Operation Chromite

"The Odds Were 5000 to 1 … One was all They Needed."

2016 1h 51m KO

😐

5.8

MID

★5.8TMDB · 233

HistoryDramaWarAction

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

A squad of soldiers fight in the Korean War's crucial Battle of Incheon.

“The Odds Were 5000 to 1 … One was all They Needed.”

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Cast

Lee Jung-jae
Jang Hak-soo
Liam Neeson
Douglas MacArthur
Lee Beom-soo
Lim Gye-jin
Jin Se-yeon
Han Jae-sun
Jung Jun-ho
Seo Jin-chul
Kim Seon-a
Kim Hwa-young
Yoshihiro Akiyama
Baek-san
Park Sung-woong
Park Nam-chul

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: John H. Lee
Writers: Lee Yoon-ho, John H. Lee, Sean Dulake
Languages: English, Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 10 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Part of the "Operation Chromite Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by John H. Lee, shot by Park Jang-hyuk. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Lee Dong-jun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kim Woo-hyun shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Lee Jung-jae and Liam Neeson and Lee Beom-soo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

John H. Lee directs. Park Jang-hyuk behind the camera. Lee Dong-jun scores. Kim Woo-hyun cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in English, Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 3.9× over at the box office.
2Released 10 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Korean.
4Part of the "Operation Chromite Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by John H. Lee, shot by Park Jang-hyuk. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Lee Dong-jun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Kim Woo-hyun shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Lee Jung-jae and Liam Neeson and Lee Beom-soo carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "The Odds Were 5000 to 1 … One was all They Needed.".
10IMDB entry: tt4939066 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 9 themes, including "korean war (1950-53)", "based on true story", "historical fiction", "korean navy".
12Released under 12 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Park Jang-hyuk
Original score: Lee Dong-jun
Editing: Kim Woo-hyun
Production design: Choi Ki-ho
Costume design: O Sang-jin
Makeup / hair: Jang Jin
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Status: Released
Budget: $12,700,000
Box office: $49,196,532
Return: 387% of budget
Original language: KO
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Operation Chromite (2016)

Part of

Operation Chromite Collection

A collection of Korean War films in a planned trilogy.

Also by

John H. Lee

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Reno2017-03-26
★ 7/10
But it was all about the sub-operation 'X-Ray'. Bringing the stars from other film industry is not we never heard of. It is mainly done for the international appeal. So now it was Liam Neeson's turn to foray into a Korean film. He did not go a big transform. He just played an American character and spoke American English. But he did not get the opportunity to exploit well, the role he played was a very important one though. Even I was curious about this film for his presence than the director known for some great hits. The film did fairly enough to my anticipation, but I slightly disappointed with the overall. This is another Korean war theme, that mean based on the real. I think only the events were inspired by, not all the details. Because seems they were improvised for the cinematic version like sentimentalising it. That's the opposite to X-factor in this film, according to me. I started to watch Korean films because of strong emotional appeal, but after all these years watching lots of films, I think that sub-theme was overused. This is a war film and casualties are expected. Not from the viewers' perspective, but the film characters'. So knowing the consequences, the film exploited that too much. I am sure that will patriotically appeal to the domestic (native) audience. For the rest of the world, it was a bit too much to take. This film is about a secret mission taken by the South Korean intelligence service after most of its territories were captured by the North in the year 1950. The general Douglas MacArthur of the US armed force with the UN coalition is the architect behind to hit the enemy at the right place. Where his team on an operation known as 'X-Ray' has to clear the way for the bigger one called 'Operation Chromite'. ❝Nobody grows old by merely living a number of years. People grow old only by deserting their ideals.❞ The team who left behind their family and friends, has to be ready to sacrifice for their nation. Their notion is to steal the military strategies of the North, but it goes beyond that after a series of twist and turns. Theirs brave attempt is what this film talk about. But there is a little chance for a sequel, particularly for what this title actually meant. I mean, the film was all about the operation known as 'X-Ray' which is a sub-operation of 'Operation Chromite'. But the way the film ended gives a hint that there's no more story left to tell us. I am familiar with most of the cast and they all were good. It was worth making a film of the real event, but as I know not the best work of the director. Especially the screenplay looked unrealistic in a few parts which is mostly the confrontations between two armed forces. Though in such films it is acceptable which is done for goosebumps and to highlight the heroism with a greater struggle. If you are watching it for Liam Neeson, then you will be let down. He was magnificent in his limited appearance. For me, he looked like a bit Popeye with a pipe and at sea. A couple great quotes from him, but his absence on the field of action would hurt his fans. Despite the disappointment, the film is watchable. Reasonable runtime and pace with the fine visual effects, it is worth a try. You will learn the history and apart from that there's nothing special. Whatever happens in earlier parts, the last 30-40 minutes makes the most of the film if you love war and actions. But still I'll pass, not going to recommend it to you, especially if you have watched lots of war films and spy missions. The final thing I wanted to say is don't believe those sites rated it very poorly. It stands between average and good, so the final call should be yours in such situation, but be prepared for whatever outcome you will receive. 6½/10

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