Spoilers are not the Phantom.

There’s way too many times during the history of any nation in which they’ve either been the oppressor or the oppressed. During those times, abuses were committed and heroic people had to put their lives on the line for the greater good. Although we have to look at atrocities and heroics in the context of their times, there’s always an uneasy feeling to see them portrayed in the big screen. That being said, between the forces of occupation and the ones fighting for freedom, many films can be made.

Phantom (2023) is written and directed by Lee Hae-young. It’s 1930 and Korea is under Japanese occupation. An attempt has been made on the new Governor-General of Joseon. It’s suspected that the Shadow Corps planted a secret agent called a “phantom” inside the local government. Security Chief Takahara Kaito (Park Hae-soo) must discover who the phantom is, for that he has taken five suspects to a remote mansion. These are: former police officer Murayama Junji (Sol Kyung-gu), communications department official Park Cha-kyung (Lee Hanee), secretary of the political affairs chief Yuriko (Park So-dam), cryptologist Cheon Gye-jang (Seo Hyun-woo) and a young communications department employee Baek-ho (Kim Dong-hee).

Discovering the dynamic between each of these characters as well whether each of them could be a phantom is fun. The movie toys with you as we’re given the identity of one from the start, but immediately suspect that they’re not alone. What starts first as a cat-and-mouse thriller, soon turns into an explosive action feature. We go from hiding in the shadows to an all out shootout. The cinematography is nice, using a palette with bright colours of period costume and warm lighting to depicting fire and blood. I was not expecting the action, and frankly I welcomed it (so did the audience).

Now, I was debating whether to address the over-the-top supervillain-style monologue that the bad guys do here, but then I recalled that it’s completely all the way around. All those lines that supervillains use are based on the real thing, the language of the oppressors. Yes, it does feel very uncomfortable when a movie depicts someone as having a colonialist and xenophobic mentality, but those things did happen at some point and although amends and peace treaties have been signed, it doesn’t change that part of history.

Highly recommended for most audiences. The performances of Lee Hanee and Park So-dam are worth the entrance fee alone. It does have a very clear patriotic streak by which it brands heroes and villains, so smart audiences will keep the historic context in perspective. The palette is filled with vibrant colours and panning shots. Very much worth a watch.

That will do for now.