At US$15 million, Typhoon is the most expensive film in
Korean history. It tells the story of a North Korean family who
tries to defect to South Korean via a third country. Things go wrong,
and the family is abandoned by both Koreas. Consequently, the parents
are killed and their son (Jang Dong-gun) grows up to be an angry
outlaw bent on stirring up trouble for both countries.

South Korean authorities try to capture him with the help of their
star navy lieutenant (suave and sexy Lee Jung-jae), and the cat-and-mouse
game culminates in an explosive climax packed with gunfights and
pyrotechnics.

Like previous Korean blockbusters (Shiri, JSA,
Brotherhood Taegukgi), Typhoon's plot capitalizes
on the uneasy yet unbreakable ties between South and North Korea.
Unfortunately, this film is not nearly as good as the three mentioned
above. It is bogged down by long sequences of melodrama and misplaced
patriotism. The actors are convincing, but the director should be
shot for not finding a good balance between the melodrama and the
action sequences.