[movie 2008] The Game 더 게임

There are certain actors in this world that I will happily follow just about anywhere, their skill level and impeccable taste combining to make their presence in a film a sure mark of quality. Tadanobu Asano is one. Mads Mikkelsen another. And Korea's Shin Ha-Kyun is very definitely one. The man first came to attention thanks to the one-two punch of Sympathy For Mister Vengeance and Save the Green Planet and since then he has steadily built a resume loaded with quirkily impressive work. Things have been quiet for Shin since playing a speech-impaired assassin in No Mercy For The Rude but he's back, starring opposite The Host's Byun Hee-Bong in The Devil's Game in which the pair swap bodies through the use of some sort of insidious cellphone technology. Yes, the body swap thing has been done many times but it's still got some mileage in it when done well and this one looks to be far more Face/Off than Freaky Friday. The cast is stellar and the trailer impressive. You'll find that embedded in the Twitch player after the break.

(Twitchfilm.net)

January 21, 2008

can anyone here tells me what character Eun Sung play in this movie?

rubie · January 25, 2008

Popular S. Korean actor

Jan. 22, SEOUL, South Korea -- Popular South Korean actor Shin Ha-gyun plays a leading role in "The Game," a thriller that will be released on Jan. 31 in South Korea. (Yonhap)(END)

Source: Yonhap News

Actor Byun Hee-bong in new movie

Jan. 23, SEOUL, South Korea -- Popular South Korean actor Byun Hee-bong is one of the stars of "The Game," a thriller that will be released on Jan. 31 in South Korea. (Yonhap)(END)

Source: Yonhap News

rubie · January 25, 2008

can anyone here tells me what character Eun Sung play in this movie?

Is Eun Sung = Lee Eun Sung?

January 21, 2008 'The Game' plays in wrong arena

"The Game," directed by Yoon In-ho, is a thriller with plot twists playing an important role to intrigue the audience and ignite their imagination. But the movie might have had much greater impact if it had been a comedy.

Based on a Japanese comic series, "The Game" revolves around the wildly imaginative situation where two people change their bodies. But the film has some big holes in its logic, undercutting its claim to be a hard-core thriller.

A street painter named Hee-do (Shin Ha-kyun) does not have much money, but he is nice and kind, especially to his innocent-looking girlfriend Hye-rin (Lee Eun-sung). Their relationship, however, is not without problems.

Hye-rin's family is debt-laden and gangsters often arrive and demand repayment of a loan.

The basic situation is chiefly designed to remind the audience that Hee-do is very sensitive about money. To be more specific, he is eager to make money for his girlfriend. Love, after all, transcends everything, and money is no exception.

Unfortunately, love alone does not generate money. Something should be exchanged to get money in this capitalist society where there is no free lunch. One day, Hee-do is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to hit the jackpot.

No-shik (Byun Hee-bong) is a financial big-shot. But he has his own problem. A fatal one, actually. His body is rapidly failing, and when he suffers one of his many heart attacks, he has to resort to sheer luck to recover. No-shik notices that Hee-do is in need of some money. That's how "The Game" plays out.

In fact, "The Game" is not a game at all, since the format is mobile phone betting. The rule, No-shik explains, is that they come up with each number for the random mobile phone number, and they also take sides about whether the recipient is male or female. Under this simple rule, superrich No-shik stakes part of his personal wealth -- amounting to 3 billion won ($3.1 million). Since Hee-do is a poor artist, he has to offer his own body as a stake for the dangerous bets.

Cutting straight to the preposterous, cartoonish and unrealistic betting's result -- they swapped bodies. No-shik is reborn as a young man who can go out and spend his fortune at bars, sleeping with women and partying at will. Hee-do, trapped in an old man's body, is saddled with not only poverty, but also imminent death.

The message is simplistic. Borrowing the preachy comment of No-shik, who is now touting his transformed body, every bet has a consequence and the gambler should take full responsibility.

Aside from the ostensible message, the movie has to take care of the negative consequences of its own. When Hee-do tries to reverse the situation by pretending to be a top CEO, widely reported to have died of old-age, why not just call the TV stations and expose what he has gone through? After all, he has all the scars from the extensive operations to prove his case.

Another serious gap in logic is that after the surgery is done, the greedy and merciless No-shik just let Hee-do, now in his old body, wander away. If No-shik is in his right mind, he certainly would not let the only proof of his brilliant scam walk live to tell the tale.

Despite the defective plot, Shin Ha-kyun and Byun Hee-bong showcase their seasoned acting talent, and especially Shin's versatility to act out an old man, including gestures, voice and facial expressions, is amusing to watch. Their body-changing performances might have shined much brighter if the movie had gone through a surgical operation in genre from a thriller to a comedy.

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com); image from Twitchfilm/Shin HaKyun thread

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/

January 25, 2008

Is Eun Sung = Lee Eun Sung?

Yes... her name is Lee Eun Sung I think so. Thanks for sharing...

btw, is there any chance that this movie will be aired outside Korea?

sigh... I wish i lived in Korea...

January 27, 2008

I think this news article is about this movie. Can someone translate it? Thanks in advance...

http://kr.news.yahoo.com/service/news/shel...;newssetid=1352

February 4, 2008

(source: http://www.kobis.or.kr/index_new.jsp )

Weekly Box Office 2008.02.01 ~ 2008.02.03

1. The Game (South Korea)

http://www.thegame2008.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 358,176 / 365,884

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 2,395,328,500 / 2,432,007,000

Screen : 446

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Yoon In-ho

Main Cast : Shin Ha-kyun, Byun Hee-bong, Lee Eun-sung

2. Forever the Moment (South Korea)

http://www.foreverthemoment.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 309,012 / 3,030,957

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 2,006,710,000 / 19,595,621,000

Screen : 408

Opening Date : 2008/01/10

Director : Lim Soon-rye

Main Cast : Moon So-ri, Cho Eun-ji, Kim Jung-eun, Kim Ji-young, Uhm Tae-woong

3. Once Upon A Time (South Korea)

http://www.onceuponatime.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 277,717 / 311,297

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,854,801,500 / 2,035,670,000

Screen : 396

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Jung Yong-ki

Main Cast : Park Yong-woo, Lee Bo-young, Kim Eung-soo

4. A Man Who Was Superman (South Korea)

http://www.superman2008.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 204,924 / 218,640

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 1,364,462,000 / 1,424,937,000

Screen : 518

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Jung Yoon-Chul

Main Cast : Hwang Jung-min, Jeon Ji-hyun

5. The Warlords (China / Hong Kong)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 119,978 / 128,721

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 806,674,500 / 858,101,000

Screen : 292

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Peter Chan

Main Cast : Jet Li, Andy Lau, Takeshi Kaneshiro

6. Radio Days (South Korea)

http://www.radio-days.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 83,502 / 87,702

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 556,792,000 / 571,862,500

Screen : 315

Opening Date : 2008/01/31

Director : Ha Gi-ho

Main Cast : Ryoo Seung-bum, Lee Jong-hyuk, Kim Sa-rang, Hwang Bo-ra, Kim Roi-ha

7. Cloverfield (U.S.)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 61,037 / 511,512

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 409,386,500 / 3,393,051,500

Screen : 255

Opening Date : 2008/01/24

Director : Matt Reeves

Main Cast : Lizzy Caplan, T.J. Miller, Michael Stahl-David, Mike Vogel, Michael Stahl-David

8. Happily N' Ever After (U.S.)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 46,967 / 227,832

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 274,086,000 / 1,292,913,000

Screen : 211

Opening Date : 2008/01/24

Director : Paul Bolger, Yvette Kaplan

Main Cast : Sigourney Weaver, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Freddie Prinze Jr., Patrick Warburton, Andy Richard

9. Open City (South Korea)

http://www.open-city.co.kr/

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 36,354 / 1,567,488

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 240,353,500 / 10,289,485,000

Screen : 159

Opening Date : 2008/01/10

Director : Lee Sang-ki

Main Cast : Son Ye-jin, Kim Myung-min

10. Bee Movie (U.S.)

3-day Adm / Total Adm : 21,493 / 1,147,557

3-day Gross / Total Gross (won) : 129,040,000 / 6,801,745,000

Screen : 118

Opening Date : 2008/01/03

Director : Stephen Hickner, Simon J. Smith

Main Cast : Jerry Seinfeld, Renee Zellweger, Kathy Bates, Oprah Winfrey, Matthew Broderick

MOVIES OPENING ON 2008/01/31 [photo=spn.edaily]

A Man Who Was Superman

Soo-jung, a human documentary maker, gets tired of the genre and decides to go film African lions. However, the plan goes awry and her camera gets stolen. A man wearing a Hawaiian shirt chases the robber and retrieves the camera for her. He calls himself 'Superman'. All ages admitted. 114 minutes. No English subtitles except at CGV Yongsan.

The Game

One day, Hee-do, a poor artist on the street, gets an offer from No-sik, a fat cat in the financial world, to play for high stakes. When Hee-do loses he is deprived of everything. No-sik, on the other hand, gets not only a healthy body but also wealth and honor. Hee-do prepares the game again to restore his change of destiny. No English subtitles. 15 and over. 116 minutes.

Radio Days

In the 1930's under the Japan's colonial rule, a Radio Producer Roid, is a born idler who is only interested in Mari, a jazz singer. One day, he gets a scenario titled 'A spark of Love'. They make the first radio drama with it, but are off to a rocky start with its footloose actors. No English subtitles. 12 and over. 111 minutes.

Once upon a Time

In the 1940's under the Japan's colonial rule, Bong-gu, a swindler, and Chun-ja, a jazz singer, are both after ``the Light of the East,'' a diamond on the Buddhist statue in Seokguram cave. However, Japan's head gets it and he holds a party to celebrate and move it to Japan as soon as possible. Bong-gu and Chun-ja participate to steal 'the Light of the East'. No English subtitles. 12 and over. 123 minutes.

The Warlords

During the Qing Dynasty, politicians are corrupt and people are starving. Three blood brothers get involved in a struggle. In Chinese with Korean subtitles. 18 and over. 116 minutes.

source: Korea Times

rubie · February 5, 2008

February 4, 2008

Holiday 'Game' plays big in S. Korea

Prime Entertainment film nabs $2.5 million

By DARCY PAQUET

The Game's Shin Ha-kyun and Byun Hee-bong

SEOUL -- South Korean cinema rolled out its big guns for the Lunar New Year holiday, and produced an unlikely winner in the modestly budgeted thriller "The Devil's Game."

The Prime Entertainment release took an estimated $2.5 million from Thursday to Sunday to land at the top of the box office. Budgeted at $3.7 million, "Game" centers on a case of body switching. Shin Ha-kyun ("Save the Green Planet!") and Byun Hee-bong ("The Host") star.

Holding up unexpectedly well after four weeks was sports drama "Forever the Moment" at No. 2 with $2.1 million.

Based on the women's handball team that competed for Korea in the 2004 Athens Olympics, pic has smashed all expectations with a $21 million gross to date. Observers predict the film's cume may go as high as $35 million.

The No. 3 spot went to the 1945-set action/comedy "Once Upon a Time in Korea," the first major investment by SK Telecom's new film division.

Pic took a slightly disappointing $1.9 million, though a generally warm assessment by audiences has some observers predicting it will move up the rankings over the Lunar New Year holiday proper, which runs from Wednesday to Friday.

The return of Korean Wave star Jun Ji-hyun was not enough to launch CJ Entertainment drama "A Man Who Was Superman," which took a disappointing $1.5 million despite being booked onto 518 screens, more than any other release.

Also clocking in below expectations was Peter Chan's HK-Chinese blockbuster "The Warlords," which grossed $850,000 on 292 screens to take the No. 5 slot.

At No. 6, 1930s-set drama "Radio Dayz," about Korea's first radio drama, opened with a weak $600,000 on 315 screens.

All box office figures are supplied by the Korean Film Council, which covers most but not all of the nation's screens.

Source: Variety.com, image from empas.com

http://www.variety.com/article/VR111798016...yid=13&cs=1

April 9, 2008

Good movie, was kind of disturbing the whole way through though. What a strange twist at the end, I'm not sure that I got it but I'm pretty sure the old man got his way.

April 11, 2008

it's available at http://clubbox.co.kr/twoasone if anyone was interested. the subs are there as well.

i'll come back to comment after i finish downloading and watching it.

April 11, 2008

Good movie, was kind of disturbing the whole way through though. What a strange twist at the end, I'm not sure that I got it but I'm pretty sure the old man got his way.

the real old man did indeed win the last bet of the game, but the revelation from the surgeon during the switch made him realize the price of winning the bet. regardless of the outcome of the phone bet, he would lose either way; one is to await death or kill his own blood to save himself. awesome ending to a great movie. and i must say Shin Ha-kyun was absolutely brilliant in the transformation.

April 13, 2008

^ ah thanks for explaining the ending.. I was kinda confused as well..

awesome awesome movie!! Another great performance by Shin Ha Gyun.. and once again, he bared it all.. ^^~

April 15, 2008

so shin ha gyun was related to the old man???

that would make sense to what the surgeon said.. at the end

April 18, 2008

pretty disturbing movie - but kept me entertained the whole 2hrs - superb acting from both the leads...what a revelation at the end! that kinda sucked for me. although it'd have been impossible, i wished it would have been different, but it is a fitting ending for the movie.

agree with the reviewer about the plot holes.....

Aside from the ostensible message, the movie has to take care of the negative consequences of its own. When Hee-do tries to reverse the situation by pretending to be a top CEO, widely reported to have died of old-age, why not just call the TV stations and expose what he has gone through? After all, he has all the scars from the extensive operations to prove his case.

Another serious gap in logic is that after the surgery is done, the greedy and merciless No-shik just let Hee-do, now in his old body, wander away. If No-shik is in his right mind, he certainly would not let the only proof of his brilliant scam walk live to tell the tale.

Despite the defective plot, Shin Ha-kyun and Byun Hee-bong showcase their seasoned acting talent, and especially Shin's versatility to act out an old man, including gestures, voice and facial expressions, is amusing to watch. Their body-changing performances might have shined much brighter if the movie had gone through a surgical operation in genre from a thriller to a comedy.

By Yang Sung-jin (insight@heraldm.com); image from Twitchfilm/Shin HaKyun thread

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/

my thoughts:

hui do regretted having participated in the game and betting his body and the its consequences (not what he bargained for) and yet his desire to get his body back drove him to play the last game and wager his memories for his body. i felt that, even if he did win, there was no guarantee that the no shik and his staff would keep their word. i kinda wished at the end when the surgeon was being threatened that he would just reverse the process and leave no shik to rot, but instead he responded with a startling revelation and went ahead with the procedure as promised.

April 19, 2008

Thanks for all the reviews folks..! Shin Ha-Kyun is indeed known for 'disturbing' movies..he is one AWESOME actor!!..And i can't wait to get my dvd!!

April 19, 2008

omg...This movie is awesome. Once again Shin didn't disappoint me...NOT AT ALL. like his acting is just amazing. I kinda like him being a jerk in the movie, so hot. lol

But the ending kinda makes me think....but it's all good

April 19, 2008

i really like this movie..but im still thinking about the end of the movie..it make me puzzle for a while..and both of the actor are great..especially shin ha gyun...i love this man..he really is good in acting

kpopchild · April 23, 2008

... i'm STILL confused about the ending even after reading through this thread. can someone explain it please? T____T

May 7, 2008

I finally saw the movie. Awesome ..but i cannot comprehend the end of it too.. ..

Shin Ha Gyun is so cool..he's still one of my favourite top A-list actors ..

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[movie 2008] The Game 더 게임

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