Jordan Given its proximity to one of the world's most secretive states, it's perhaps no surprise that the South Korean box office is dominated by films about spies – whatever the genre. In that vein, this perfectly serviceable (if unoriginal) rom-com sees a hapless young dropout fall for a beautiful North Korean spy, who is working undercover at a Seoul 'Burger King' while hunting down a defector on the run from Pyongyang. Although the concept would later be redone – and far better – in 2007's My Girlfriend Is An Agent, those looking for a charming and inoffensive romp could do a lot worse than this…Spy Girl begins from the perspective of Ko-bong, a perpetual loser whose bachelor status is a constant source of ridicule. Hoping to inspire the lovelorn chap, Ko-bong's friends direct him to a website they've set up that allows young men from across Seoul to share pictures of attractive girls working in local fast food restaurants. Ko-bong – along with half the population of Seoul, it seems – soon falls head over heels for newcomer Hyo-jin, who is described on the site as being "so beautiful, anyone who doesn't know her is a North Korean spy".You can probably guess where this is going.After switching to Hyo-jin's perspective, we learn that she actually is a spy for the North and is in Seoul to track down a defector wanted for embezzlement. The fast food job is a useful cover for this, but when Hyo-jin stumbles across the 'hotties' website – and misinterprets the "North Korean spy" reference as blowing her cover – she quickly tracks down the owners of the site to demand they delete her photos. They agree, but on one condition: Hyo-jin has to go on a 'blind' date with their friend, Ko-bang. And so it begins.In one sense, it is difficult to criticise Spy Girl because it delivers much of what it promises at the outset: some proper laughs, a sprinkle of genuine charm and lots of screen time for the strikingly attractive Kim Jung-hwa. But even judged by this lower standard, it isn't a perfect film by any means. I think what ultimately lets it down is its lack of clear focus and direction. Perhaps due to the dual-perspective opening, the whole film feels like it's just setting the scene for something bigger; it never really gets out of that 'first act' mentality into something approaching a conventional narrative.By the time we approach the final act, then, we're still not really sure if the two protagonists are even in a relationship, let alone if it's a strong one. This obviously makes it difficult to empathise with the characters when they face inevitable tough decisions towards the end. So although there's plenty of genuine laughs and some very funny scenes along the way, the overall structure for those scenes seems sadly lacking.But perhaps I'm being too harsh. This isn't meant to be taken seriously: it's a fun, leave-your-brain-at-the-door romantic comedy that hopes to raise a smile or two en route to a warm and fuzzy ending. Judged by that standard, Spy Girl succeeds - although if you haven't yet seen the similarly themed (and quite brilliant) My Girlfriend Is An Agent, you might want to check that out first.6/10 - more than watchable.

Gigo_Satana Being a strong follower of Asian cinema I have learned to sometimes go against the general consensus regarding certain films, since I believe there's always something worthwhile in Asian movies no matter who directs and who stars in it. 2004 was a good year for Korean cinema and I simply had no time and desire to view a possible candidate for disappointment that this film was billed as by the various viewers. But that time has come.The story here deals with a North Korean female spy being sent to the South to cooperate with established agents in order to capture a man in hiding. She starts working in Burger King where her mark sometimes shows up, but instead of keeping a low profile every male student and teacher falls head over heels for her and slowly start exposing her identity through the net (which never really stirs any trouble). And it's not hard to believe why guys like her and why girls feel jealous, Jeong-hwa Kim is stunning and wholesome to say the least.The comedy kicks in immediately and it's actually pretty good, both in its quality and quantity, however it noticeably lessens almost halfway through the film which made me wonder if the film was about to be overtaken by heavy sentimentality and or sappy romance shtick. The tear jerking effects are not present here at all, which is good since the film had things to reinforce in the department of comedy and romance in terms innovation.Meanwhile one of the students from the school manages to penetrate through the blockade of hungry males and actually scores a date with our gorgeous spy. Now we all know that they'll end up together, no matter how complicated or ridiculous this plot would get, but I was simply waiting for the two leads to spark the much needed chemistry. Their acting isn't bad, it just never goes anywhere. I was waiting for Yu Kong's character to say or do things for me to see why a spy with multiple problems on her hands would find special. At least he wasn't pushy or arrogant and he did wash her feet so that had to count as something, right? Still, this film was consistent in its lightness and didn't sidetrack with unnecessary drama or gross out comedy elements as seen in Sex is Zero. Kim was good to look at, but she was nowhere near as charismatic as Ji-hyun Jun (then again, who is?) or even Na-yeong Lee (Please Teach Me English and Someone Special). Too bad, because this film could have achieved something more beyond the good looks and a few funny scenes. However if you found She's on Duty and Saving My Hubby thoroughly satisfying then you should find Spygirl pleasing as well.

dbborroughs Let me say it up front, this is one of the most romantic films I've seen in ages. Its also wonderfully, sweetly funny. And at risk of cursing myself I want to say that its a chick flick that guys will love too.The plot of this film has a young beautiful spy from North Korea going south to capture another rogue spy. She goes undercover at Burger King and soon she's battling with her co-workers for the affections of the local boys, dealing with a culture clash between North and South, and a very cute young man who's posted pictures of her on a website of local "angels" possibly blowing her cover.How do I describe this film? How can I sell this with out over selling it?This is a great little film. Its a small little confection that will make you smile and feel good and give a big hug to the one you love.The comedy is broad at times, crossing into slapstick, but more often than not its very clever. A good deal of it has to do with the fact that our heroine is a spy and can kick everyone's ass,only they just don't know it.The romance... What can I say, its almost dead on perfect. What can I say about a modern film where they create tension as to whether two people will simply hold hands?No, its not perfect. The problem is that some of it is so goofy, in particular the sub-plot about the loan shark and the old spies, that it seems to be part of another movie. The other movie is good, it just doesn't fully mesh with the one we're watching.I can't recommend this movie enough. Its a wonderful fragile little creation that will make you feel really warm and fuzzy for all of the right reasons.8 out of 10. Search this out and watch it with someone you love.

vincent.vega-2 Just watched this movie. I definitely recommend it to anyone familiar with asian movies and to a lesser degree to anyone else. "Typical" movie goers might be slightly dissapointed though I think this movie had enough aspects that would please a wider audience then just asian movie lovers.It's about a female spy who takes a job at Burger King to wait for her "target", a regular customer. The boys from the school next door all fall in love with her. One of them even devotes a webpage for her on his friends site that seems to offer a collection of the hottest girls in town. Unfortunately, this puts her mission in danger and she ends up dating the guy in order to make him delete the pictures of her.Though the premise is pretty far fetched it works charmingly well. But it could have worked so much better. The movie can't decide if it's a romantic comedy or a spy comedy. What makes the movie stand out is the acting especially from the lead actress, whose charming presence adds quite a lot to the appeal of the movie.