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Seol Kyung-Gu 설경구


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[The Long Way Home] Main Trailer

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[The Long Way Home] Pictures and gif from Pikicast. Got behind-the-scenes footage and pictures from the filming location.
To view : HER

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September 5, 2016

HOODLUM Goes into Production with SUL Kyung-gu and IM Si-wan
New Film Adds to Wave of Korean Prison Titles

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

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Veteran actor SUL Kyung-gu and new star IM Si-wan are teaming up for Hoodlum, a new prison drama that went into production on August 18th. From director BYUN Sung-hyun, the film is the latest in a series of Korean prison-set features.
 
Watcha Wearin’ (2012) director BYUN will helm the story about a detective who goes undercover in a prison for revenge and gets close to a crime captain who lords over the establishment. SUL will play the mobster and will also soon be seen in the thrillers Lucid Dream and Memories of a Murderer. IM, a major pop star who has become a movie star through roles in The Attorney (2013) and A Melody to Remember (2016) and will soon release crime film One Line, will play the undercover detective.
 
Earlier this year, the smash hit of Lunar New Year A Violent Prosecutor, with HWANG Jung-min and GANG Dong-won, was largely set in a prison while production was completed in May on The Prison, another prison-set drama featuring dual male (one younger, one older) protagonists, this time HAN Suk-kyu and KIM Rae-won.
 
Prison dramas have been a potent force at the Korean box office in the past, including Jail Breakers (2002), Maundy Thursday (2006), Harmony (2010) and Miracle in Cell No. 7 (2013), not to mention PARK Chan-wook’s Sympathy For Lady Vengeance (2005), which is partly set in a prison.

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September 9, 2016

Sol Kyung-gu, Han Hyo-joo to Host Opening Gala for Busan Film Fest

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Actors Sol Kyung-gu and Han Hyo-joo will host the opening ceremony of this year's Busan International Film Festival, which runs from Oct. 6 to 15, the event's organizing committee said on Wednesday.

Sol and Han appeared together in the hit film "Cold Eyes" in 2013.

Han Hyo-joo (left) and Sol Kyung-gu

The annual film festival, which is marking its 21st year, will feature 301 films from 69 countries.

The Korean film "A Quiet Dream," directed by Zhang Lu, will open the festival, while Iraqi film "The Dark Wind," by Hussein Hassan, will wrap up the event.

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December 22, 2016

SUL Kyung-gu & IM Si-wan Wrap HOODLUM
Prison Thriller Completes 4 Month Shoot

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

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Incoming prison thriller Hoodlum (literal title) completed its four months production on December 10th. Financed by both CJ Entertainment and Barunson Media, the film stars veteran actor SUL Kyung-gu and newcomer IM Si-wan and marks the third directorial effort of BYUN Sung-hyun.

SUL plays Jae-ho, an inmate who sets the rules in a prison while IM co-stars as Hyeon-su, a young hooligan who arrives in prison but refuses to comply with the natural order.

Last year, SUL starred opposite another new face in the Korean War action-comedy The Long Way Home (2015) with YEO Jin-gu and the actor will next be seen in the thrillers Lucid Dream and Memories of a Murderer.

Member of the popular K-pop band ZE:A, IM made his big screen debut as a supporting actor in the smash hit drama The Attorney (2013) with SONG Kang-ho and was seen opposite KO Asung in the Korean War drama A Melody to Remember.

Joining the leads in the cast are Collective Invention (2015) actor KIM Hee-won, JEON Hye-jin of The Throne (2015) and Inside Men (2015) villain LEE Gyoung-young. Director BYUN’s previous films include the indie The Beat Goes On (2012) and the romantic comedy Whatcha Wearin’ (2012). 

CJ Entertainment will release the film next year.

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April 6, 2017

Im Si-wan, Sol Kyung-gu’s crime action flick to open in May

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(CJ E&M)

“The Merciless,” an upcoming crime-action film starring Im Si-wan and Sol Kyung-gu, is slated to hit theaters in May, its production companies CJ Entertainment said on Thursday. 

Im will play policeman Hyun-soo who enters a prison on an undercover revenge mission. There he meets Jae-ho, played by Sol, who is the second man of the criminal organization Hyun-soo is targeting. After being released from the prison, the two team up to seize power within the organization. 

The film, helmed by director Byun Sung-hyun -- who was behind the romance film “Whatcha Wearin’?” (2012) -- will also feature the award-winning veteran actors Kim Hee Won, Jeon Hye-Jin and Lee Gyeung-young. 

Spoiler

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Spoiler

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Im, who is popular for his role in tvN’s 2014 drama “Misaeng,” recently starred in the crime thriller film “One Line” which was released on March 29. Sol, a veteran actor with hit films such as “Public Enemy” (2002) and “Silmido” (2003), starred in Sci-Fi thriller film “Lucid Dream,” which was released in February.

By Kim So-yeon (syk19372@heraldcorp.com) 

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April 28, 2017

Cannes-bound Korean film to open in France in June

SEOUL, April 28 (Yonhap) -- The domestic crime-action flick "The Merciless" will open in French theaters on June 28, the film's production company said on Friday.

The film starring Seol Kyung-gu and Im Si-wan is to premiere in the Midnight Screening, an out-of-competition slot in the 70th Cannes Film Festival set to open on May 17.

"The international attention for 'The Merciless' has increased explosively since it received an invitation from Cannes," a CJ E&M official said.

The French distributor ARP that has previously distributed three Korean films, including director Yeon Sang-ho's "Train to Busan" (2016), will be in charge of the new film's release.

Directed by Byun Sung-hyun, "The Merciless" portrays the friendship and betrayal between Jae-ho (Seol Kyung-gu) plotting to become the leader of an organized crime ring after being released from prison and the organization's fearless and ebullient newcomer Hyeon-su (Im Si-wan). The two meet behind bars and work together after their release.

The movie is set to open in South Korean theaters within next month.

This is a promotional poster for "The Merciless" provided by CJ E&M. (Yonhap)

This is a promotional poster for "The Merciless" provided by CJ E&M. (Yonhap)

sshim@yna.co.kr

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May 3, 2017

‘Merciless’ a bromance with style
Cannes-bound crime flick unsettles with startling twists

Style was what director Byun Sung-hyun wanted to focus on when filming “The Merciless,” which has been invited to the midnight category at the 70th Cannes Film Festival, taking place from May 17-28.

“The reason I paid so much attention to mise-en-scene is because in Korean cinema in recent years, there have been, and there will continue to be, so many crime movies led by two male characters,” said Byun at a press preview of the film in Wangsimni, Seoul, Tuesday. 

“I wanted to differentiate my film through style.”

Meticulous camerawork is prominent in the director’s snazzy piece, starring veteran actor Seol Kyung-gu (“Lucid Dream,” 2017) as criminal gang leader Han Jae-ho and Im Si-wan (“One Line,” 2016) as the reckless young delinquent Jo Hyun-soo.

Scenes are shot from the perspective of the characters as they lie on the floor after being shot, or kidnapped and stifled with a bag over the head. The lens peers down from the sky into a red convertible where the characters sit, at one point in ecstasy and at another in a painful stupor. Violence is depicted in flat pictures, created through the use of walls and symmetry. 

“I worked very closely with the art director,” said Byun. “Instead of writing the plot separately, we had lengthy discussions and I would say what kind of spaces I wanted.” 

The film dashes back and forth in time tracing the two characters as they meet in prison, team up after their release to smuggle drugs, and are followed by a covert police operation that is revealed in the most sudden of twists.

“The highlight of an undercover movie is the anxiety of whether (the undercover character) will get caught or not,” said Byun. ”But I decided to skip that part.” 

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A still from “The Merciless” features Im Si-wan (left) and Seol Kyung-gu. (Hohoho Beach)

Jeon Hye-jin plays the detective in charge, a charismatic female figure who chases criminals. 

Seol plays the role of Jae-ho with a gusto reminiscent of the actor’s 2000s heyday, infusing the maniacal drug smuggler with pathos. Jae-ho stares at his victims in the eyes when murdering them and lets out a high-pitched cackle, but manages to remain intensely human. 

He first sees Hyun-soo pummeling an opponent twice his size in a prison cafeteria brawl, and enjoying himself in the process. Thinking the reckless young inmate to be as psychopathic as himself, Jae-ho naturally approaches him. 

The criminal Hyun-soo is vulnerable, intelligent and multifariously portrayed by actor Im. The two characters begin a criminal partnership that is at times precarious and at times almost heartfelt, based on both suspicion and a yearning to trust one another. 

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Seol Kyung-gu (left) and Im Si-wan attend the press preview of “The Merciless” at CGV Wangsimni in Seoul on Tuesday. (Hohoho Beach)

Though packaged as a prison crime action flick, the film’s heart is in the relationship between the two characters. Director Byun went so far as to call it not just a “bromance,” but an actual romance. 

“I kept telling the actors during filming that this is a romance, more melodrama than noir.” 

A Seoul Institute of Arts graduate, director Byun’s focus so far has been Korea’s youth lifestyle and culture. His films include 2010 hip-hop-themed “The Beat Goes On” and 2012 romantic comedy “Watcha Wearin’?” 

“The Merciless” additionally stars Kim Hee-won, who will be attending the Cannes festival along with Seol and director Byun. It remains to be seen whether Im will be able to leave the country to attend the event due to his yet unserved military obligations.

The film will open in local theaters May 18.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)

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May 7, 2017

(Movie Review) 'The Merciless': visually lush, short on script

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, May 7 (Yonhap) -- Jae-ho is a merciless underboss in a crime ring who trusts nobody. Hyeon-su is an undercover officer who has no one to depend on since his mother died. They meet in a prison, open their minds to each other and survive crises together while not knowing of a deadly catastrophe approaching.

The crime-action film "The Merciless" definitely draws comparisons with other undercover movies like the 1997 American film "Donnie Brasco," the 2002 Hong Kong movie "Internal Affairs" and the 2012 Korean film "New World." They derive much of their appeal from suspenseful moments in which the protagonist narrowly escapes fatal exposure.

While not short of that kind of tension, however, "The Merciless" focuses rather on the weird symbiotic relationship between two men who call themselves "abandoned bastards." In fact, the cop's identity is revealed at an early stage, which can hardly be called a spoiler.

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actor Im Si-wan as Hyeon-su in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actor Im Si-wan as Hyeon-su in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

Jae-ho (Seol Kyung-gu) is a callous No. 2 man in a drug trafficking ring which is based in the southeastern city of Busan and stretches out to Russia. In prison, he yields regal power, having even detention officers under his control. He believes in nobody because of his rough childhood, and such wariness enables him to survive in the tough criminal world.

To him, the presence of Hyeon-su (Im Si-wan) poses a new test. After Hyeon-su saves his life from a knife attack, Jae-ho begins to develop trust in others for the first time.

Hyeon-su, a young and fearless detective, infiltrates Jae-ho's group, which operates under the cover of a trading company. The two guys then develop an endearing "bromance" with each other while working together. But they find out each other's hidden ambitions and their relationship begins to crack.

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actors Im Si-wan (L) as Hyeon-su and Seol Kyung-gu (R) as Jae-ho in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actors Im Si-wan (L) as Hyeon-su and Seol Kyung-gu (R) as Jae-ho in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actor Seol Kyung-gu as Jae-ho in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actor Seol Kyung-gu as Jae-ho in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

As its writer-director Byun Sung-hyun said in press events, the movie is an action noir in a style that has not been seen in Korean cinema before.

It features some characterful comic book style jail and action sequences and awesome visual impacts from the use of varied colors. For instance, the contrast between a vivid red-colored sports car parked outside the prison and its wild and exotic landscape gives the impression that the film is set somewhere that never existed in the real world.

Nonetheless, its cross-cutting between the present and the past feels superfluous. This can create confusion among some audiences, at best.

And the whole plot point of the undercover police officer quitting his job to become a freshman thug makes the overall story a bit hard to swallow, because the audience doesn't know what's happening in his mind simply based on what is shown on the screen.

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actor Seol Kyung-gu (1st from L) as Jae-ho in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

This still cut provided by CJ Entertainment shows actor Seol Kyung-gu (1st from L) as Jae-ho in "The Merciless." (Yonhap)

sshim@yna.co.kr

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May 8, 2017

THE MERCILESS Targets 85 Global Territories
Cannes Midnighter Scores June Bows in France, Taiwan

by Pierce Conran / KoBiz

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Ahead of its bow later this month in the Midnight Screenings section of the Cannes Film Festival, South Korean thriller The Merciless has been presold globally, with distributor CJ Entertainment sealing deals for 85 international territories.

From director BYUN Sung-hyun of Whatcha Wearin’ (2012) and featuring veteran star SUL Kyung-gu (A Peppermint Candy, 2000) and new face IM Si-wan (The Attorney, 2013), the film follows a former cop who winds up in jail and eventually under the wing of the top inmate on the inside. 

The Merciless follows other notable Korean films into the Cannes Midnight lineup such as BONG Joon-ho’s The Host (2006), NA Hong-jin’s The Chaser (2008) and YEON Sang-ho’s TRAIN TO BUSAN last year. Also screening in the section this year is JUNG Byung-gil’s action film The Villainess.

Following the film’s domestic release on May 18th, The Merciless will bow in France (through ARP) and Taiwan (through MovieCloud) in June. Other reported buyers include JBG Pictures for Australia and New Zealand, Sony Pictures Entertainment for India and other parts of Southern Asia, Viva Communications for the Philippines and Bloomsbury for Mongolia.

Michele Halberstadt of ARP stated that “The Merciless is a very tense thriller with outstanding screenwriting, directing skills and characters. Great gunfights and unexpected twists highlight the film’s charm.”

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May 9, 2017

Reasons for going to Cannes, "The Merciless"

Source: The Fact via Hancinema.net

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"TF Review" analyzes shows, movies, dramas and entertainment shows in five different perspectives. It delivers necessary information and tries to get friendlier with the viewers.

Numerous Korean movies have been invited to the 70th Cannes International Film Festival. Bong Joon-ho's "Okja" and Hong Sang-soo's "The Day After - 2017" are in competition.

In the non-competitive division are; Hong Sang-soo's "Claire's Camera" in Special Screening and Jeong Byeong-gil's "The Villainess" in Midnight Screening. Director Byeon Seong-heon's "The Merciless" is being released on the 18th this month and it's also categorized into Midnight Screening.

The Fact took a look at "The Merciless".

- The story is rich in taste

"The Merciless" is about the friendship between Jae-ho (Sul Kyung-gu) and Hyeon-soo (Si Wan) who meet in prison. Jae-ho who is exclusively in charge of the cigarette business in prison, voluntarily offers gangster Kim Seong-han (Heo Joon-ho) half of his business.

However, Kim Seong-han refuses his offer and Jae-ho gets beaten up. Hyeon-soo saves Jae-ho from being stabbed and they become friends until new truths about each other start to surface.

"The Merciless" has many turning points as Byun Sung-Hyun opens up everything towards the middle after being so secretive in the beginning. He completely ignores the stereotype that the biggest turning points come in the end. He unravels the story from the middle but never loses the balance of the movie. He also doesn't put a single spoiler in here for the audiences.

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- Sul Kyung-gu's well-suiting role

Actor Sul Kyung-gu hasn't had much luck with roles. He recorded 102,100 audiences in "Lucid Dream", "The Long Way Home" 609,000 and "My Dictator" 386,000. Even the movie "Hope" from four years ago recorded only 2.7 million.

The number of audience doesn't lead to literary value or the quality of an actor but it does lead to the overall review.

However, "The Merciless" might turn over a new leaf for Sul Kyung-gu. He is outstanding in the role of Jae-ho who has a strong will power to live, looks at Hyeon-soo in a gentle way and doesn't trust anyone.

- The cast

Sul Kyung-gu and Si Wan are the two sides of the movie. Si Wan is no longer known as ZE:A - Children of Empire Si Wan but 'actor' Si Wan.

Kim Hee-won, Lee Kyeong-yeong, Jeon Hye-jin, Heo Joon-ho, Kim Seong-oh and others make up a powerful cast that will lead the movie down the right path.

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- Director Byun Sung-Hyun, beyond imagination

Story, performance and direction makes up a good movie and that is exactly what "The Merciless" is. The director brings up engagement to 120%. In the movie, Si Wan is taken somewhere with a bag over his head but the camera views this scene from Si Wan's point of view, inside the bag.

The dull voices coming from around him and the petrol that's dumped on Si Wan's head is very realistic. Not only that, the director uses different colors and filters for every scene so that the audience can easily understand the psychological and space changes in the character.

- Undercover but perfect for the taste of the audience

"The Merciless" is an undercover movie. 'Undercover' means spy activities by the police or government. One good example of an undercover movie is "The New World". However, the emotion of "The Merciless" doesn't make the undercover theme seem uncomfortable.

There might be people who say, "Another undercover movie?" However, in "The Merciless" it's hard to tell who's the good or bad guy.

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May 10, 2017

[Herald Interview] ‘Merciless’ shows new Seol Kyung-gu

Kicker: Veteran actor returns with trademark melancholy, with a newfound sense of gravitas

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Actor Seol Kyung-gu poses for a photo before an interview in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. (Hohoho Beach)

Seol Kyung-gu is an actor who possesses a “strange kind of charisma,” whose mere presence on camera evokes a sense of pathos, according to director Byun Sung-hyun of upcoming action flick “The Merciless (Bul Han Dang).”

Having tackled a diverse array of roles and now in the 24th year of his career, Seol is a formidable figure in Korean cinema. But the actor will be the first to admit that his filmography by no means reflects a pristine track. 

There were periods when he fell into complacency, following the motions but not putting his heart into his craft, Seol said at an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday.

“After finishing the filming of ‘Lucid Dream,’ I felt a sudden sense of embarrassment,” he said, referring to the sci-fi drama he starred in last year. “My face went red. Thinking back on my work (for the film). I realized that if I continued this way, I would probably get kicked out of the acting scene.” 

The experience was a jolt, he said. 

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Actor Seol Kyung-gu poses for a photo before an interview in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. (Hohoho Beach)

Seol returns in full form in “The Merciless,” which will screen at Cannes Film Festival’s midnight screenings category next week. His character Jae-ho is a complicated figure -- maniacal, brutal, damaged and cunning -- that Seol portrays with both the gusto of his earlier years and a newfound gravitas.

As in Seol’s past roles, a sense of wretchedness underlies the character Jae-ho, the ruthless drug kingpin who grows dangerously fond of a young delinquent, played by Im Si-wan, with questionable intentions seeking to join his operation. But this time round, Seol says, he is more “polished” than ever before.

When he first met with Byun to discuss the film, the director had remarked that Seol seemed “too crumpled up, wrinkled.”

“(The director) said he wanted to flatten me out, make me stand taller,” said Seol. “I think he meant many things by that.

“So for the role, I was put in an expensive suit. I wore an expensive watch, my hair was combed back. It was incredibly uncomfortable at the beginning … but I discovered that your body movements change according to your clothes.”

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Actor Seol Kyung-gu poses for a photo before an interview in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. (Hohoho Beach)

Seol has rarely taken on clean-cut roles. He rose to acclaim around 2000 after portraying the demise of the idealistic youth Yong-ho in the 1999 film “Peppermint Candy,” and cemented his reputation as both an uncanny talent and a box office hit-maker in 2002 with roles like the roguish detective in “Public Enemy” and the mentally challenged delinquent in “Oasis.” He went through a massive physical and methodical transformation in “Rikidozan: A Hero Extraordinary” when playing the professional Japanese wrestler, gaining some 30 kilograms and learning Japanese. 

The actor has stayed active in recent years, starring in hit films like the 2009 disaster film “Haeundae,” and box office misses like the 2015 war film “The Long Way Home,” and many more. 

The character Jae-ho, though he may appear to be on a verge of psychopathy with his high-pitched laugh and killing spree, is to Seol a “calculating” character, he said. 

“But he can’t help himself when it comes to Hyun-soo,” said Seol of Im’s character. 

The film has been described as a bromance-slash-romance between the two characters. “It’s love, I think,” said Seol, though not necessarily a romantic love. “I viewed the film as a coming-of-age of Hyun-soo. It deals with his evolution. Jae-ho acts as a sort of mentor to him. (Hyun-soo) becomes someone who he would go to all lengths to protect even though he knows he’s being tricked.”

This year marks Seol’s fourth presence at Cannes, after “Peppermint Candy” (2000), “Oasis” (2002) and “A Brand New Life” (2009).

“The Merciless” will open in local theaters on May 18. 

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)

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May 11, 2017

(Yonhap Interview) 'The Merciless' actor Seol wants his film to live long in viewers' mind

(ATTN: RECASTS with minor edits throughout)

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, May 11 (Yonhap) -- Crime action is a mainstream genre of Korean cinema these days. "The Merciless," a new film directed by Byun Sung-hyun, is another title from the genre.

It portrays the friendship and betrayal between Jae-ho, a merciless underboss in a drug trafficking ring who trusts nobody, and Hyeon-su, a police officer who goes undercover in jail to approach Jae-ho and infiltrate deep into the criminal underground through him.

So, actor Seol Kyung-gu said he initially thought "Why do we need another crime-action movie when there are so many movies with the same setting and similar stories?" when offered the part of Jae-ho in the film.

"I pondered a lot because it could incite a sense of deja vu among viewers," the actor confided during an interview with the Korean press in Seoul on Thursday. "I worried it might be forgotten as prison or man-centered action films abound these days. There even was a prison-set TV series on show in the country."

In this photo provided by CJ Entertainment, actor Seol Kyung-gu poses for a group interview with Korean media in Seoul on May 11, 2017. (Yonhap)

In this photo provided by CJ Entertainment, actor Seol Kyung-gu poses for a group interview with Korean media in Seoul on May 11, 2017. (Yonhap)

The new movie is set to open in local theaters next Thursday, about a month after crime-action thriller "The Prison" finished with moderate success. Starring Kim Rae-won and Han Suk-kyu, the film is about a merciless ex-cop who goes undercover as an inmate to discover the secret behind his brother's death.

But Seol said he was persuaded by the passionate young director Byun when they met in person for the first time.

"I found while talking over glasses of soju that he was so convinced of his film project and he prepared for it for a long time. He promised to make a film focusing more on the main characters' emotions rather than noir action and with a unique style and mise-en-scene. Half-believing and half-doubting, I decided to take the challenge." Soju is a traditional Korean rice-based liquor.

As the director had remained confident after that, the veteran actor said he even threatened as a joke to "kill" the director if he fails to make such a film. "After completing the film, the director came to me and said, 'I think you don't have to kill me'."

The movie received favorable reviews from local film reporters for its fresh visual elements and unique story and was even invited to the out-of-competition Midnight Screening category of the 70th Cannes Film Festival that runs May 17-28.

In this photo provided by CJ Entertainment, actor Seol Kyung-gu poses for a group interview with Korean media in Seoul on May 11, 2017. (Yonhap)

In this photo provided by CJ Entertainment, actor Seol Kyung-gu poses for a group interview with Korean media in Seoul on May 11, 2017. (Yonhap)

He said the resulting film was "satisfactory albeit not perfect."

The 49-year-old actor who has strong presence in Korean cinema admitted that he was not fully content with his acting in the movie.

"After watching the film for the first time in a pre-screening event for local media, there were moments where both of us (Im Si-wan and I) were stunned. Si-wan (who played Hyeon-su) said, 'Why is it less interesting than the previous version?' and I said 'Why did I perform that way in particular scenes?'"

When asked to further explain the comment, Seol said that he felt he constantly looked awkward as Jae-ho and was not able to "play more with the character."

An English-language promotional poster for "The Merciless" (Yonhap)  

An English-language promotional poster for "The Merciless" (Yonhap)  An English-language promotional poster for "The Merciless" (Yonhap)

As for film reviews that pointed out the difficulty in catching what's happening in the mind of the two main characters, Seol said he intentionally tried to hide Jae-ho's emotions to make room for the viewers to figure out on their own.

"I thought it would not be interesting if audiences could easily read his mind when there is nothing clear. That's why the film has many scenes showing the side of my face. People say they don't know what I'm thinking about, simply seeing the side of my face."

He says he hopes the film will live long in viewers' minds while most crime-action films are consumed like popcorn movies -- those that audiences easily forget after watching.

"I don't expect too much but just want it to be a kind of movie that makes its viewers keep thinking about it," he said. "Is this too much?" he asked, laughing.

sshim@yna.co.kr

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May 11, 2017

"The Merciless" Sul Kyung-gu goes to Cannes for the first time in 17 years

Source: Sports Hankooki via Hancinema.net

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Sul Kyung-gu is going to Cannes and he is excited.

He was interviewed by Sports Hangook on the 11th and he said, "I think publicity is working because I've been invited to Cannes. The Cannes mark on the poster makes it look better. Elderly people might not be able to see it well so I asked them to put in the words 'Cannes Invitation' on the poster".

This is his second time in Cannes. He was there with "Peppermint Candy" in 1999. "I was blur back then and I just followed the director around but now I think I can enjoy myself".

"I hope the movie does well because it's going to Cannes. I think Cannes is doing a lot for the movie and I hope the movie lives up to everyone's expectation".

Meanwhile, "The Merciless" is a criminal action movie starring Si Wan, Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Hee-won and Jeon Hye-jin-II. It comes out on the 17th of May.

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