Jin-sook (Yum Jung-ah) and her family have a fishing boat in a coastal South Korean village where she and a group of women free dive (no air tanks) for clams, but nearby factories have polluted the sea so badly that their catch is mostly dead and rotting. A friend offers the boat’s captain, Jin-sooks father, a scheme to pick up stolen or counterfeit goods being dumped near shore for a smuggling ring. The women would retrieve them from the ocean floor, and everyone would continue to be paid. Because there seem to be no other options, they agree.
This plan works well, but the Coast Guard enforcement becomes very vigorous, and the captain says they will do one more job and stop; on this last job, tragedy strikes; diver Choon-ja (Kim Hye-soo) manages to escape, but the others are caught and jailed. Although there is no proof, Jin-sook believes Choon-ja betrayed them for a reward.
Years later, the women are forced back into diving. Jang Do-ri (Park Jeong-mi), a relative who also runs a gang, has taken over the boat and pays the divers very little. Choon-ja (Kim Hye-soo), who was believed to have betrayed them, reappears, seemingly prosperous, and offers the women a new smuggling deal. Despite her lingering resentment, Jin-sook (Yum Jung-ah) agrees to the deal. The stakes are now much higher, with millions at risk instead of hundreds. Choon-ja’s attractive partner, Kwan, enters the picture to complicate matters further. As they navigate a treacherous web of honest and corrupt officials, back-stabbing family members, former friends, and rival gangs, it becomes clear that Jin-sook may be in over her head.
Great underwater scenes, fantastic fight scenes, good plotting, and tension make this movie highly recommended.
Directed by Ryu Seung-wan (Escape from Mogadishu, Battleship Island)
Cast: Kim Hye-su, Yum Jung-ah, Zo In-sung, Go Min-si, Park Jeong-min
In Korean with English sub-titles