Kim Yoon Seok 김윤석

[Guest valley girl]

The teaser posters of Jeon Woo Chi have been released publicly and the movie is confirmed to be premiered on Dec 23, 2009.

credit to stoo.com + newsen

[rubie]

December 20, 2010

'The Yellow Sea' chases after betrayals in the mean streets of Seoul

By Kim Hyun hkim@yna.co.kr yonhapnews.co.kr

SEOUL, Dec. 20 (Yonhap) -- In Na Hong-jin's sophomore film, "The Yellow Sea," an indebted young taxi driver in China's destitute Yanbian district takes a job as a contract killer, not knowing who is behind it or where it would take him.

What seems to be his last option as a means to pay off his gambling debts spirals into deadly conspiracies in the mean streets of Seoul, where his employer turns his back on him. There's nothing more cruel than betrayal and being killed, without knowing why.

Using the same actors -- Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yoon-suk -- as in his 2008 hit thriller "The Chaser," Na tells the story of an ethnic Korean man in China who is trapped in a scam in South Korea, abandons his conscience but eventually seeks his revenge for his own soul.

"This film portrays a man who, with no other course of action left open for him, and not knowing where it would take him, takes the job. And he proceeds toward his death, not knowing what all of this means," Na said after the film premiered to the press in Seoul on Monday.

In "The Yellow Sea," Ha Jung-woo plays a destitute taxi driver in China who smuggles into South Korea on a murder contract. (Yonhap)

The 156-minute film opens in a dismal gambling den in Yanbian, the Korean autonomous prefecture in eastern China, which has cost Gu-nam (played by Ha) all his money, his career and his family. His wife has gone to South Korea to make money, but he hasn't heard from her for a long time. Then Mr. Myeon (played by Kim), a sunglass-wearing big wheel in the gambling business, proposes to rescue him from his debts in return for killing a man in Seoul. His tone is casual, and for Gu-nam, his wife's alleged infidelity feels much more vicious.

To be able to capture the daily scenes of ethnic Koreans in Yanbian, their struggles and hybrid accent, Na said he backpacked, made a laborious trip by boat and train to Yanbian and stayed there for a month. Some of their representations may not be accurate in the present-day, and may be too much on the downside, but the film came out of affection for them, the director said.

"After deciding to tell this story, the first thing I did was backpack and go to Yanbian," Na said. "We talked to people there trying to learn about them and feel them ... Perhaps I still don't know well about them in my bones, but we tried what with the time given to us. The sincerity of this film is our affection toward them. We wouldn't have been able to make this film had we had no affection for them."

Like in "The Chaser," nonstop action and sweaty car chase scenes in "The Yellow Sea" create suspension and tension that builds solid thrills for the audience. There are also comic farces, like Mr. Myeon wielding a steamed pork hog, a popular dish in Korea and China, like an ax. But grotesque murder scenes are too excessive, and there is little room left for viewers to look into the psyche of Gu-nam while the story tries to be sympathetic in the end.

The audience may tend to compare this film with "The Chaser," which drew 5 million viewers at home and earned the director a number of awards, but the filmmakers asserted freshness in the story. "Some call this film a sequel to 'The Chaser,' but I think there's nothing in common unless that Ha Jung-woo, Kim Yoon-suk and Na Hong-jin teamed up again," Kim said. "In 'The Chaser,' I wore an Armani and Versace, but here Mr. Myeon comes with a pair of 9,000 won pants (US$9)," he said jokingly.

The actors said shooting the film was physically challenging, which at times required them to dive into the winter sea and fight in racing cars. The filming took more than a year. "The hardest thing was that I had to live with that shaggy face for one year," Ha, who sheds his masculine image here to transform into the desolate, forlorn taxi driver, said with a smile. "Shooting was physically tough and the weather was very cold that I now wonder why I hadn't used a stuntman."

Ha Jung-woo, Na Hong-jin and Kim Yoon-suk (L to R) pose for the camera after their film premiered in Seoul on Dec. 20. (Yonhap)

[rubie]

December 23, 2010

Gory 'Yellow Sea' is worth the wait

By Han Sang-hee sanghee@koreatimes.co.kr

Director Na Hong-jin's second film "Yellow Sea," a thriller now in theaters, has reached the top

of the box offices since its release Wednesday./ Courtesy of Showbox

The new thriller “Yellow Sea” has been one of the most highly anticipated films of 2010, but beware, this is certainly not for the timid and sensitive.

Na Hong-jin, the brilliant maker of “The Chaser,” has employed the two protagonists from the popular thriller — Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yun-seok — to prove once again that shaking the audience to its very core is what he does best.

“Yellow Sea” actually has a lot more to offer than “The Chaser”: More blood, violence, car chases, and darker secrets and betrayals.

Gu-nam (played by the excellent Ha) is a taxi driver in the Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture in China and has lost contact with his wife who left for Korea to earn money. With their debt piling up, he eventually loses contact with her and spends his nights with hopeless dreams, cheap beer and unsuccessful games of mah-jong. Gu-nam bumps into assassin Myeon Jeong-hak (Kim) and before he knows it, he is off to Korea to kill a man. Myeon offers to pay Gu-nam’s debt if he takes care of a deadly mission in Seoul, but little does Myeon know that Gu-nam agreed to do this not only for the money, but in the desperate hope of finding his wife.

He has 10 days before he has to leave Seoul, and Gu-nam studies his target night after night, but just when he gets ready to strike, he is outdone by strangers who kill the target first. The bewildered Gu-nam gets accused of the murder and to make matters worse, he loses contact with Myeon. Now he starts on a dangerous and thrilling escape from the police and the unknown murderers, while still searching for his wife and Myeon.

In short, this is not a very pleasant movie to watch on a relaxing Friday night. There are many violent scenes that will have viewers cringing, and the sound effects just add more intensity. Aside from the gory graphics of the film, however, it’s clean cut, speedy and pulls the viewer into the rusty and dark world of ruthless killers. The car chase held in the dark streets of Busan made headlines for being one of Korea’s best chase scenes even before the film’s release, and yes, they are impressive thanks to the speedy and smart use of 13 cameras, 50 cars and some 150 crews.

“The Chaser” may have been a tale of two men in a cat and mouse chase but “Yellow Sea” speaks more from the heart: it delves deeper into the emotions of a young man who simply wants to turn his life right side up.

Ha once again gives an excellent performance, from running and stabbing, to piercing cries and motionless stares. In the scene where he muffles his tears in the mountains, the character uses one of his socks to put pressure on a gun wound as a cry of desperation seeps out: this young man is sad, scared and lost, and has no one else to turn to in this harsh world. Ha consistently captures all these complex emotions perfectly. Even the cold, calm stares shine throughout the film, adding intensity and depth to his character.

Myeon, on the other hand, goes through a transformation in character. The sober dog seller devolves into a ruthless, and probably the most brutal, killer in the movie, without any disconnection or awkwardness in sight. His steely, composed eyes instantly turn into those of a murderer and indeed, he does his job very well.

Whatever the scene and situation, the energy of the two actors is powerful, and this overwhelming rush continues from start to finish. It may be unfair to compare Na’s two films, but one thing is certain; this director has a keen eye for detail and speed, along with a deep understanding of spatial effects, fancy yet stable camera work and a knack for gory sequences, and will surely have fans and viewers waiting for his next work as soon as they walk out the theater. Distributed by Showbox.

[rubie]

December 27, 2010

'Yellow Sea' Tops Korean Holiday Box Office

The new thriller from 'The Chaser' director Na Hong-jin beat out previous winner 'Harry Potter.'

by Park Soo-mee hollywoodreporter.com

SEOUL -- Yellow Sea, Na Hong-jin’s much-anticipated thriller starring the male duo of Ha Jeong-woo (Takeoff) and Kim Yun-seok (Tazza The High Rollers), topped the holiday weekend box office in Korea and attracted over 815,000 admissions on 726 screens nationwide.

The film, which opened on Dec. 22, sold 1.05 million tickets according to the Korean Film Council. The new film by Na, the helmer for the 2008 smash hit The Chaser, follows a Chinese-Korean hitman in Seoul chased by another hitman. Yellow Sea is produced by Popcorn Film and financed by talent management agency Wellmade StarM and Showbox, with investment by Twentieth Century Fox.

Hello Ghost another Korean film starring Cha Tae-hyun came in second, drawing 738, 696 admissions on 597 screens. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, which topped last weekend's box office, sold 716,000 tickets. The film has attracted 2.13 million admissions since opening on Dec. 16.

Family animation and romantic comedy were steady sellers during the Christmas weekend. Sammy’s Adventure: The Secret Passage, a Belgian 3D animation that opened on 348 screens drew 233,446 admissions, while A Petty Romance, a Korean romantic comedy drew 157,936 admissions.

Cinema rides yuletide wave

By Lee Hyo-won hyowlee@koreatimes.co.kr

A scene from the new thriller “Yellow Sea”

Thousands of movie-goers filled theaters across the country last weekend for a rather noir Christmas treat, to see the dark thriller “Yellow Sea” instead of the much anticipated, latest Harry Potter film.

The film featuring the hit-making cast and crew of “The Chaser” — director Na Hong-jin and acting duo Ha Jung-woo and Kim Yun-seok — hit the 1 million audience mark as of Monday after a five-day run in theaters since opening Dec. 22. Despite being limited to viewers aged 18 and over, it sold a whopping number of 815,177 tickets over Dec. 24 and 25, according to the Korean Film Council.

The action-packed drama is about a taxi driver (Ha) in China’s Yanbian Autonomous Prefecture whose wife is earning money in Korea. After losing contact with her, he arrives in Korea in search of her whereabouts, but things get complicated when he becomes tangled up with an assassin (Kim).

Also catering to Christmas-time cinema-goers is the local family comedy “Hello Ghost,” which currently ranks second in the box office. The Cha Tae-hyun-powered slapstick, about a group of ghosts haunting an unsuspecting young man, drew in over 738,000 people during Christmas weekend.

Next in line comes the first part of the Harry Potter finale, “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1,” which fell two slots down from its first place ranking last week. It drew about 710,000 moviegoers over the weekend. Some 2.1 million have flocked to theaters to see it since its release on Dec. 16.

Trailing behind the tale of the boy wizard is the 3D oceanic animation “Sammy’s Adventure: The Secret Passage” in fourth place (233,446 viewers) and the homegrown romantic comedy “The Pretty Love Affairs” in fifth (157,936 viewers).

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December 28, 2010

'Yellow Sea' Tops Box Office Over Holiday Weekend

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

The action-thriller "The Yellow Sea" was the box-office champion in Korea during the Christmas holidays.

According to data from the Korean Box Office Information System on Monday, "The Yellow Sea," directed by Na Hong-jin and starring Kim Yoon-seok and Ha Jung-woo, sold 815,177 tickets over the holiday weekend.

In second place was "Hello Ghost," starring Cha Tae-hyun, which brought in 738,696 viewers, followed by the Hollywood blockbuster "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" with 710,642.

Belgian 3D animation "Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage" ranked fourth with 233,446 viewers, followed by Korean romantic comedy "A Petty Romance," starring Lee Sun-kyun and Choi Kang-hee, with 157,936.

The much-anticipated "The Yellow Sea" opened last Wednesday and has drawn over 1.05 million viewers so far.

"Hello Ghost," released on the same day, has also performed quite well, with actor Cha Tae-hyun again proving his box-office appeal by securing a total of 888,515 admissions to date.

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March 15, 2011

Top actors to film Korean version of "Ocean's Eleven"

Reporter: Ko Kyoung-seok kave @ Editor: Heidi Kim heidikim @ <Ⓒ 10Asia All rights reserved> news.nate.com

Starting from left: Gianna Jun, Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo and Lee Jung-jae [nate.com]

Several high-profile actors and actresses in Korea will come together to star in a single film, according to an official related to the movie tentatively titled "Thieves."

The official told Asia Economic Daily on Tuesday Jun Ji-hyun (Gianna Jun), Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo and Lee Jung-jae are set to star in a film that will be a Korean version of Hollywood film "Ocean's Eleven "(2001).

"Negotiations for the casting had been taking place since late last year and most of the cast have already signed on or will soon," the official added.

Helmed by director Choi Dong-hoon, the upcoming pic will be about thieves from Korea and China teaming up with each other to steal a diamond worth 40 billion won locked away in a special room at a casino in Macao.

This will be director Choi's fourth feature-length film following his other crime movies "The Big Swindle" (2004), "The War of Flower" (2006) and "WOOCHI" (2009) and will crank in at May in Hong Kong and Macao.

Lee Jung-jae will play the main lead Popeye and Kim Yoon-suk his rival Macao Park while actress Kim Hye-soo will play Pepsi, a genius safe-cracker while Kim Hae-sook and Jun Ji-hyun a mother-and-daughter duo who steal jewelries and antiques.

Oh Dal-soo, known as one of the best supporting actors in the country, will show up as a Chinese thief named Andrew.

Producers are still said to be looking for an actor in his twenties to play the role of Jampano, the youngest in the group of thieves.

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March 20, 2011

Upcoming movie, “Professionals,” reveals impressive cast list

Source: TV Daily via Nate by VITALSIGN allkpop.com

“Professionals,” an upcoming movie which will be directed by Choi Dong Hoon (known for “Jeonwoochi“) has revealed an impressive line-up cast on March 21st including the likes of Jun Ji Hyun, Kim Hye Soo, Lee Jung Jae, Kim Yoon Suk, and Kim Soo Hyun.

The movie’s plot revolves around the lives of professional thieves in a race to steal a diamond worth $40 million USD at a casino in Macau.

Kim Yoon Suk will be pited against Lee Jung Jae, while Kim Hye Soo will be playing the role of a femme fatale safe-cracker. Jun Ji Hyun will be a professional specializing in the theft of jewelries and antiques and Kim Soo Hyun will be the rookie addition to the crew.

Official crank-in for the movie is scheduled for this May.

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March 19, 2012

The Thieves sells abroad, prepares for the big swindle

by javabeans dramabeans.com

I feel like I’ve been waiting forever for the stylish caper movie The Thieves to come out, so I’m just about bouncing in my seat to see the new posters and stills from the upcoming movie about a diamond heist set in a Macau casino.

The grand-scale theft is the work of ten professionals, led by mastermind Lee Jung-jae (The Housemaid) and including Jeon Ji-hyun (Blood: The Last Vampire), Kim Hye-soo (Villain and Widow), Kim Soo-hyun (The Moon That Embraces the Sun), and Oh Dal-soo (Thirst). You’ve got your brains, your safe-cracker, your acrobatic swindlers, your scene-stealers; all the moving parts of a smooth heist machine. Or so goes the hope; no caper ever goes according to plan, after all. In the plot, the Korean thieves team up with a group of Chinese thieves, who include actors Simon Yam and Angelica Lee.

The movie’s making no bones about this being a Korean version of Ocean’s Eleven, so originality of the premise is hardly its primary concern. What it does aim for is an entertaining, fast-paced fun ride showcasing a wide range of talents, and with this cast I can see it happening. I hope. Fingers crossed.

The film is drawing some strong preliminary buzz, and last month at the European Film Market in Berlin, The Thieves sold foreign rights to several markets on the strength of that anticipation, without teasers or stills. The four foreign markets: Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Taiwan. At the Hong Kong Filmart opening today, they’ll be hoping to sell more rights, to major distributors in China, Japan, North America, and Europe.

It’s the fourth feature film from director Choi Dong-hoon, who was behind some big hits like Tazza and Jeon Woo Chi — so the man definitely knows how to convey style and action in a sexy way. Gah, this movie needs to premiere already. Sadly, we will have to wait for summer to bring its release.

Via My Daily

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April 20, 2012

The Thieves releases introductory trailer

by javabeans dramabeans.com

Here’s the trailer for The Thieves, which may be the movie I’m most looking forward to right now, because despite its less-than-original plot (a diamond heist that’s basically Ocean’s Eleven in Macau), it’s got a killer cast, a skilled director (Jeon Woo Chi, Tazza), and looks snazzy and fun to boot.

I’ll never assume a project is awesome just because it’s got a fantastic cast, but you can hardly thumb your nose at this one: Lee Jung-jae (The Housemaid), Kim Hye-soo (Villain & Widow), Jeon Ji-hyun (Blood: The Last Vampire), Kim Yoon-seok (The Chaser), Kim Soo-hyun (The Moon that Embraces the Sun), Oh Dal-soo (Detective K), Kim Hae-sook (Thousand Day Promise).

The poster above reads, “Ten thieves. One diamond. They’re on the move.”

With so many characters, the teaser is basically a brief intro to each one. The ten teammates scheme to steal a diamond from a casino in Macau and operate using nicknames, so we’ve got characters like shrewd mastermind Popeye (Lee Jung-jae), legendary safecracker Pepsi (Kim Hye-soo), tightrope-walking Anycall (Jeon Ji-hyun), gum-snapping Chewing Gum (Kim Hae-sook, who poses as a mother-daughter pair with Jeon), “cowardly gunman” Andrew (Oh Dal-soo), and romanticist rookie Zampano (Kim Soo-hyun).

Then there are the Chinese contacts: leader Chen (Simon Yam), Johnny (Derek Tsang), and Julie (Angelica Lee). At the end of the trailer, Jeon Ji-hyun’s on the phone call with a guy who asks, “Whatcha doin’?” She replies, “Stealing.”

The Thieves releases in July.

Via No Cut News

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May 21, 2012

Ha Jung-woo, Ha Ji-won Voted Most Popular Movie Stars

Source: englishnews@chosun.com

Ha Jung-woo and Ha Ji-won have been voted the most popular actor and actress in Korea in an email poll by the Chosun Ilbo and the nation's largest film ticketing site MaxMovie.

Some 25,784 people voted from April 18 to May 5. The two drew 10.1 and 13.7 percent of the votes respectively. But Song Kang-ho and Jeon Do-yeon were chosen as the best -- as opposed to most popular -- actor and actress, with 18 and 23.3 percent.

Since the poll targeted online users of MaxMovie who had been to the cinema at least once last year, it probably reflects moviegoers' preferences more accurately than other surveys.

◆ Popularity vs. Acting Skills

Comparison with a similar survey in April last year reveals that people prefer actors with both acting skills and popular appeal. Ha Jung-woo soared from eighth place in the popularity list in 2011 to the top this year after he appeared in a series of recent hit movies including "The Client," "Love Fiction," and "Nameless Gangster."

New entrants on the list are Park Hae-il (fourth with 8.7 percent), Kim Yoon-seok (sixth with 4 percent), and Choi Min-sik (eighth with 3.6 percent). All the three impressed moviegoers with their acting skills in box office hits such as "Arrow - The Ultimate Weapon," "Punch," or "Nameless Gangster."

In contrast, Won Bin and Kang Dong-won, who ranked first and third respectively last year, fell to fifth and ninth place since they have not appeared in any films released this year. Jang Dong-gun and Lee Byung-hun did not make the list although they took the No. 6 and 10 spots last year.

Nine of the 10 most popular actors were also on the list of the most skilled actors, with the exception of Kang Dong-won in the former and Sol Kyung-gu in the latter.

But among actresses, only six found their names on both of the lists. Moon So-ri (fifth with 6.1 percent), Yoon Yeo-jeong (sixth with 3.8 percent), Kim Hye-ja (ninth with 2.5 percent) and Kim Yun-jin (10th with 2.5 percent) were voted as having good acting skills but not on the popularity list, suggesting that the popularity of actresses has less correlation with their acting skills than their male counterparts.

Among directors, Bong Joon-ho was picked as the best with 19.8 percent. Im Kwon-taek slipped from the top last year to third place with 9.22 percent. Kang Woo-suk and Kang Je-gyu, star directors in the 1990s and the early 2000s, ranked in the top 10 but were outperformed by Bong and Park Chan-wook (second place with 9.68 percent), who are becoming well known overseas.

Kang Je-gyu saw his ranking fall from third in 2011 to sixth (3.84 percent) this year after his film "My Way" tanked. Kang Woo-suk managed to hold on to fourth place but he garnered a mere 5.72 percent, down from last year’s 14.1 percent.

This year's top 10 list has the same names on it as last year's, with the exception of Byun Young-joo (eighth with 3.50 percent), but the order changed. "Once established, directors' recognition appears to last longer than actors," MaxMovie analyzed.

◆ Theater Attendance

When asked about their favorite ways of watching films, 82.5 percent said going to movie theaters, up from last year's 66.1 percent. Next came downloading movies on the Internet at 8.1 percent, down from 27.7 percent last year. A glut of 3D movies seems to attract people to cinemas.

The Korean article

here

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May 23, 2012

Thieves and Oldboy remake sell strongly at Cannes

By Patrick Frater filmbiz.asia

The Thieves 도둑들 proved a steal for a number of international distributors, which acquired the big-budget heist movie from South Korea's Showbox/Mediaplex Inc 쇼박스 미디어플렉스.

The film was licensed to China's Lava Films 火山石影視文化有限責任公司, Hong Kong's Edko Films Ltd 安樂影片有限公司 and Thailand's LH Moviefusion. Lava previously marketed South Korean comedy Scandal Makers 과속스캔들 (2008) in China.

Showbox also sold recent hit Nameless Gangsters: Rules of the Time 범죄와의 전쟁 : 나쁜놈들 전성시대 to Japan's KRCG, China's BINCI Media, Hong Kong's i-Cable Communications Ltd 有線寬頻通訊有限公司, French-speaking Europe to Metropolitan Filmexport, Spain's Mediatres Estudio and the former-Soviet Union and the Baltics to Russia's Maywin Films AB.

In addition, Showbox sold A Company Man 회사원 to Japan's Pony Canyon Inc ポニーキャニオン, Indonesia's Ram Indo, Thailand's STG Multimedia, Splendid Film for German-speaking Europe and to Synergy Cinema for French-speaking Europe. The Scent 간기남 was sold to Thailand's LH Moviefusion, Hong Kong's Edko Films and Singapore's Shaw Organisation.

New US-based sales firm Good Universe sold strongly on Oldboy, the Spike LEE-directed remake of the South Korean thriller originally directed by PARK Chan-wook 박찬욱. Universal Pictures International Entertainment bought the now-in production film to the UK, Germany, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Australia and Spain. The remake stars Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley. Spike Lee is producer alongside Roy LEE and Doug DAVISON. Good Universe's Nathan KAHANE is an executive producer.

French sales agency, Wild Bunch licensed Cannes competition film Holy Motors (directed by Leos Carax) to Japan's Eurospace ユーロスペース. And Comstock Group コムストック・グループ and Broadmedia Studios Corporation ブロードメディア・スタジオ株式会社 co-acquired Marina de Van's psychological thriller Dark Touch for Japan.

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May 29, 2012

"The Thieves" attracts more international buyers at Cannes film fest

Reporter : Lucia Hong. Editor : Monica Suk. 10Asia

Pushing its popularity further at the Berlin International Film Festival, Korean heist feature "The Thieves" has locked more deals with firms based in Asian countries at the 65th Festival De Cannes.

On Tuesday, the pic's promoter Showbox announced that "The Thieves" was presold to eight countries in Asia -- Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Thailand -- even before it hits the big screen in Korea.

Showbox explained that the deals were made after the film's teaser preview and the poster revealed at the film market during the Festival De Cannes held in Cannes, France from May 16 to 27.

"We have received a number of inquiries from other countries and we're currently at the last stage of signing deals with Japan and Vietnam," a rep with Showbox said in the statement.

"The Thieves," the fourth feature by director Choi Dong-hoon from "The War of Flower" (2006) and "WOOCHI" (2009), tells the story of thieves from Korea and China that team up together to steal a 40 billion Korean won diamond locked in a special room at a casino in Macao.

The pic, featuring a star-studded cast consisted of Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Soo-hyun and Jun Ji-hyun, is slated to open in local theaters in July 2012.

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June 12, 2012

'The Thieves' all-star cast set to steal show
By Cho Jae-eun Korea JoongAng Daily 


Stars of the new action film 'The Thieves' pose for the press yesterday at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul. From left, Oh Dal-soo, Kim Hye-sook, Kim Soo-hyun, Kim Hye-su, Kim Yoon-seok, Jeon Ji-hyun and Lee Jung-jae [NEWSIS]
The biggest names in Korean film are set to star in the upcoming summer blockbuster “The Thieves,” dubbed Korea’s “Ocean’s Eleven” with its megawatt leads featured as a gang of thieves. 

Kim Hye-su, Kim Yoon-seok, Lee Jung-jae, Jeon Ji-hyun and Kim Soo-hyun, as well as Hong Kong stars Angelica Lee and Simon Yam, make up the all-star ensemble in this heist movie directed by critically praised director Choi Dong-hun of “Tazza: The High Rollers” (2006) and “The Big Swindle” (2004). 
The thought of directing this group of high-profile actors and actresses was “really scary,” confessed the director.

“At the beginning, I was worried whether Kim Hye-su and Jeon Ji-hyun might get into a fight or something,” joked Choi, during the press conference for the film yesterday at the Westin Chosun Hotel in central Seoul, adding that in the end the two leading actresses got along well and supported each other. 

“Even during filming, I couldn’t take my eyes off the monitor because of the charisma of all these actors.” 

On comparisons with “Ocean’s Eleven,” the director said he never went into production consciously thinking about the hit Hollywood film.

“I think the film, more than ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ is closer to ‘Tazza’ and ‘The Big Swindle.’ Maybe there are similarities in that both films [‘The Thieves’ and ‘Ocean’s Eleven’] are about stealing, but the action featured in our film is invested with more emotion,” said Choi.

“When I saw ‘Ocean’s Eleven,’ the gang seemed really compatible and harmonious, but in ‘The Thieves,’ we are all over the place, all with our own faults,” said Kim Yoon-seok, who plays the head thief, Macao Park, in the new action blockbuster. 

“But I think that you will see through the friendships and love in the film, our unique emotional developments will show through.” 

 A still image from the new film 'The Thieves' Provided by 1st Look

Director Choi’s fourth feature film is set in Macau, as a group of Korean thieves are called out by legendary thief Macao Park to the region to steal a rare blue diamond worth $20 million. The gang works with a group of Hong Kong thieves, all with their own secrets and ambitions regarding the project. 

Veteran actress Kim Hye-su said that the shooting of one trying scene in the film, where she is featured under water trapped in a car, tested her patience and determination as an actress.

“When the director called for one more take, I could sense a touching passion in his voice, so I did one more,” said the actress, who also starred in the “Tazza: The High Rollers” along with her co-star Kim Yoon-seok.

“When I was watching myself on the monitor afterward, I started questioning why, as an actress, I had to endure such hardship - for what? The director, the audience or for the sake of the film?” she said.

“It was a moment when I questioned what films are to me.” 

The film also marked the return of Hallyu star Jeon Ji-hyun to the big screen, as a rope-walking thief in the film, after her recent wedding. Her love interest in “The Thieves” is fellow thief, Jampano, played by up-and-coming actor Kim Soo-hyun, who catapulted into stardom with his role in the MBC historical drama “The Moon that Embraces the Sun” this year. 

“My kiss scene with Jeon Ji-hyun was easy because I was able to get immersed in the scene easily with her presence,” said the young actor, looking a bit flushed. 

When asked if he is anxious about the film’s July 25th opening, which will be in theaters with Hollywood blockbusters including “The Dark Knight Rises,” director Choi joked, “I see Batman in my sleep these days.”

“But more than anything, I wish that through the film, more people outside Korea will be able to get to know these great actors.”

[rubie]

Source: innolife.net

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July 11, 2012
Star-studded 'Thieves' takes different route from 'Ocean'By Kwaak Je-yup The Korea Times
A scene from “The Thieves” shows, from left, the characters Johnny (Derek Tsang), Popeye (Lee Jung-jae), Zampano (Kim Su-hyun), Yenicall (Jun Ji-hyun), Pepsi (Kim Hye-soo), Macau Park (Kim Yun-seok), Julie (Angelica Lee Sin-Jie), Chewed Gum (Kim Hae-sook), Andrew (Oh Dal-soo) and Chen (Simon Yam Tat-Wah). The $120-million burglary-themed blockbuster by director Choi Dong-hoon is slated to open on July 25 in theaters nationwide. / Courtesy of Showbox/Mediaplex
A bunch of thieves collaborating to steal a rare diamond from the gambling capital of the world? Sounds suspiciously like Steven Soderbergh’s Ocean’s series.
The similarity does not stop there: Choi Dong-hoon’s latest film “The Thieves,” which opens on July 25, also has an all-star cast packed with some of the most bankable actors in Korean cinema, comparable to George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Robert in “Ocean’s Eleven.”
But that’s about it. “Thieves” is not a fun-filled and stylized celebration of high-skilled, high-tech burglary like the American franchise; it is fundamentally a cynical portrait of avaricious human nature with sporadic comedic moments for side entertainment.
The quality of the screened version comes somewhat short of his previous hits like “Woochi” (2009), “Tazza: the High Rollers” (2006) and “The Big Swindle” (2004) — its enormous scale makes the work a little spotty on several occasions — but “Thieves” has a lot to like, even outside the mouthwatering multinational star-studded cast.
Choi’s screenplay, for the most part, keeps the audience guessing until the end; it is never clear who will win from this deal. 
There are 10 thieves, Korean and Chinese, teaming up in Macau to take on the biggest heist of their lives. But everyone has his/her own agenda. Almost everyone betrays each other at some point. One is even a detective trying to arrest the biggest criminal in Hong Kong who is also the diamond’s owner.
Choi’s comment at the post-screening press conference Tuesday revealed his priority: “This is a movie that can kill a director. It’s a movie where I must make sure that every actor shines.”
And that preoccupation certainly shows in every scene, to the work’s detriment. 
By tiptoeing around the stars’ egos, he has made sure every actor gets their time to shine, but the overall quality of the work suffers from this loss of focus. The 135-minute running time drags on because of this need of “fair” distribution of spotlight. 
Until some of them are actually eliminated by death or arrest, the movie fails to find a real direction.
Not that any of the actors perform poorly; without their presence, the movie would fall apart entirely. 
All of them have done more than a passable job here, especially veterans Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Simon Yam Tat-Wah and Kim Hae-sook standing out as mastermind Macau Park, his former lover Pepsi, head of the Chinese team Chen and his partner Chewed Gum, respectively. 
Malaysian-born Chinese actress Angelica Lee Sin-Jie also manages to keep the attention on her against her rather underdeveloped role.
They all have something in common: they are given real story arcs, which make them easily relatable. They act tough but are vulnerable to love and family. Other characters are given nothing comparable. Why have they become thieves in the first place? And why do they have awkward-sounding nicknames and call each other by them — when their Chinese counterparts do not? There is no explanation.
The biggest waste of talent befalls Jun Ji-hyun (a.k.a. Gianna Jun, who became the country’s most popular actress with “My Sassy Girl” in 2001). She makes a triumphant return to form after years of missed opportunities here and abroad, holding her ground against the biggest stars with her natural delivery, sometimes coming close to stealing some scenes. 
The press reception was the warmest to her, too. She was subjected to the biggest number of questions at the press conference, sidelining other big names seated next to her. 
But her character Yenicall lacks depth. Who is she? Why does she steal? Why does she keep rebuffing the advances of Zampano (Kim Su-hyun, Korea’s answer to Taylor Lautner)? Without any answers, her value is mostly comic relief, although a very fine one.
Lee Jung-jae in the role of Popeye is another victim of this spotty screenplay. He starts strong when the spotlight is given to him early on but falls flat as soon as his rival Macau Park makes his entrance. His presence almost becomes trivial after, and his jealousy towards him is unconvincing. 
It is to be seen how the last-minute editing will change the film, but even tweaks to the strange sound effects and cliched music choices will not save it. The characters have no motivation other than money, and we will just have to accept that theft is a perfectly normal career option if given a chance. 
“The Thieves” opens on July 25 in theaters nationwide. Runs for 135 minutes. Rated 15 and over. Distributed by Showbox/Mediaplex.

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July 23, 2012
'Actor and director are like husband and wife'Choi Dong-hoon on making 10 stars shine in 'Thieves,' opening Thursday
By Kwaak Je-yup The Korea Times
Director Choi Dong-hoon poses at an interview in this July 18 photo. He returns to the box office Thursday with crime drama “The Thieves,” starring some of the most bankable actors in Korean and Hong Kong Cinema, including Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Jun Ji-hyun, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Lee Jung-jae and Kim Su-hyun, among others. / Yonhap
Unlike in Hollywood, there are few full-time screenwriters left in Korean cinema. Successful ones have moved to more lucrative TV dramas and soap operas, and movies are now written and brought to life by the hands of the director.
It should come as no surprise, then, that the results have been mixed. Some films of late have had painfully unbelievable lines, while others seemed to have managed just fine.
Director Choi Dong-hoon, whose new movie “The Thieves” opens on Thursday, falls in the latter category. His last two films attracted more than 6 million people each and he is regarded by screen actors, critics and audiences alike as someone who can truly bring characters to life.
Writing and shooting the crime drama involving a theft of a rare diamond in Macau, he had to deal with no less than ten parts but took the industry by surprise when he successfully filled most of them with the hottest stars from here and Hong Kong, including Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Jun Ji-hyun, Simon Yam Tat-Wah, Lee Jung-jae and Kim Su-hyun. He must be doing something right to get such big names to sign on.
“It’s like a husband and a wife, the relationship between the director and an actor,” he said in an interview on Thursday. “There are intimate details no one else knows.”
From left, actors Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae, Oh Dal-soo and Jun Ji-hyun in a scene from “The Thieves.” The film opens Thursday in theaters nationwide./ Courtesy of Showbox/Mediaplex
That theory shows in his continuing (professional) relationships with Kim Yun-seok and Kim Hye-soo, who star in the new film as mastermind Macau Park and his on-and-off girlfriend Pepsi, respectively. The latter starred in Choi’s 2006 hit “Tazza: the Higher Rollers,” another gambling and crime drama, and the former having worked with the director four times in a row, from thriller “The Big Swindle” (2004) to action comedy “Woochi” (2009) and now on “The Thieves.”
The media buzz around the new film has concentrated much on the technical aspects — climbing buildings on wires, shoots in Macau and Hong Kong and of course, the marquee names — but Choi spent most of the hour talking about the characters, from development to interpretation. He seemed completely satisfied with each and every one and the actors who played them. His words on the cast were not obligatory compliments but reflections of his affection.
“Never did it occur to me that they needed to be handled in a certain way. It’s just that the screenplay must be fully understood... We talk. Slowly infect them with my thoughts, mixing the individual with the movie’s tone and manner.”
The best example of this at work is with the women. Defying expectations that a theft-themed film would be led by male characters, magic is witnessed more often around the female thieves, played by Kim Hae-sook, Kim Hye-soo, Jun and Angelica Lee Sin-Jie. Nimbly delving into their vulnerabilities, hopes and dreams, Choi achieves a rare feat in male-dominated Korean cinema, where women are too often sidelined as the sexpot, the femme fatale or the unattractive comic relief.
“I think I have, personally and writing-wise too, a strong feminine side, like a talkative ajumma (middle-aged woman). Female characters are always a challenge but a kind of an unknown, too. If you can create great women, wouldn’t that make you a great director? I find myself fixing and fixing, thinking about how my mother would talk.”
Choi has reiterated over the past years that he wants to work with Korean cinema’s most respected actor of the moment, Ha Jeong-woo, and he said it again during the interview. His mind seemed to wander a little, already dreaming about the next project and characters.
“The Thieves” opens in theaters nationwide on Thursday.

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July 26, 2012
"The Thieves" records 2nd biggest opening of all-time in KoreaReporter: Lee Hye Ji Editor: Monica Suk 10Kstar
“The Thieves,” one of the most-anticipated films this year, has recorded the second best opening in Korean film history.
“The Thieves” attracted 436,622 moviegoers on the day of its release on Wednesday, stealing the top seed from five-day-reigning “Dark Night Rise” at local box office's daily chart, according to Korea Box office Information System (KOBIS)'s website Thursday.
This is the second highest single day opening of all-time after “The Host” opened with 449,500 tickets sold in 2006.
The former No. 2 was “D-War," 2007 Korean fantasy film produced by Shim Hyung-rae, slid down to the third place, putting an end to its five-years honor.
“Deranged,” which had the best opening record of the year until Tuesday, stopped at pulling in 190,952 audiences on its release date.
The action drama pic “The Thieves” tells the story about a group of ten thieves from different backgrounds who have teamed up to steal a diamond hidden inside a casino located in Macao.
Helmed by famed director Choi Dong-hoon, top Korean actors joined the Korean version of “Ocean's Eleven,” such as Kim Yoon-seok, Kim Hye-soo, Lee Jung-jae, Jun Ji-hyun, and Kim Soo-hyun.

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July 27, 2012
The Thieves sets new box office recordby javabeans dramabeans.com

So, apparently summer + blockbuster + multiple A-list stars + caper + action = hit movie. WHO KNEW?
The Thieves opened on Thursday, July 25, and quickly racked up the ticket admittances, setting a new all-time box office record: its 436,628 ticket sales in Day 1 is the top Korean film opening ever, solidly taking over the distinction from the previous top film, 2006′s sci-fi-thriller The Host, which had 395,951 admittances on its first day.
(By the way, who else finds South Korea’s method of counting ticket admittances vastly more useful in calculating box office records, rather than sheer money grossed? Because I seem to recall a day when ticket prices didn’t cost more than minimum wage, or sometimes double, and it’s a lot more straightforward to count how many times the movie was seen when you’re talking about all-time biggest movies. But sigh. I guess the bottom line is always about money in the end.)
The Thieves—starring a bevy of big stars like Lee Jung-jae, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yoon-seok, Jeon Ji-hyun, and Kim Soo-hyun—sold out from the first morning screenings on opening day and benefited from word of mouth, according to distributor Showbox. It hit the 1 million sales mark on Day 3 and is well on its way to being one of the year’s biggest hits.
To compare The Thieves’ opening day sales with other movies in the 1 million club, we have Haeundae with 177,000, The Good, The Bad, The Weird with 386,880, and D-War at 387,468. Looking at 2012 alone, the previous top opener was Deranged, the Kim Myung-min disaster-thriller about hairworms (the movie’s literal Korean title) that infect people and cause them to drown themselves. It opened with 190,000 tickets.
On its second day, it beat out Dark Knight Rises (which opened on the 19th), which sold 167,313 tickets for a total of 3,365,299 overall. The Thieves drew 410,192 ticketholders that day for a total of 862,663 admittances total.
July 27 was Day 3, and the film stayed in No. 1 position with 492,701 ticket sales, hitting a total of 1,355,342.
I don’t expect The Thieves to reinvent the wheel or pull out something daring and unexpected—it’s a heist movie with big stars. A blockbuster primed for summertime entertainment. And I’m cool with that, because who doesn’t love a good fast caper? I just hope it delivers on its promise of zippy, Ocean’s Eleven-inspired fun.
Via My Daily, Joy News

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July 30, 2012       'Thieves' breaks record with 2.9 mil.By Kwaak Je-yup The Korea Times

The crime drama “The Thieves” has posted the best opening in Korean cinema history, its studio Showbox Mediaplex announced on Monday.
Opened Wednesday, director Choi Dong-hoon’s latest film attracted close to 2.9 million moviegoers over five days, equivalent to more than 20.7 billion won in ticket sales.
This bests the previous week’s opening of “The Dark Knight Rises,” the final installment of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, which lured 2.4 million people, or 17.9 billion won in revenue, in four days.
The latest trend in the Korean cinema industry is to pull up the opening day to at least Thursday, with more studios moving the date even further up for blockbusters.
Comparing just the three-day weekend figures, Korea Film Council’s official tally shows that “The Dark Knight Rises” actually beat “The Thieves” in sales by about 100 million won (14.8 billion to 14.7 billion). 
But given that the homegrown feature managed to beat the American hero flick in headcount — the latter narrowly missed the 2 million mark while the former edged slightly past it — the higher sales figure for the latest Batman franchise reflects the more expensive ticket price for IMAX cinemas. The seats for the special-format screen are reported to have sold out in advance for three weeks since the July 19 opening.
Projections for this week are mixed, given that “The Dark Knight Rises” has garnered more favorable reviews among critics and Netizens. With millions of students and workers on vacation and no major release slated for this week, the battle for the box office throne may come as a surprise.

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August 1, 2012

'The Thieves' a hit at local box office
YonhapNews

SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- The Korean heist film "The Thieves" continued its local box office reign in its second week after taking in an opening week record as many holidaymakers seek to escape hot summer weather at cool theaters.

   The movie, starring top actors and actresses Jun Ji-hyun, Kim Hye-soo, Kim Yun-seok and Lee Jung-jae, broke the 3 million mark in audience number on Monday, the sixth day since its release, drawing 3.35 million viewers.

   It drew nearly 500,000 moviegoers across the country on that day alone, according to official box-office tallies, meaning many of the viewers are those on summer vacation.
   


The films is drawing moviegoers at a faster pace than director Bong Jun-ho's box-office hit "The Host "(2006) and "D-War" (2007), a sci-fi monster flick by director Shim Hyeong-rae, which drew 3.19 million and 3.09 million, respectively, during the first six days of opening.

   "The Thieves," if this trend continues, is expected to easily break the 5 million mark within this week.

   During the same period, the movie raked in more than 50 percent of local box revenues, beating the Hollywood blockbuster "The Dark Knight Rises."

   "The ticket sales for 'The Thieves' is showing a rare pattern, drawing larger audiences each day as time goes by," an official at the movie's distributor Showbox said.

   Directed by Choe Dong-hoon, known for "Tazza: the High Rollers" and "The Big Swindle," "The Thieves" is about 10 South Korean and Chinese thieves teaming up to steal a valuable diamond necklace at a Macao casino.