Lee Sun-Kyun 이선균

[sadiesmith]

A new movie is coming and it sounds very unusual:http://www.dramabeans.com/2014/12/lee-seon-kyun-takes-on-killer-virus-for-new-movie/

[irilight]

Upcoming Releases - Post-Production/Completed

Angry Lawyer성난 변호사Dir: Huh Jong-ho (Countdown, 2011)Cast: Lee Sun-kyun (A Hard Day), Kim Go-eun (Eungyo, 2012)Production: 
Distribution: CJ EntertainmentFilming Dates: 2014-10-18 ~ 2015-01-20
Genre: Thriller
Plot: A lawyer teams up with a young prosecutor to tackle a murder case with multiple suspects but no body or evidence.

Source: MKC

[xylie]

Hi there,
just want to say that lee seon kyun is a great actor and he has the best chemistry with gong hyo jin. hope there will be pasta season 2. am a huge fan of pasta season 1. 

[sadiesmith]

xylie said: Hi there,
just want to say that lee seon kyun is a great actor and he has the best chemistry with gong hyo jin. hope there will be pasta season 2. am a huge fan of pasta season 1. 

[rubie]

March 18,  2015
Chunsa Film Art Awards:'A Hard Day' takes home Grand Prix, Ha Jeong-woo and Bae Doona win best actor and actress
Source: TV Report via Hancinema.net

"A Hard Day" starring Lee Seon-gyoon and Jo Jin-woong as the leads was awarded Grand Prix at 2015 Chunsa Film Art Awards.
2015 Chunsa Film Art Awards was held in the International Conference Room on the 20th floor of Korea Press Conference Press Center on March 18th.
This year's Grand Prix of Chunsa Film Art Awards went to "A Hard Day" director, Kim Seong-hoon-III. During the acceptance speech, director Kim Seong-hoon-III said, "I will continue to work harder to fill up my shortcomings so I become a director who is not ashamed of himself".
"A Hard Day" is an unpredictable crime action movie seen by more than 3.4 million people since it was released in May last year, of which success was based on the robust directing.
Best actor award was given to 'KUNDO : Age of the Rampant' actor Ha Jeong-woo and best actress award went to "A Girl at My Door" actress, Bae Doona.
Ha Jeong-woo said during the acceptance speech, "Thank you for awarding me this meaningful award while I'm still lacking in great deal. I'll work harder and challenge myself more from now on".
Bae Doona showed up at an official event for the first time after she broke up with Hollywood star, Jim Sturgess. Bae Doona calmly said during the acceptance speech, "Thank you truly. It's a great honor. I'll take this award representing all the staff and actors and actresses who worked very hard for the movie, "A Girl at My Door". I'd like to show good performances in more of Korean movies".
New director award was given to director Woo Moon-gi of 'The King of Jokgu'. Director Woo Moon-gi showed off his cheerful and witty production ability for the movie.
Director Woo Moon-gi delivered an emotional speech, "I really did not expect this. I'm not prepared for the speech" and "I'd like to make really good movies".
Best screenplay award went to writer Park Su-jin of "Ode to My Father" and Choi Tae-yeong of "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" took the Technical Achievement Award home.
Special Award went to "Ode to My Father" director Yoon Je-kyoon and Special contribution award went to Myung Film CEO, Shim Jae-myung who produced "Cart" and "Revivre".
The Chunsa Na Un-kyu Film Art Awards was founded in 1990 to celebrate the director's life and passion towards movies. The competition is not through application registration system. Five film critics (Kim Jong-won, Cho Hye-jeong, Kim Yeong-jin, Kang Yoo-jeong, Nam Dong-cheol) nominate candidates and the judging committee comprised of active directors choose award winners finally.

[Guest kyung-jin]

6 Hot actors over 40 who are splendid like well-aged fine wine

by Nancy Z on Fri, Apr 03, 2015

These exceptional leading men over 40 are entering their prime. They still look youthful and energetic despite a few fine wrinkles, but they are definitely not flower boys. Some of them have weathered life's ups and downs, and all have certainly learned a lot from their long career. The extraordinary men on our list are mature inside and out, just like fine wine that has aged well, and they attract us with their unique bouquet. You'd be surprised that they also share something else in common.

4. Lee Sun Gyun (age 40) - This handsome man just reached 40 in March this year. We first noticed him and his velvety voice in the ever-popular Coffee Prince. He has since become a leading man known for his unique charm in Pasta and Miss Korea. In real life, He fell in love at first sight for actress Jeon Hye Jin and married her after 7 years of dating. They now have 2 sons.

Source: http://www.dramafever.com/news/hot-men-over-40-can-be-splendid-like-well-aged-fine-wine/

[Guest adikkeluangman]

#Yoonbak wants to follow actor Lee Sun-Gyun’s filmography

http://entertain.naver.com/read?oid=311&aid=0000497915

He been asked in a radio show recently. Pray that he will get similar work with Lee Sun Gyun or maybe work together in a project.

[rubie]

August 14, 2015

Lee Sun Kyun To Visit ‘Three Meals a Day’

Source: BNTNews

[by Woorim Ahn] Lee Sun Kyun became a housewife. 

On the upcoming episode of tvN ‘Three Meals a Day’, actor Lee Sun Kyun appeared a guest and visited Oksoonbong to show off his cooking ability. 

He said, “Today, I won’t do anything and stay still” and made the three members nervous. However, unlike what he said, he slowly participated in cooking meals and he grabbed utensils every time. 

Just like his character in drama ‘Pasta’, he showed off his knowledge in cooking and surprised the staff and the three members. Although Kim Kwang Kyu was the main chef of sweet sour pork, Lee Sun Kyun did everything in making it. 

Meanwhile, Lee Sun Kyun’s appearance in ‘Three Meals a Day’ will air on August 14. (photo by CJ E&M)

[rubie]

August 21, 2015

Lee Sun Kyun To Cook Pasta For ‘Three Meals A Day’

Source: BNTNews

[by Sora Ghim] Actor Lee Sun Kyun has arrived at ‘Three Meals A Day’ and cooks pasta for the first time in 6 years on TV.

On the upcoming episode of tvN ‘Three Meals A Day,’ it continues the episode of guest Lee Sun Kyun as he shows his cooking skills. Six years since his appearance as a chef in drama ‘Pasta,’ Lee Sun Kyun will try his hand at pasta.

In the previous episode, he arrived and stated that he won’t do anything. However, he eventually ended up becoming the ‘housewife,’ raising anticipation for his further activities during his stay. During the broadcast that will air on August 21, Lee Sun Kyun will finally showcase his pasta skills, raising the anticipation of viewers and the cast of ‘Three Meals A Day.’

Lee Sun Kyun will cook aglio e olio and vongole. Moreover, Kim Kwang Kyu, the weakest at cooking, became the assistant chef. Will Lee Sun Kyun be able to successfully create his pasta dishes even with the nervous help of Kim Kwang Kyu?

Also shown during this episode are the cast members falling into the fear of corn. Previously, the four men trusted the well-grown corn and bought a fan and ate shaved ice with the money they received in advance for selling the corn. Will they be able to pay back the advance by picking the corn under the hot summer sun? As the fearful harvesting begins, ‘Ok Soon Bong Slave Season 2’ will bring laughter to viewers.

Meanwhile, this episode will air on Friday, August 21 at 9:45 PM KST. (photo by CJ E&M)

[Guest LeeSunGyunFan]

First trailer of Angry Laywer / The Advocate: A Missing Body (성난 변호사) with English subtitle.
Premiere: October 8, 2015
https://youtu.be/QPTYZWcTmhI

 

Edited September 6, 2015 by LeeSunGyunFan

[lummy]

He has confirmed one more chungmuro this year and this time with the goddess Kim Hye Soo ^^..what a busy year for him

 

#LeeSunKyun Cast in #KimHyeSoo’s Upcoming Noir Film

 

Actor Lee Sun Kyun has been cast in the upcoming noir film starring Kim Hye Soo.

According to the reports, Lee Sun Kyun has recently confirmed to appear in “Precious Woman.” Previously, Kim Hye Soo was cast to be the protagonist.

Kim Hye Soo will play Na Hyun Jung,  a second-in-command who takes a crime organization and grows it into a big conglomerate. Lee Sun Kyun will portray Sang Hoon, who falls in love with the powerful woman.

The movie will be the first time that the two actors will be working together. The release date has yet to be confirmed.

[rubie]

September 21, 2015

KIM Hye-soo, LEE Sun-kyun Team up for PRECIOUS WOMAN
High Profile Thespians Co-star in the New Crime Noir Melodrama

by Kobiz Reporter

One of the few actresses that boasted strong presence on screen during the first half of 2015, KIM Hye-soo has decided on another crime noir Precious Woman (Korean title) as her next onscreen gig.
 
Partnering with her will be a versatile actor and her agency colleague LEE Sun-kyun, who is highly in demand in both film and TV industries.
 
The crime feature will be directed by LEE An-gyu, who was previously assistant director for KIM Jee-woon’s star-studded Western adventure drama The Good, The Bad, And The Weird, and LEE Joon-ik’s epic drama Blades of Blood. 
 
KIM has starred in popular hits such as CHOI Dong-hoon’s Tazza: The High Rollers and The Thieves, and Cannes’ Critics’ Week sidebar screener Coin Locker Girl by HAN Jun-hee.
 
LEE Sun-kyun has starred in mainstream hits including All About My Wife and Helpless, as well as acting in art titles such as PARK Chan-ok’s Paju, HONG Sang-soo’s Nobody’s Daughter Haewon and KIM Seong-hun’s festival favorite low-budget action movie, A Hard Day. His latest film The Advocate: A Missing Body is opening on 8 October.
 
As KIM is currently shooting Family Plan with Don LEE, she is not expected to embark on shooting Precious Woman immediately. According to KIM’s agency, HODU Entertainment, the new film is currently set to crank in early next year.
 
Led by the two very significant thesps, Precious Woman is known to be a story about a woman who takes her gang to the height of a financial magnate, and a man who loves her. Daou Tech Inc. is the film’s investor and distributor.

[lummy]

found this on my TL!!! LEE SUN GYUN AND CHEF SAM KIM the real character of pasta drama

[Guest MapleSilver]

[Herald Review] ‘The Advocate’ is worth your patience

Law drama is fast-paced, entertaining despite cliches

Published : 2015-10-11 15:28
Updated : 2015-10-11 15:28

 

The early segments of “The Advocate: A Missing Body” are spent introducing all the typical characters needed to put together a typical criminal law drama. 

Lee Sun-kyun (acclaimed for “A Hard Day”) plays Byeon Ho-seong, an unscrupulous top lawyer with an incredible 100 percent win rate. Kim Go-eun (most recently in “Memories of the Sword”) is a spunky cub prosecutor named Jin Seon-min who believes justice will always prevail. Jang Hyun-sung becomes the untouchable giant Moon Ji-hoon leading a pharmaceutical company, while Choi Jae-woong plays Kim Jeong-hwan, a mysterious murder suspect.
 

Lee Sun-kyun (left) and Kim Go-eun in "The Advocate: A Missing Body" (CJ Entertainment)

The plot also unfolds soullessly as expected of these characters. All-star lawyer Byeon is hired by the powerful Moon to defend his driver, Kim Jeong-hwan, in a high-profile murder case. He finds out that his opponent will be third-year prosecutor Jin, and has no doubt that he has the case in the bag. Byeon is sure that Kim is guilty, but he has one major advantage -- there is no body.

The case, a nuisance for the busy Byeon, seems to be practically over when his client suddenly stands up at trial and tells the world that he is guilty. Now, it’s Byeon’s reputation on the line as he is suspected of tampering with evidence to create false proof of innocence.

This is where the movie, which had been predictable and bordered on soporific, suddenly starts its engines. Byeon is furious and determined to do whatever it takes to find out what happened with his case. 
 

Lim Won-hee (left) and Lee Sun-kyun in "The Advocate: A Missing Body" (CJ Entertainment)

Lee Sun-kyun puts on a spectacular one-man show as he yells, kicks and bashes everything and everyone while running down leads, and he is absolutely convincing as a man driven by rage and frustration. Byeon is violent, but he is also highly intelligent -- leading to some entertaining scenes where he cleverly dodges those who are trying to stop him from getting to the truth.

“What I focused on in creating (the action) was that it was a smart lawyer running away,” said director Heo Jong-ho at the press preview screening last week. “I wanted to show how he would calculate the exact timing and how his chasers would react, and use that to get away.”

The action is punctuated by several plot twists that serve as breathers before Byeon takes off again. The twists are smart and unexpected, but some of them are delivered rather ineffectively by supporting roles who sacrifice clarity and speed in an attempt to maintain a mysterious aura. 

In fact, Lee Sun-kyun’s Byeon Ho-seong is the only character who gives a straight answer to any question the audience might have throughout the film. Even when a plot development happens to another character, the viewer instinctively waits to see how Byeon responds before reacting themselves.

Indeed, although the storyline redeems its purpose as an entertainment film through the action-packed second half, there is no escaping the fact that “The Advocate: A Missing Body” is severely lacking in human personality or inter-character chemistry. 

Lee Sun-kyun seems well suited for the role of Byeon Ho-seong. As director Heo put it, Lee is able to “complete” the character with different facets -- the “whiny,” the “smart” and the “mischievous.”

But he does not connect with the other characters on any level. Kim Go-eun hovers vaguely with a hint of flirtation that doesn’t really go anywhere; Lim Won-hee fulfills his role as comic relief but falls short of actually seeming like Lee’s partner; Jang Hyun-sung is deliciously evil but he and Lee don’t seem to hate each other so much as being irritated by each other.

The twists are excellent and action scenes well crafted, but the lack of soul is what pushes “The Advocate: A Missing Body” a tier lower than this year’s runaway hit “Veteran.” Still, for movie goers who are just looking to have a good time and engross themselves in a film that will keep them guessing until the end, it sure is an entertaining ride. 

“The Advocate: A Missing Body” opened in local theaters on Thursday.

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

[Guest MapleSilver]

REVIEW: THE ADVOCATE – A MISSING BODY (2015)

OCTOBER 15, 2015 ALBERTV1979 LEAVE A COMMENT

 

2015, CJ Entertainment

Director:
Huh Jong-Ho
Producers:
Park Ji-Sung
Lim Sang-Jin
Kim Hyun-Jeong
Writers:
Choi Kwong-Yeon
Lee Gong-Joo
Cinematography:
Kim Ji-Yong
Editing:
Shin Min-Kyung

Cast:
Lee Sun-Kyun (Byun Ho-Sung)
Kim Go-Eun (Jin Sun-Mi)
Lim Won-Hee (Park)
Jang Hyun-Sung (Chairman Moon Ji-Hoon)
Kim Yoon-Hye (Han Min-Jung)
Hong Sung-Duk (Kim Man-Seok)

This legal crime dark comedy is driven by the performance of lead actor Lee Sun-Kyun, who brings both the funny and the serious in this film.

Byun Ho-Sung is a defense lawyer who has just won a case involving the drug Lomix, in which the plaintiff sued, saying the drug caused her to have cancer. Upon returning to his office, he learns that he has been given a new case. A woman by the name of Han Min-Jung has been murdered and the suspect who has been caught is Kim-Man Seok. The case was personally hired by Chairman Moon Ji-Hoon, the CEO of a major pharmaceutical company. There poses one little problem. There is no body.

Byun’s past comes up to him when an old colleague, Jin Sun-Mi, has been hired as lead prosecutor in this case. While the two have a major difference in their ways of gathering evidence for the case, when Kim outbursts in court that he did kill Han, Byun thinks something is up. When Jin attempts and unsuccessfully follows Kim’s tip on where the body is apparently found, they eventually realize they must team up and in the midst of things, uncover something more potentially dangerous.

Director Huh Jong-Ho, who made his debut with 2011’sCountdown, returns with this legal crime comedy that is actually quite funny at times. And it is all in part of lead actor Lee Sun-Kyun, who plays defense lawyer Byun as a cocky and unorthodox person. The literal title of the film is “Angry Lawyer” and it somewhat fits with Byun as he goes from cocky and arrogant to angry when it comes to the case of the mysterious murder of Han Min-Jung, played well in theoretical flashbacks by Kim Yoon-Hye.

Kim Go-Eun is quite fun to watch as lead prosecutor Jin when it comes to her interactions with Byun. As Byun tries to act smooth with her, she rebuffs him in such a way that he sometimes wonders why. It is like they tend to act like a bickering couple who are complete opposites. Lim Won-Hee also provides some laughs as Byun’s office manager Park, who is an ex-military officer and has to prove it at times to help Byun with the case.

Along with the performances from the cast, the screenplay takes a very critical turn midway through and shows the transition of Byun as he discovers something vital to the case as it involves the first case he finds himself involved with in the film. From there, the film takes some constant twists and turns that prove to be vital to the film and thus, by the film’s end, it may seem predictable but nonetheless a perfect ending.

The Advocate: A Missing Body is a wonderfully paced legal dark comedy driven by the performances of its lead actors along with a well-constructed storyline with many twists and turns that all round out exactly perfect in the end.

WFG RATING: A

The film will be released in North American theaters on October 23 from CJ Entertainment. The film reviewed was from a screener.

[Guest MapleSilver]

Another movie is on the horizon for Lee Seon Kyun!  Here's the article from Dramabeans.

CHUNGMURO/FILM NEWS

Lee Seon-kyun brings comic book crime-solving king to life

by girlfriday | September 28, 2015 | 28 Comments

Okay, I have to get my hands on this manhwa — it sounds so cute. Lee Seon-kyun (A Hard Day, Miss Korea) is one busy, busy man, because he’s already lined up his next project after his crime noir Precious Woman with Kim Hye-soo. He’s set to headline a film adaptation of the manhwa King’s Case Files, about a sleuthy king and his sidekick hopping over the palace wall to go solve crimes.

 

The original manhwa by Heo Yoon-mi is a fictionalized retelling of King Yejong, who was the 8th king of Joseon. His father was Sejo and he only ruled for 14 months, and was barely 18 years old when he became king. The manhwa is about Yejong and his palace historian sidekick sneaking off to solve mysteries together, and is described as a funny detective action series.

I love a good Holmes-Watson detective duo, no matter what the era. It also sounds like a fusion sageuk setup that we’ve seen in dramaland many times before (most recently, Lee Jun-ki’s relationship with Lee Hyun-woo at the start of Scholar Who Walks the Nightcomes to mind), and I’d love to see it adapted into a drama with a fresh-faced cast, a laSungkyunkwan Scandal.

The age is the only thing that really confuses me about the casting, since Lee Seon-kyun is most definitely not 18 anymore. But he’s been cast to play the king, which can only mean that they’ll age up the characters accordingly. Right? I mean, I know he played himself in high school in Miss Korea, but that was for laughs.

Directing is Moon Hyun-sung, of the inspirational sports movie Korea/As One, which has me doubly excited for the project. I can’t wait to see who they cast as the Watson sidekick character (who is hilariously nicknamed “carp poop” because he follows the king around like a carp trails its poop behind it). Is Carp Poop above Oh Jung-se’s pay grade?

King’s Case Files hasn’t fixed a filming date yet, but plans to start as soon as Precious Woman is done shooting in early 2016.

Via Asiae

[Guest MapleSilver]

‘The irritated guy’ returns to the screen

 

Oct 22,2015

	Lee Sun-kyun [ILGAN SPORTS]

Life has been on a fast track for actor Lee Sun-kyun in recent years, especially around the 2013 hit “A Hard Day.”

But the actor unexpectedly enjoyed a roughly year-long “sabbatical” when the shootings for pieces he was working on got delayed.

“I’ve never really taken a break that long since about 10 years ago,” he told Ilgan Sports, an affiliate of the Korea JoongAng Daily, in a recent interview.

Perhaps that’s why the 40-year-old actor, who is best known as a “the irritated guy” - mostly because of the roles he’s played on the silver screen - appeared to be at such ease. “While I took a long break, I pondered on myself a lot. I guess it’s part of the reason that I found peace of mind. Plus, I’m aging.”

Lee recently returned as the egotistical lawyer Byun Ho-sung in “The Advocate: A Missing Body,” currently in theaters. Director Heo Jong-ho is Lee’s friend and fellow alumnus of the Korea National University of the Arts.

As it is only Heo’s second feature film, Lee is hoping that the movie is a success and gives Heo more chances. “Being a movie director in Korea is quite tough. I hope ‘The Advocate’ leads Heo to a better place.”

Below are edited excerpts of the interview.



Q. Was it hard to learn legal terms?

A. There weren’t that many legal terms in my lines. But being a persuasive speaker was the harder part for me. You have to get the jury to listen to you and eventually win their hearts. I studied a lot about how preachers I respect spoke to a crowd. I also studied how presenter Choi Yu-ra spoke. I learned that they never preach, but rather, they are engaged in a two-way dialogue. They watch how the audience reacts and converse with them.



Many people are comparing your character in “A Hard Day” with Byun Ho-sung in “The Advocate,” saying they are too similar. Do you agree?

The two are totally different movies. While “A Hard Day” portrayed how a man changes with a series of events, “The Advocate” is about how a man - whose character is already set - deals with various situations. The only common denominator, in my view, is me. I find it rather embarrassing that the two are often bundled together for PR activities. Maybe it goes to show how little I’ve achieved as an actor (laughs).



Do you ever feel pressured to surpass “A Hard Day”? You also won the best actor award for the role at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

I would be lying if I say I don’t feel that pressure at all. But at the same time, “A Hard Day” also gave me room to relax. As for the award, I think it’s just a bonus. I never act to win an award. What was meaningful is that winning the award got me thinking. I felt I didn’t deserve it. I thought of all the people who helped me get there.



“The Throne,” in which your wife, Jeon Hye-jin, appears, is also currently in theaters. Do you feel rivalry?

I was actually happy to learn that my film and [“The Throne”] were both playing at the same time, mainly because the two are such different films in terms of the weight that audiences feel. I hope people watch [“The Throne”] and then watch “The Advocate.” They won’t feel like they’ve wasted time (laughs).

BY KIM YEON-JI [hkim@joongang.co.kr]

[Guest MapleSilver]

‘The Advocate: A Missing Body’ Takes A Stab At Dark Humor

WRITTEN BY LESLIE ON OCTOBER 22, 2015

I cannot tell a lie: Lee Seon-gyun is really attractive and was admittedly the initial appeal to watch The Advocate: A Missing Body, his latest film. Even though he’s been in many movies and dramas since the early ’00s, Lee didn’t reach popularity until his appearance in The 1st Shop of Coffee Prince in 2007, which is also when I was introduced to him. Since then, he’s built up a reputation as a diverse actor with charisma and talent to be reckoned with, and as more than just the kind, gentle second lead for which he reached initial fame.

In fact, in The Advocate, Lee plays a completely different character from Choi Han-sung and instead makes a perfect, contrasting follow-up to his last film, 2014’s A Hard Day, in which he played a cop trying to cover up a crime. Byun Hyo-sung is a hotshot lawyer with all the arrogance and grease associated with the stereotype, complete with slick hairdo, beloved luxury car and finger gun greetings. Hyo-sung is actually kind of an richard simmons, especially at the beginning of the film, but unsurprisingly so. With a perfect record of wins in every court case, Hyo-sung is the ace at his law firm, and he knows it after building up quite the reputation for winning so many cases for big name corporations and rich people alike. However, things change when he is assigned to represent the defendant of the Shinchon murder case.

 

At first, Hyo-sung is reluctant to take on the case, claiming it “pays richard simmons” and that there is a reason public defenders exist, but Moon Ji-hoon (Jang Hyun-sung), the CEO of the company he recently defended in a drugs side affect case, is insistent that he take the case. Kim Jung-hwan (Choi Jae-woong), Byun’s client and the CEO’s chauffeur, claims his innocence, and since the body of nursing student Han Min-jung (Kim Yoon-hye) remains to be found — only blood and a weapon were located at the crime scene — Hyo-sung thinks he has a shot at winning. Unfortunately, he finds himself going toe-to-toe with Jin Sun-mi (Kim Go-eun), a former flame and junior colleague who is rising in the ranks of prosecution. While he considers himself a better lawyer, as he has more experience and clearly more gall, Jin doesn’t let him get a word in edgewise and is quick to shut down his smarmy talk.

After rattling Sun-mi, Hyo-sung gathers evidence for his case, determined to win despite the many cards stacked against him: An eyewitness placed the chauffeur at the scene of the crime, he has a prior assault charge, and he has no one to corroborate his claim that the dead student was his lover. Still, Hyo-sung puts together a compelling case, complete with an experiment involving scaling the building and a testimony from a blood spatter analyst, but to ensure his victory, he even manages to lead an acquaintance of the chauffeur to testify that he met Min-jung, though it’s clear that he didn’t.

The case goes to trial, and after cross examining his witnesses and experts, Hyo-sung stands poised to win despite Jin Sun-mi’s best efforts to paint the defendant as a violent stalker. Just as victory seems inevitable, and Hyo-sung rests his case, Jung-hwan confesses to killing Min-jung, leading to his return to prison and Hyo-sung’s loss and confusion. From his search for evidence to fight the case, he is confused and genuinely believes that Jung-hwan is innocent. He even plants the same seed of doubt in Sun-mi’s mind. It doesn’t help that the body still has yet to surface, and Jung-hwan doesn’t even know where it is. Convinced that his hunch is right, Hyo-sung begins a winding quest to figure out what really happened.

On the surface, The Advocate is a compelling story with sufficient drama and tension among the characters and in the plot itself. Unfortunately, the film fails to reach its full potential in execution. The story of Hyo-sung, the Shinchon murder case and how it all ties together is intricate, to say the least, making for many moving parts in the film. While the non-linear nature of the narrative works to show they come together, the film moves too quickly from scene to scene. Just as a key detail or tidbit of information is revealed, we suddenly jump to the next shot, which not only makes the film move at a breakneck pace in certain places but also doesn’t allow the revelations to sink in and simmer before moving on. With an almost convoluted story, these brief moments are necessary to keep the audience fully engaged instead of confused.

These stark jumps are not helped by the odd tone of the film. While director Heo Jong-hoclearly establishes from the onset that this will be a dark comedic legal procedural, it doesn’t stick to that consistently. The bulk of the narrative is rather serious and suspenseful but bookended by much lighter comedic moments in the opening and conclusion, particularly through Lee Seon-gyun’s caricature portrayal of Byun Ho-sung. As such, the tone is uneven, trying to be creepy but making it difficult with an exaggerated leading character and moments of humor.

On top of that, Kim Go-eun’s more level-headed, almost dull role is lost to the more expressive Lee Seon-gyun. While this is partially due to the nature of their characters and their relationship, it’s also heavily influenced by their chemistry, or rather the lack thereof. Their supposed former love is difficult to imagine considering the half-hearted portrayal and unequal dynamic. Sun-mi may have a sharp tongue, but her body language goes contrary to that, especially compared to Hyo-sung’s self-satisfied smirks and jabs. Some may argue that it’s the complexity of a character being forced to go against a past lover and senior former colleague, but she later on in the film shows more aggression when hijacking a police car and ordering arrests to serve her purpose. As such, I am skeptical to this explanation and just find that Kim simply lacks the chemistry with Lee Seon-gyun to make their verbal sparring and previous relationship believable.

Despite the poor execution, Lee Seon-kyun’s performance as Byun Hyo-sung and an intriguing plot are enough to carry this film. It may drag in certain places, but the quest to find answers to this case is engaging enough. Just as you think you’ve figured out what happened with Han Min-jung, Hyo-sung makes another discovery and connects two pieces, leading to more questions. By the final act, the film makes the big reveal, and while it relies a bit too much on heavy exposition, it is satisfying and gives great redemption to the bastard lawyer.

Rating: 3.25/5

_________
The Advocate: A Missing Body opens October 23 in select theaters in the US. This film is not rated and features scenes of graphic violence and limited language and drug use.

(CJ Entertainment, YouTube)

LESLIE

Currently studying to be an engineer. When I’m not stressed about university, I enjoy running and snowboarding, I fight off my online shopping addiction, and I try to avoid Netflix and Hulu to actually get some reading done.

[Guest adikkeluangman]

[TRANS] 151020 Yoon Bak & Jang Huiryoung Interview with BNT

▷Your role models?
▶Yoon Bak: Lee Sunkyun sunbaenim. It never changes. If you look at sunbaenim’s filmography, he has gone from minor roles to supporting roles to leading roles. He has done plays, miniseries, and films. I want to take after how he has worked his way to widen his fields of work.
▶Jang Huiryoung: My role models are Kim Minhee sunbaenim and Gong Hyojin sunbaenim. I want the individuality that the two sunbaenims have with their acting. I hope I can work with them one day.

Translated by fyjypnation

[sadiesmith]

LSK finally returns to dramaland after a long three-year break.  Yay!