69
Metascore
6 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 80Screen DailyTim GriersonScreen DailyTim GriersonA film about stellar spycraft that’s been made with comparable steely intelligence, The Spy Gone North (Gongjak) boasts little action but compensates with director Yoon Jong-bin’s considerable ability to weave suspense while depicting the subtle maneuverings of a fraught covert operation.
- 70The Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe Hollywood ReporterDeborah YoungThe film succeeds at being both exciting and character-driven, but only after a confused first half that will leave international viewers frustrated over who’s who and what’s going on.
- 70Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinLos Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinThere are no spies who “dump” or “shag” anyone here, much less jump out of airplanes or buildings, but The Spy Gone North, based on the exploits of a true-life double agent code-named Black Venus, remains a taut, slowly engrossing, effectively old-fashioned Cold War thriller.
- 70VarietyMaggie LeeVarietyMaggie LeeThis well-crafted work deserves to be seen for its thorough account of intricate workings of secret service and political skullduggery.
- 67IndieWireDavid EhrlichIndieWireDavid EhrlichEntertaining and exasperating in equal measure, it’s a nine-dimensional chess game in which the pawns think they’re working towards a better future, but the powers controlling them are only determined to maintain the status quo.
- 60The GuardianCharles BramescoThe GuardianCharles BramescoYoon executes all the classic double-agent set pieces with finesse, and those enamoured of the genre will appreciate a change of setting.