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Action-filled ‘Suspect’ too generic and lengthy

Another week, another South Korean thriller about a rogue North Korean agent on the run.

"The Suspect" follows in the footsteps of the similarly plotted "Committee," which was released in the U.S. just a few weeks ago. This time, former North Korean agent Ji Dong-cheol (Gong Yoo) is a defector who works as a driver for the chairman of a major South Korean corporation working on closer ties between the two countries.

‘THE SUSPECT’
Unrated
* * 1/2
Opens today at Pearlridge 16

But when Kim Jong Un seizes power, all bets are off and people start dying, including the corporate honcho. And people on both sides of the border want to see Ji Dong-cheol dead. The North Koreans think he’s a traitor. The South Koreans think he’s the one who took out his boss. So he’s on the run.

Directed by Shin-yeon Won with the requisite "Bourne Identity" intensity, "The Suspect" has its share of pulse-pounding chases, physics-defying action scenes (as when Ji Dong-cheol manages to escape from a tightening noose), and is a solid showcase for Yoo, who has a quietly compelling screen presence. Still, at more than two hours, "The Suspect" is way too long and generic. Midway through, it’s likely that you won’t care which side finally gets their hands on him.

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Review by Cary Darling, Fort Worth Star-Telegram

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