Lee Jung-Jae 이정재 [Movie “Hunt” | Upcoming: Star Wars series “The Acolyte” (Disney+)]

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May 15,  2015

Choi Dong-hoon’s “The Assassination” Poster: Ha Jung-woo, Lee Jung-jae, Jeon Ji-hyun, and Cho Jin-woong in One Place

KOFICE  

Could there be a better picture? Ha Jung-woo, Lee Jung-jae, Jeon Ji-hyun, and Cho Jin-woong have gathered in one place. It’s the poster for the blockbuster “The Assassination.” 

This dream cast was possible because the director is Choi Dong-hoon, the creator of “Tazza” and “The Thieves.” Set in Shanghai and Seoul in 1933, “The Assassination” tells the story of the twisted fate of independence fighters, temporary government officials, and assassins who have no homeland, no forgiveness or names. The recently released poster captures the characters’ powerful expressions. A team of assassins made up of An Ok-yun (Jeon Ji-hyun) from the independence army and Soksapo (Cho Jin-woong) and Hwang Duk-sam (Choi Duk-moon), and Yeom Suk-jin who drew up the team, and Hawaii Pistol (Ha Jung-woo) and his partner (Oh Dal-soo) who are after the assassin team are in the tension-filled chase for their own reasons. The A-star cast of Jeon Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-soo, Cho Jin-woong, and Choi Duk-moon and the poster copy “The vanished nation, the mission began and they chose different paths” are enough to get the people wondering about the relationship between the 6 people.

The most-talked about movie so far, “The Assassination” directed by Choi Dong-hun and starring Jeon Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-soo, Cho Jin-woong, and Choi Duk-moon will come to the theaters in July.

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June 4, 2015

Ha Jeong-woo, Jeon Ji-hyeon and Lee Jeong-jae in "The Assassination"

Source: OSEN via Hancinema.net

Charismatic stills from the movie "The Assassination" were released on the 5th featuring Ha Jeong-woo, Jeon Ji-hyeon and Lee Jeong-jae.

Lee Jeong-jae plays the role of Yeom Seok-jin, a provisional government agent who calls together the three people for an assassination.

Jeon Ji-hyeon plays Ahn Ok-yoon, an independent sniper and with Jo Jin-woong and Choi Deok-moon (Hwang Deok-sam), she heads for Kyeong Seong.

Ha Jeong-woo plays the Hawaiian Pistol who is paid a lot of money to kill and with the Old Man by Oh Dal-soo, he tracks down the three assassins.

Meanwhile, "The Assassination" will be out this July. 

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June 8. 2015

Jeon Ji-hyeon, Lee Jeong-jae and Ha Jeong-woo's 'The Assassination' cancels press conference due to aftermath of MERS

Source: Xportsnews via Hancinema.net

The press conference for movie, "The Assassination" has been cancelled due to MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome).

On June 8th, "The Assassination" said, "Due to the spread of MERS, we had to change our schedule for now". "The Assassination" was going to have a press conference in the morning on June 10th. The press conference will be rescheduled at a later date.

This is not the first time that an event related to film industry has been cancelled. Director Im Sang-soo's new project, "Intimate Enemies" also cancelled their showcase event, which was supposed to be hold at Kunkuk University, as a precautionary measure.

"The Assassination" has been drawing much attention with its star-studded cast including Jeon Ji-hyeon, Lee Jeong-jae, Ha Jeong-woo, Oh Dal-soo, Jo Jin-woong, Lee Kyeong-yeong, Choi Deok-moon and for being directly by director Choi Dong-hoon. "The Assassination" is scheduled to be released in July. 

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June 10, 2015

‘Assassination’ to be released in 15 nations

The rights of upcoming crime film “Assassination” starring A-list actors Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae and Ha Jung-woo, have been sold in 15 countries prior to release, the film’s distributor Showbox announced on Wednesday. 

The producers earlier sold the film rights to distributors in 10 nations at the Hong Kong Film Market in March, after which five more nations -- Australia, New Zealand, Germany, Myanmar and India ? joined the list, bringing the total to 15, according to Showbox.

Set in 1930s Seoul and Shanghai, the star-ridden film stars Jun as a contract assassin, Lee and Ha as an independent fighter and a provisional government officer, respectively. 

“Assassination,” helmed by renowned filmmaker Choi Dong-hoon whose past works include “The Theives” and “Story of Jeon Woo-chi,” is scheduled to hit local cinemas in July. 

By Hong Hye-jin (honghyejin@heralcorp.com)

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June 6, 2015

Lee Jeong Jae, Jeon Ji Hyeon, Ha Jeong Woo releases still cut of ‘Assassination’… premieres in July

Source: Innolife.com

Film ‘Assassination’ released the still cut.

‘Assassination’ is a movie of unexpected fate around independence army around assassination of pro-Japanese group in Shanghai of 1933, and hired killer chasing them.

The still cut of ‘Assassination’ shows different image of 6 people before the assassination, drawing curiosity. For the assassination Yeom Seok-Jin (Lee Jeong-Jae) calls 3 people with cold charisma. The independence army sniper Ahn Ok-Yoon (Jeon Ji-Hyeon), one who lives by being in the independence army, Sok Sa Po (Jo Jin-Woong), and active member of the independence army Hwang Deok-Sam (played by Choi Deok-Moon) are heading to Gyeongseong for the mission.

‘Assassination’ is drawing attention with the collaboration of director Choi Dong-Hoon, actor Lee Jeong-Jae, Jeon Ji-Hyeon, Ha Jeong-Woo, Oh Dal-Soo, Jo Jin-Woong, Choi Deok-Moon and more, and it will premiere on upcoming July.

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June 16, 2015

‘Assassination’ released 6 colored posters 

Source: Innolife.com

Character posters of movie ‘Assassination’ starring Jeon Ji-Hyeon, Lee Jeong-Jae, Ha Jeong-Woo and more were unveiled.
Character posters of 6 actors in Shanghai and Gyeongseong in 1933 were released.

Jeon Ji-Hyeon changed into Ahn Ok-Yoon, who is the leader of assassination group a sniper. She shows tension from her hands holding gun. Lee Jeong-Jae changed into Yeom Seok-Jin, a member of temporary government, Yeom Seok-Jin. Text “How could you doubt me” represents his anxious feeling.

Ha Jeong-Woo rooked role of Hawaii Pistol, a contract assassin and showed off cold charisma. Oh Dal-So, Ha Jeong-Woo’s friend in the movie showed unique character with fun make-up and waved hair. Choi Deok-Moon holding a bomb to write his name on the history shows great tension.

‘Assassination’ is a movie of independent army and assassins around an assassination plan. It will premiere in July. [Photo=Poster of ‘Assassination’]

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June 20, 2015

‘Assassination’ release is set

By Jin Min-ji  INSIDE Korea JoongAng Daily

The release date of the upcoming movie “Assassination,” in which actor Lee Jung-jae and actress Jun Ji-hyun star, has been confirmed for July 22.

In addition to Lee and Jun, other renowned actors such as Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-su and Cho Jin-woong will appear in the flick that is receiving much attention in the Korean movie industry.

The upcoming work is Jun’s first project since she starred in the hit drama “My Love from the Star” (2013-14). 

Unlike Jun, Lee has been actively participating in various films recently. A few of his hits include “The New World” (2012), “The Face Reader” (2013) and “Big Match” (2014). 

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June 22, 2015

'Assassination' an ode to Korea's independence fighters

The year is 1933. A female sniper, a gun expert and a bomb expert are pulled into an unlikely ragtag team by a political mastermind to assassinate two key figures in the Japanese regime governing Korea. Their plan is slipped to a ruthless paid assassin, who begins to hunt them down.

The plot of the upcoming film “Assassination” is thrilling enough in and of itself to be a box office success, but according to director Choi Dong-hoon the aim of the movie is to tell the story of those who fought for justice in Korea’s darkest era.

“I read a lot of books while preparing this movie,” Choi said at a press conference at CGV Apgujeong on Monday. “When I was looking through photos of the independence fighters, I came across a lot of people that have gone down in history, but also photos of people whose names we would never know. It gave me a strange feeling. I began to wonder how they lived, where their courage came from. I wanted to make a film remembering those who should never be forgotten.”

In order to bring those people to life, Choi, who helmed past hits like “Tazza: The High Rollers” (2006) and “The Thieves” (2012) brought together an all-star cast. Jun Ji-hyun (also known abroad as Gianna Jun) played the female shooter leading the assassination plot, while other key characters were played by A-listers such as Lee Jung-jae in the part of the mysterious mastermind, Ha Jung-woo in the part of the mercenary assassin, as well as Cho Jin-woong, Choi Duk-moon and Oh Dal-soo. 

The film was long in the making. Choi first had the idea for the scenario while shooting “Tazza,” and scrapped an earlier version of the script in order to create a movie with more depth.

“We actually spoke about the movie quite a bit when we were promoting ‘The Thieves,’” said Jun. “When he told me about the film, I knew that it would be a truly unique story. I suggested a lot of different ideas to him, but when the final script came out I was so surprised. The characters were so diverse, and the plot was riveting. I was amazed that the story we had talked about could end up like this.”

“Assassination” was filmed over five months in Shanghai and Seoul, with elaborate action scenes taking place on sprawling, lavish sets recreating the ambience of 1930s Gyeongseong (Seoul‘s name at the time) and the Provisional Government of Korea in Shanghai. 

“I felt that the best environment for the actors to bring out their characters required accurate recreations of the clothing and spaces of the 1930s,” Choi said.

All together, the film cost an impressive 18 billion won ($16 million) to make, bringing together Korea’s top names in costuming, set design, lighting and production. 

“The Korean independence movement was a long fight, with heroes that are unimaginable for ordinary people like me,” Choi said. “I wanted to make this an entertaining film and a meaningful film. I tried my very best to express the rough, agonizing and lonely emotion of those years.”

“Assassination” opens in local theaters on July 22.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)

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June 25, 2015

‘Assassination’ To Reveal Its Two Main Posters

Source: BNTNews

[by Choi Juran, translated by Woorim Ahn] Movie ‘Assassination’ disclosed two main posters. 

The film draws an assassination project happened in 1933 in Shanghai and Kyungsung and depicted inevitable choices and unpredictable fates among an army for national independence, provisional government agents, and wipers. 

In the main poster, Ahn Ok Yoon (Jun Ji Hyun), Yeom Suk Jin (Lee Jung Jae), Hawaii Pistol (Ha Jung Woo), Young Gam (Oh Dal Soo), Sok Sapo (Jo Jin Woong), and Hwang Duk Sam (Choi Duk Mun)’s determined faces caught the mass public’s attention. 

Moreover, in the other image, the six main characters aimed their targets and it made the audience nervous. 

Meanwhile, ‘Assassination’ will premiere nationwide on July 22. (photo by ‘Assassination’ main posters)

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June 28, 2015

"The Assassination" VS "Veteran" VS "Memories of the Sword"

Source: TV Report via Hancinema.net

Summer is the time when the theaters are most competitive. July is near and blockbusters which cost more than 10 billion won, took the plates.

Distributors of these blockbusters spend many sleepless nights during the summer season. "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" set a record last year that no one can break, but this year, it's different.

Three distributors have come out with major films that no one knows of yet. There are only rumors.

However, each of these movies have a story to tell. The three distributors have no choice but to hold it in until the public has a say. -

Showbox – "The Assassination"

Showbox was first to throw out a hat into the ring.

Based in Shanghai in the 1930s, a group of assassins are called in to wipe out the pro-Japanese.

"The Assassination" comes out on the 22nd of July. Showbox gathered 10 million people with "The Thieves" in 2012 and is challenging its own record with director Choi Dong-hoon.

Showbox is determined to recover the loss of "KUNDO : Age of the Rampant" with "The Assassiantion". "Kundo" was first to come out last year but was no match for "The Admiral: Roaring Currents".

"The Assassination" stars Ha Jeong-woo, Lee Jeong-jae and Jeon Ji-hyeon.

- CJ E&M – "Veteran"

The second distributor CJ E&M is out with criminal movie "Veteran".

"Veteran" is about a group of investigators who track down a snobbish third generation plutocrat starring Hwang Jeong-min who starred in "Ode to My Father" last year. The movie is out on the 5th of August.

"Veteran" was lined up for release in May but internal reactions pushed it to August.

CJ E&M initially chose "Terminator Genisys" as its movie of the year but lost it and didn't have anything to bring about in the summer. However, "Veteran" came along and it became the savior that was going to recover the company image.

- Lotte Entertainment – "Memories of the Sword "

The final distributor is Lotte Entertainment. There were many ups and downs until it made its decision.

Lotte is coming out with "Memories of the Sword" at the end of August. At the end of the Koryeo Times, the best female sword fighter was a woman who had to hide her identity and sought to avenge her teacher and mother's death.

"Memories of the Sword" was initially scheduled to be released in fall last year but thanks to the Lee Byung-hun blackmail case, the movie was pushed from fall to winter, winter to spring and spring to summer. "Memories of the Sword" is unexplainable without Lee Byung-hun so it just waited for the right time. However, every good movie needs a good timing.

Lotte Entertainment is the only one without a 10 billion audience record. This summer, it hopes to break the record. The public's view of Lee Byung-hun is still not so warm although they have to admit, he's a good actor.

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July 7, 2015

S. Korean actor Lee Jung-jae

South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae, who stars in the new movie "Assassination," poses for a photo during a publicity event in Seoul on July 7, 2015. The movie will be released in South Korea on July 22. (Yonhap) (END)

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Source: CINE21

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July 15, 2015

'Assassination': Excellent film seamlessly combining Korean history and action

By Shim Sun-ah

SEOUL, July 15 (Yonhap) -- Choi Dong-hoon is considered one of the most popular and influential directors in the local film industry. Debuting with "The Big Swindle" in 2004, he has had big commercial success with every new film -- such as "Tazza: The High Rollers" (2006), "Woochi" (2009) and "The Thieves" (2012) -- regardless of mixed reviews from critics.

So there also was a mixed outlook on his upcoming film because the master of the action-crime thriller genre has never made a historical film, especially one set in the grim era when Korea was a colony of Japan from 1910 to 1945.

It turned out to be an excellent film that well combines the massiveness of the traditional historical film genre and Choi's own polished directing skills and sense of humor.

The new film "Assassination" is set partly in Shanghai and partly in Seoul during the 1930s. Yeom Seok-jin (Lee Jung-jae), the police chief of the provisional Korean government in exile in Shanghai, brings in An Ok-yun (Jun Ji-hyun), a female sniper in the Korean independence army in Manchuria, northeastern China, and two male members of the army jailed in China (Cho Jin-woong and Choi Duk-mun) for an assassination plot.

Their mission is to kill the commander of the Japanese troops in Korea and a pro-Japanese business tycoon named Kang In-guk (Lee Gyoung-young) in Seoul. But a ruthless paid assassin nicknamed "Hawaii pistol" (Ha Jung-woo) begins to hunt them down as soon as the assassination squad leaves for Seoul.

The whole film is tightly woven dramatic action that presents a lot of characters and a lot of ideas. The involvement of the contract assassin and the emergence of a traitor among the independence fighters add suspense to the story.

While "The Thieves" lost its balance as screenwriter/director Choi tried to cram too much -- complex plots, family, romance and even elements of Hong Kong noir films -- into the 135-minute running time, "Assassination" progresses more smoothly with a clear focus on the assassination plot.

Even though it also has an all-star cast like "The Thieves," Choi didn't repeat the error of allocating much of the running time to introducing each character.

A superlative performance by the cast is another strength of the film.

Jun, who became one of the hottest Korean Wave stars after her TV series "My Love from the Stars" became a big hit in China last year, successfully played a round character as a fearsome and strong-minded sniper that has weak, feminine and lovely elements at the same time.

She and other major stars -- Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-soo -- are in good harmony with each other in portraying people who endured the hard times of the 1930s in their own ways.

Although the movie tells the untold stories of Korean independence fighters who sacrificed themselves for the nation, it still is a commercial film from beginning to end. In other words, it's fun. Intriguing camera shots and action sequences and the delicate and splendid reenactment of the Shanghai and Seoul streets of the era makes the film worth seeing.

The movie opens in local theaters next Wednesday.

sshim@yna.co.kr

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July 18, 2015

Lee Jung-jae to Star in Korea-China Co-Production

Source: The Chosun Ilbo

Actor Lee Jung-jae will appear in the Korean-Chinese co-production with the working title "The Day of Reversal" along with Hong Kong actor Wallace Chung, also known as Chung Hon-leung.

According to Lee's agency C-JeS Entertainment, shooting will begin late July.

Meanwhile, Lee is busy promoting his latest film "Assassination," a much-hyped flick with star-studded cast set to be released on July 22.

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July 18, 2015

Lee Jung Jae releases new pictorials & interview    

Source: STARN News

Lee Jung Jae's new pictorials and interview have been released.

On July 18th, a representative of C-JeS Entertainment said, "Lee Jung Jin's new pictorials and interview have been released through August edition of fashion magazine 'VOGUE,' and a great number of fans are showing explosive reactions for Lee Jung Jae's fabulous look."

In the pictorials, Lee Jung Jae is wearing suits of many different styles, and many people are showing particularly hot reactions for his phenomenal body shape and charismatic look.

Another representative said, "Lee Jung Jae led the entire photo shoot with fabulous charisma."

During an interview that was held along with the photo shoot, Lee Jung Jae talked about his upcoming film, 'Assassination,' and his future plans.

Meanwhile, Lee Jung Jae played in 'Assassination' as a Korean soldier named Yum Suk Jin, and the movie will be officially released on July 22nd.

/Reporting by Kim Dong-Joo en@starnnews.com

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July 23, 2015

Korean film 'Assassination' opens strong

SEOUL, July 23 (Yonhap) -- The Korean historical action film "Assassination" is off to a solid box-office start this week.

The film starring Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae and Ha Jung-woo made its debut on 1,264 screens around the country on Wednesday for 477,620 in attendance.

That's the highest opening-day record among Korean films that have opened in local theaters this year.

The number is far more than 436,596 for director Choi Dong-hoon's preceding film "The Thieves" and 395,951 and 170,700 for box-office hitters, "The Host" (2006) and "Haeundae" (2009), respectively.

Assassination's local distributor Showbox says the movie is expected to become one of the most-viewed Korean films ever judging from the strong opening numbers.

Set in Shanghai and Seoul in 1930s when Korea was a colony of Japan, the star-studded film depicts three Korean independence fighters teaming up to assassinate the commander of the Japanese troops in Korea and a Korean business tycoon with ties to Japan.

Director Choi Dong-hoon (1st from R) and the cast of the new Korean film "Assassination" pose for a photo during a news conference to promote the film on June 22, 2015, in Seoul (Yonhap) Director Choi Dong-hoon (1st from R) and the cast of the new Korean film "Assassination" pose for a photo during a news conference to promote the film on June 22, 2015, in Seoul (Yonhap)

sshim@yna.co.kr

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July 19, 2015

Is Production Cost Proportionate to Number of Audiences?
CHOI Dong-hoon’s Assassination bets winning move with a production budget of 18 billion won.

by Kim Hyun-jung / KoBiz
  
There is no reason only big-budget films should draw many audiences.
 
In 2013, Mr. Go flopped with only fewer than 1.5 million viewers even though the film costs 25 billion won(USD 21million), the highest ever in Korea, to produce. But CHOI Dong-hoon, the director of Assassination has enjoyed a desirable phenomenon where increases in budgets for his films translate into bigger box office hits. The Big Swindle, his debut film already earned him a spot on the list of Korea’s commercially successful directors.
 
In 2006, Tazza: The High Rollers with a production budget of 5.1 billion won (USD 4.5 million) attracted 6.84 million viewers. In 2009, Woochi with a production budget of 12 billion (USD 10 million), 6.13 million viewers and in 2012, The Thieves with a production budget of 14 billion won (USD 12 million ), 12.98 million viewers. Woochi’s production budget which is a high budget for a Korean film, equals the production budget for only six minutes of the Hollywood mega blockbuster Avatar.
 

 
Assassination, a new film by CHOI costs 18 billion won (USD 15.7million) to produce. Memories of the Sword, Veteran and The Beauty Inside picked as the four most anticipated Korea films for the summer season along with Assassination cost nine, five and 4.5 billion won, respectively to produce. “The increase in the budget made me ask myself, ‘Am I crazy now?’”, CHOI said about a burden of the growing budget. CHOI will receive the opening-day box-office scorecard of his new film on July 22 when Assassination will hit screens. 

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July 26, 2015

Korean film 'Assassination' draws second-most viewers in one day

SEOUL, July 26 (Yonhap) -- The Korean historical action film "Assassination" drew nearly 950,000 viewers in one day, its distributor said Sunday, the second-largest number for any Korean movie.

The film, which opened in theaters Wednesday, was seen by 949,135 people on Saturday, according to Showbox. That's second only to "Roaring Currents," which set a record of 1.26 million viewers on its fifth day of opening last year.

Set in Shanghai and Seoul in the 1930s when Korea was a colony of Japan, the star-studded film depicts three Korean independence fighters teaming up to assassinate the commander of the Japanese troops in Korea and a Korean business tycoon with ties to Japan.

Among the actors in the leading roles are Jun Ji-hyun, Lee Jung-jae and Ha Jung-woo.

As of Saturday, the movie was seen by nearly 2.42 million viewers, leading to expectations it will exceed the 3 million mark later Sunday.

hague@yna.co.kr

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July 27, 2015

‘Assassination’ continues record-breaking streak

Director Choi Dong-hoon’s latest flick “Assassination” is setting new records at the Korean box office, data showed Monday. 
According to industry data, more than 950,000 cinemagoers picked “Assassination” on Sunday, pushing up the total tally to 3.37 million.

“Assassination” earlier set the record for breaking the 2 million viewer mark in four days. 

Having reached the 3 million mark within five days of release, “Assassination” is outpacing past hits such as “The Host” and “The Thieves” and “Snowpiercer.” The three movies drew in more than 10 million viewers in Korea, but took six days to breach the 3 million mark. 

The film’s success is fueled by Choi’s characteristic storytelling method that conveys the complex relationships between characters, as well as the star lineup. 

The movie’s protagonists are played by Jun Ji-hyun, Ha Jung-woo and Lee Jung-jae. 

Set in Shanghai and Seoul in the 1930s when Korea was a colony of Japan, the star-studded film follows three Korean independence fighters’ plans to assassinate the commander of the Japanese troops in Korea and a pro-Japanese Korean businessman. 

By Choi He-suk (cheesuk@heraldcorp.com)

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July 23, 2015

No More Hollywood: Big 4 Korean Films in Summer War
Assassination, Veteran, Memories of the Sword, and The Beauty Inside at the Starting Line.

by Ha Sung-tae / KoBiz

Korean cinema in the first half of 2015 was certainly in a crisis. It was quite different from the usual “crisis panic” that emerges every time Korean film shares drop. It was much more tangible this time due to issue of downward-standardization of Korean commercial films.
 
The only two films to have attracted more than 3 million viewers were Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island and Twenty. Gangnam Blues, The Chronicles of Evil and The Classified File narrowly met the break-even point with 2 million viewers.
 
According to the Korean Film Council (KOFIC) report on ‘Korean cinema in May 2015’, the share of Korean films in the first 5 months of the year was 43%. It may seem like only a 3% decrease compared to last year, but if examined closely, it is apparent that this figure owes greatly to the success of Ode to My Father, referred to as a “10 million viewer film,” which was released in December 2014.
 
Still, some maintain that the sense of crisis is over exaggerated, and argue that the 'Big Four' may sweep the box office in July and August.
 
Starting with Assassination by CHOI Dong-hoon to be released on the July 22nd (distributed by Showbox), Veteran on the August 5th (distributed by CJ Entertainment), Memories of the Sword on the August 13th (distributed by Lotte Entertainment), and lastly, The Beauty Inside on August 20th (distributed by New Entertainment World), all four will be released during this period, to fight the assumption of so called the “crisis” of Korean cinema.
 
Let us check out the central selling points of these Big 4 films that the Big 4 distributors are making every effort to promote. 
 
Assassination: Splendid cast, Even More Splendid Action
 

Could there be any more attractive tag-line than "the next film by CHOI Dong-hoon of The Thieves“? At least in Korea, CHOI is one of the rare directors whose work has been successful both commercially and critically. His films are very engaging for viewers and, at the same time very well made in terms of dramatic completeness. This 18 billion won (USD 15.6 million) budget film by CHOI got its inspiration from a photo of the National Independence Army in the 1930s. 
 
CHOI said in an interview that he tried to focus on “the people who are not different from us, but had to live differently to follow their beliefs in the historically tragic time.” Unlike Tazza: The High Rollers, which was a noir, or The Thieves, which was a caper movie, Assassination is distinctively different from his previous films. Here, CHOI attempts to deliver a more focused theme and serious drama, dealing with s revenge plot by an assassination team under Japanese Occupation.
 
To be sure, the splendid cast and their splendid acting are also at the center of attention for this film. Gianna JUN, the muse for CHOI since The Thieves, shows her superb presence as the leading female gear of the film. LEE Jung-jae, HA Jung-woo, OH Dal-su, CHO Jin-woong, and CHOI Duk-mun certainly live up to their name value as well.
 
The open studio in Shanghai which runs as large as 1,980,000㎡ Mitsukoshi Department Store and the old streets of Seoul built in Goyang city, are all great settings for splendid action to attract viewers. With all these strong points, Assassination is already expected to garner “at least 10 million viewers” even before release.
 
Veteran: Cool, Thrilling and Fun!

In 2011, RYOO Seung-wan practically made a grand slam of major awards at the 32nd Blue Dragon Awards with his film, The Unjust, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Script. RYOO is now back two years after his film,The Berlin File , was viewed by more than 7 million. Veteran has quite a few similarities with The Unjust. RYOO confesses that he himself sees “quite a bit of relation between the two films, as if they were different sides of the same coin.“
 
According to the director, “while The Unjust tells a story of those defeated by power, Veteran shows their resistance against power.” To be sure, the vivid dichotomy of police vs “chaebol” is pretty much the same as in The Unjust. Whereas RYOO Seung-bum’s prosecutor is replaced by YOO Ah-in’s third generation chaebol, the police role is still played by HWANG Jung-min. And this duel between the two main characters is supported by YOO Hae-jin, OH Dal-su, JANG Yoon-joo, KIM Si-hoo and so on.
 
It is also good news that the action scenes are further strengthened thanks to JUNG Doo-hong, the best known martial art and action director in Korea, who helped build the reputation of RYOO as an “action specialist”. If The Unjust can be classified as a social noir, Veteran is promoted as a crime-entertainment-action film. In RYOO’s words: “I wanted it to be cool, thrilling and entertaining like a refreshment.” It is expected to be his brightest and most upbeat entertainment movie, and to be a quite a success in theaters along with Assassination.
 
Memories of the Sword: A Korean Style Martial Art Movie 

Memories of the Sword is certainly an eye catcher. First of all, it is a martial art action drama whose genre has rarely been attempted in Korean cinema. It would be already enough to attract movie goers to feature JEON Do-yeon, LEE Byung-hun and KIM Go-eun in martial arts action, which, until now, could only be found in foreign films like KING Hu’s A Touch of Zen, LEE Ang’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero by ZHANG Yimou. 
 
“In the last years of Koryo Dynasty where the sword is power itself; a man who dreamt of being a King turned into a traitor; and 18 years later, two swords are pointed at him. Three swordsmen with different paths and their inevitable destiny.“ is the tag-line. Among the notable features of the film is wire action. The teaser film demonstrates more audience friendly emotional acting that differs from the Chinese style. '
 
The performance of action scenes and the display of emotion by JEON Do-yeon who proved herself one more time in The Shameless and KIM Go-eun who was in the center of attention again in Coin Locker Girl are also noteworthy. The actress-geared Korean style martial art action genre is certainly interesting for many people. Could Memories of the Sword open a new landscape in the Korean style martial art action genre?
 
The Beauty Inside: The star of Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity becomes a movie

Lastly, The Beauty Inside is based on the Intel-Toshiba joint funded social film The Beauty Inside, which made a huge impact on the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity three years ago. This social film runs 40 minutes in total and consists of 6 episodes, featuring a man who transforms into different personas everyday. This unique theme was told in a sympathetic narrative and won the heart of numberless people in the CF business worldwide in 2012. Director BAIK (real name: BAIK Jong-yeol), who has an ongoing reputation of sensitive and sensual directing in the CF business, has turned it into a feature film with the same title.
 
Interestingly, The Beauty Inside might as well be referred to as an “actor blockbuster.” To play the role Woo-jin who totally transforms into different appearances every morning, as many as 21 actors and actresses have been invited. From rookies to top stars, including a Japanese actress Ueno Juri, along with PARK Shin-hye, CHUN Woo-hee, LEE Beom-su, LEE Jin-wook, KIM Joo-hyuk, YOO Yeon-seok, and KO Asung, they all agreed to be in the movie as they were fascinated by the unique idea and script.
 
BAIK explains that he thought hard whether to extend and change the original, but then he finally decided to keep the original as it is and just add some more episodes. Whereas the original focuses on the ways in which a man falls in love, BAIK added other stories to it. 
 
The Beauty Inside is drawing attention thanks to the unique theme, sensual frames, a whole variety of actors and their unique performance. it is also the only work among the Big 4 that has a distinctive love story, adding some variety to the field of other big movies geared to action and blockbuster style.