Namgoong Min is one of the few actors I will watch merely for being in the drama/movie or show. I always go into Nam's projects, relying on my faith in him. He hasn't failed me, and I doubt The Veil, a story based on actual events and historical evidence, will either. And as the director of this show said, "Namgoong Min is an actor you can trust. He is brilliant at analyzing a script. When I got the script for this drama, I thought of him. I figured if he accepted, we were more than halfway to our goal. Now that I've worked with him, I understand why people trust him as an actor. He immerses himself so deeply in his acting that you can't help but believe him". Never have truer words been spoken; one thing for sure, this drama promises to be one thrilling, action-filled roller coaster of a ride.
I was pretty taken by the opening scene of Black Sun, a yard ship in the middle of nowhere involved with organs, and people trafficking was quite the scene. I knew the drama would combat crime, but I figured more spies, espionage, and less criminal activity. I am not complaining, though Nam in action is one of my favorite things ever. Black Sun is packed full of a star-steaded line up from Lee Kyung Young as NIS domestic division deputy director Lee In Hwan to Kim Min Sang and Kim Byung Gi as NIS directors Jeong Yong Tae and Bang Young Chan respectively to Jang Young Nam and Kim Jong Tae a Do Jin Suk and Kang Pil Ho as NIS overseas division deputy directors, and last but not least is Park Ha Sun as Seo Soo Yeon. Han Ji Hyuk's co-worker at the NIS and the head of the Criminal Information Integration Center. I didn't recognize her at first until I heard her voice. She looks fantastic. Everybody looks terrific.
When I first read Black Sun's premise about an intelligence agent seeking revenge on the traitor(s) who caused his downfall, it piqued my interest. But when I found out, it was the first Korean drama to be set entirely within the National Intelligence Service (NIS). Using the internal workings of the NIS based on actual events and historical evidence, I knew I was in for the duration of this drama. And this was even before I knew Namgoong Min would play Han Ji Hyuk, a legendary field agent with excellent skill, highly regarded by his peers for his top record at completing missions. One day, he suddenly vanishes without a trace, reappearing a year later, searching for the person(s) who betrayed him. I mean, the story and the actor are right up my alley. Black Sun alludes to many twists and turns, and here for it all the way.
Knowing that Ji Hyuk erased his memories, so he returns to the agency and finds the mole/traitor definitely gives the drama the credence it needs as an action, but more a thriller spy-like drama. Everything from the fact that he sends himself a video, he filmed as a message to himself in the future, to the black op waterboarding spy interrogation of a Huayang drug ring, who infiltrates a local police station -- all of it is clear that nothing and no one, not even Ji Hyuk, can be trusted. Whether he is a villain or a hero, trustworthy or not, I find myself utterly on Ji Hyuk and Nam's side, and ready to go wherever he takes me through his story. Watch episodes 1 & 2 here