Skyfall (U.K.)
Opened Oct. 26
Action. Adventure. Thriller. Directed by Sam Mendes. While on a mission in Istanbul, James Bond (Daniel Craig) gets shot by his fellow field agent Eve (Naomi Harris), and goes missing after falling off the train. As soon as the news of a disaster spreads around, the identities of every active undercover MI6 agent are stolen and leaked on the Internet. What’s worse, the secret service is attacked by a mysterious enemy, Raoul Silva (Javier Bardem) who blames the cause of the disaster to M (Judie Dench) and her secret in the past. MI6 meets the worst crisis of its history and faces the danger of complete destruction. To save both M and MI6, Bond reappears and finds Sévérine (Bérénice Marlohe), a mysterious woman who knows the whereabouts of Silva. Bond, who has the future of M and MI6 in his hands, prepares his battle against MI6’s worst enemy.
Lawless (U.S.)
Opened Oct. 18
Action. Crime. Thriller. Directed by John Hillcoat. The Bondurant brothers run a successful moonshine business in Franklin County in 1931. One day, newly-arrived Special Deputy Charley Rakes visits the family and blackmails them that he wants a cut from county bootleggers’ profit. Forrest (Tom Hardy), the oldest of the family, refuses and threatens to kill Rakes if he comes back again. Forrest later meets with the other bootleggers and tries to convince them that they must stand against Rakes, but intimidated by Rakes, they soon give in to him. Rakes’ threat continues to get worse, and the troubled brothers prepare a war against the county’s police force for family, love and what they value.
A Company Man (Korea)
Opened Oct. 11
Action. Thriller. Directed by Lim Sang-yoon. Hyeong-do (So Ji-sub) is a professional killer. He works for an organization that disguises itself as an ordinary metal manufacturing company. He never makes a mistake, is loyal to his boss, and is always on top of things. He is one of the most trusted killers in the organization; he does not have a life outside his work, as he has no family to take care of, and has no friends to spend time with. One day, however, he suddenly tries to quit his job, to everyone’s surprise.
Ghost Sweepers (Korea)
Opened Oct. 3
Comedy. Horror. Supernatural. Directed by Shin Jeong-won. Chan-young (Kang Ye-won), a young, reckless newspaper reporter, investigates a village called Uljin-ri that is reportedly cursed by evil spirits. She realizes that even local shamans and religious leaders have abandoned the town. While exploring the village, Chan-young encounters a group of shamans united by the common goal of eliminating the evil: exorcist Park (Kim soo-ro), Monk Shim-in (Kwak Do-Won), engineer Suk-hyun (Lee Je-hoon), tarot master Seung-hee (Kim Yoon-hye) and clairvoyant Wol-kwang (Yang Kyung-mo). During her investigation, Chan-young realizes that her late father, who was also a journalist, was killed while covering an incident in the town. Chan-young and the six shamans begin preparing for their battle against the evil forces.
Masquerade (Korea)
Opened Sept. 13
Drama. Directed by Choo Chang-min. In the midst of a gruesome fight over kingship in the Joseon Dynasty, fear and wrath drive King Gwanghae (Lee Byung-hun) into a frenzy. He orders his councilor, Heo Gyun (Ryoo Seung-ryong), to find him a stand-in in order to avoid the constant threat of assassination. Heo Gyun finds Ha-sun (Lee Byung-hun) in a crowd at a street market. With an appearance and mind-blowing eloquence like the king, he perfectly mimics the king’s gestures. Heo Gyun orders him to disguise himself as a king. Ha-sun transforms himself overnight to walk and speak like the king, and learns the politics as well as the attitude of a king. The dreadful burlesque lingers on and Heo Gyun becomes moved by Ha-sun’s affection and genuine concern for the people. But trouble begins when Ha-sun starts speaking his own mind.
