A decade after Joint Security Area stole our hearts and defected to parts unknown, the immortal Song Kang-Ho (The Host) returns to preside over the birth of its oddball brother-in-law, Secret Reunion. Directed by Hun Jang (Rouh Cut) and pairing Song opposite Kang Dong-Won (M), this North-vs-South spy game is a one-nation bromance, mashing up DAY OF The Jackal with The Odd Couple to create 2010's most heartwarming shoot-'em-up, alternating manly hugs with messy headshots.

Hunting down commies is hardcase Agent Lee's (Song) life's work, but after a sting operation goes wrong, Lee's out on his ass, a gatecrasher without a gate. Likewise, Northern mole Ji-Won (Kang), the one that got away, is trapped behind enemy lines and cut off from his family. Years later, they meet again, with Ji-Won working construction and Lee reduced to chasing down mail-order brides. Hunter and hunted recognize other instantly but play it cool, and when Lee offers Ji-Won a job and invites him into his bachelor pad, a seriocomic game of cat-and-mouse begins. Monastic meticulousness clashes with fratboy lassitude as the duo debate capitalism vs. communism and the morality of repossessing immigrants, but somewhere between the plucked chicken in the shower and the use of the Running Man as undercover tradecraft, the unlikely comrades discover everyone's a cast-off in the new century, and the only ideology they've got left is personal choice.

Equal parts nail-biter and back-slapper, Secret Reunion is Infernal Affairs turned sunny-side up. Focusing on the forgotten Cold Warriors who fall between the cracks, it's a uniquely humanist blockbuster, declaring all politics local and all people just...people. Its cheeky thumb in the eye to self-important Hollywood thrillers is also a big, righteous thumbs-up for the audience, and its brawny optimism for Korea's shared future is a cinematic crowd-pleaser you won't be able to resist. Given the current state of North Korean/South Korean relations, it's no surprise that SECRET REUNION quickly became the highest grossing Korean blockbuster of 2010.