It may not be the helmer's finest film, yet it darts nimbly and appealingly between its slickly delivered set-pieces.

The action is lengthy but well constructed, particularly a sequence on a wood-panelled steam train, but the torture scenes and occasional severed toes may try some viewers.

At 140 minutes, The Age of Shadows is a film that peaks early and ends late. Still, there is an upside to this ponderousness.

A step sideways rather than back, though it doesn't do Kim's rep as one of Korea's best directors any harm - as an all-star blockbuster it's entertaining, if not enthralling