The Age of Shadows

This stylish, action-packed espionage thriller takes place in the 1920s, during the Japanese occupation of Korea. The main character is a police captain named Lee Jung-chool (Song Kang-Ho), a conflicted Korean officer who works for the Japanese authorities. Captain Lee has been ordered to infiltrate the Korean resistance, but his loyalties are starting to shift, and one of the organisation's key members (Gong Yoo) tries to recruit him. What follows is a twisty, dramatic tale that is filled with deception, suspicion and betrayal. The story can be hard to follow, but the film is littered with gripping scenes and tense set pieces, including an extended sequence where the resistance tries to evade the Japanese police on a crowded train. The Age of Shadows may be a lengthy experience, but there's no doubt that it is a sumptuous, elegantly crafted piece of cinema.