edited and delivers on suspense. Cold Eyes sags in the middle, though, before regaining momentum in the end. This is pure escapist entertainment on par with anything that Hollywood produces.

Allan is a Toronto filmmaker, co-directing Leone Stars, a documentary about child victims of the Sierra Leonean civil war.