Dynamixor The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Dana An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

paulclaassen I must admit I'm not a big crime movie fan, but I really did enjoy this, despite the fact that it did get over-complicated at one stage. A spy agency suspects a mole within their Korean embassy in Berlin. Agent Pyo Jong-sung (Jung-woo Ha) gets even more suspicious when his wife's name (who also works for the agency) is mentioned in a video confession and suspected of leaking information. He then starts watching and following her. It gets incredibly interesting from here as they realize both of them were double-crossed and set-up, and must run for their lives. The fight scenes are incredible and the action sequences awesome! One particular scene with his wife on a ledge outside a building, and Pyo and a baddie stumbling through an apartment window was insanely well done as they plummet to the ground!Being Korean, the film doesn't quite have the ending you'd expect, but the ending was truly spectacular. Oh, and I loved the music, as well.

hjdoyle I don't even know where to begin to describe how awesome this movie is! Korean cinema IMO is the best out there when it comes to making movies these days, there's a reason Hollywood buys up all the rights to a number of Korean films, but unfortunately they are just wasting their time remaking these films! The originals are AMAZING, no need to remake them! Same goes for the films coming out of the Scandinavian region, amazing films no need for remakes! The action in this film is some of the best I've seen, as is the storyline, it keeps you on the edge of your seat, and keeps you guessing as to what is really going on. A masterpiece!!!!!!

nick fredrikson This film taught me a lesson. Trust the rating more than the reviews. After reading all this positive reviews I really looked forward to see it. To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. From the beginning to the end I just stared at the screen with an puzzled , disoriented expression on my face that read : What is going on?! Trying to hard to be all action-ey and fast paced , Berlin Files doesn't bother to introduce the viewer to the story AT ALL. OK , there is apparently some conspiracy plot going on but everything is so rushed that the legitimate question arises , WHAT actually is rushed. Why are the characters dying , why is this happening , why that?! This case is an example of a film can be ruined with trying to hard to be fast paced. All in all it's style without substance. And in this case it's bad. A conspiracy spy-thriller without substance is just an collection of fight scenes , gunplay and chases. Speaking of which , whoever was responsible for the action is a genius. The 5 stars go entirely to them. The action scenes are so well executed and bombastic , Hollywood has to lie down in a fetus position and cry...Long story short: If you don't mind watching without knowing what is going on and enjoy superb action-watch it. On the other side , if you like conspiracy thrillers with a good plot-don't waste your precious lifetime.

karluk99 After an arms smuggling deal goes bad, North Korean agent Pyo Jong Sung finds himself and his wife, translator Ryeon Jung-hee under a cloud of suspicion and tries to uncover the real culprit. North and South Korean, Russian, U.S., Israeli, and Arab agents are everywhere, to the point where it seems it's only slightly more likely to see a German citizen on the streets of Berlin than if the action took place in Seoul.Once all of these players are introduced, the movie does a good job of sorting them all out, as Jong Sung investigates who is responsible. There are a number of very effective action sequences throughout the film to keep things moving.The relationship between Jong Sung and Jung-hee is central to to plot. For an action movie, the characters are very well presented. But fans expecting a repeat of Jun Ji Hyun's delightfully over-the-top performance in The Thieves will be disappointed. Her role as Jung- hee in The Berlin File rarely goes beyond that of a typical damsel in distress.The movie is exceptionally well filmed to reflect a tense, somber mood. There were some shots that looked almost as if they were filmed in black and white to harmonize with the prevailing tone.The end of the movie strongly foreshadows that a sequel is in the works. Of course that typically depends on how well the movie performs at the box office. By all reports The Berlin File easily did well enough to justify a sequel. I'll be looking forward it.