Phantom (2023 film)

Phantom () is a 2023 South Korean period spy action thriller film based on Mai Jia's 2007 novel, Feng Sheng. It was directed by Lee Hae-young, starring Sul Kyung-gu, Lee Hanee, Park So-dam, Park Hae-soo, and Seo Hyun-woo. The film was released theatrically on January 18, 2023.

Plot

In 1933, during the Japanese colonization of Korea, the story begins with an underground anti-Japanese organization's failed attempt to assassinate the new Japanese resident-general on his first day in Seoul. The Japanese colonial government gathers five suspects in a remote hotel on a seaside cliff to hunt down "phantom," a spy planted by an anti-Japanese organization in Gyeongseong, within a day. Caught up in the game of life and under close scrutiny by the Japanese authorities, the suspects snoop around the rooms and search others' belongings to clear their suspicions.

Cast

Main

Sul Kyung-gu as Murayama Junji

A Japanese police officer who used to be a soldier, but was deposed from the Police Department and dispatched as a communication officer and supervisor within the Government-General.

Lee Hanee as Park Cha-kyung

An employee of the communication department that records cryptograms.

Park So-dam as Yuriko

A powerful figure in the Joseon government-general, who became the direct secretary of the general political affairs chief even though she is a Korean.

Park Hae-soo as Takahara Kaito

The captain who directs the entrapment investigation to find the spy within the Governor-General.

Seo Hyun-woo as Cheon Gye-jang

A timid character with sharp deciphering skills as a communication and code cracker.

Supporting

Kim Dong-hee as Baek-Ho

A young employee who works in the communication department with Park Cha-kyung.

Esom as Nan-yeong

Another spy who is active as a member of the anti-Japanese organization Black Corps.

Special appearance

Kim Jong-soo as a projectionist at the Golden Hall theater
Lee Joo-young a ticket office worker
Kim Joong-hee as Tadashi
Kim Hyeong-seo as a new secretary of the Chief of Government Affairs

Production

Principal photography began on January 4, 2021 and ended on May 21.

Release and reception

The film was released on January 18, 2023 on 1099 screens. The opening recorded 41,499 admissions.

, with gross of US$5,188,615 and 664,146 admissions, it is the sixth highest-grossing Korean film of 2023.