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The Suspect (2013 South Korean film)

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The Suspect
Directed byWon Shin-yun
Written byIm Sang-yoon
Produced byYoo Jung-hoon
Shin Chang-hwan
StarringGong Yoo
Park Hee-soon
CinematographyLee Sung-jae
Edited byShin Min-kyung
Music byKim Jun-seong
Production
company
Greenfish
Distributed byShowbox/Mediaplex
Release date
  • December 24, 2013 (2013-12-24)
Running time
137 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$9.5 million

The Suspect (Korean: 용의자; RR: Yonguija) is a 2013 South Korean spy-action thriller film starring Gong Yoo, and directed by Won Shin-yun.[1][2][3]

Plot

Ji Dong-chul (Gong Yoo) was once the top special forces agent in North Korea, but after a change in political power, he was abandoned by his government while on a mission. He goes on the run, seeking his wife and daughter who were sold as slaves to China, only to discover their corpses. When he learns that an ex-colleague was behind their deaths, Dong-chul goes on a vendetta for revenge, defecting to the South to chase his family's killer. Now living incognito, he searches for his nemesis during the day, and at night works as a personal chauffeur for Chairman Park, a business executive with ties to Pyongyang. One night the chairman is attacked and killed by an assassin, but not before handing over a special pair of glasses to Dong-chul. The South Korean intelligence service, a member of which frames Dong-chul for the murder, goes on the hunt for the beleaguered former spy. The manhunt is led by Min Se-hoon (Park Hee-soon), a colonel and drill sergeant with whom Dong-chul shares a past, and Kim Seok-ho (Jo Sung-ha), the director of the NIS. Aided by a feisty documentary filmmaker (Yoo Da-in), Dong-chul goes on the run again while trying to recover top-secret materials that his dying boss sent him to find.[4][5]

Cast

  • Gong Yoo as Ji Dong-chul, North Korean spy[6][7]
  • Park Hee-soon as Min Se-hoon, South Korean drill sergeant
  • Jo Sung-ha as Kim Seok-ho, NIS director
  • Yoo Da-in as Choi Kyung-hee, filmmaker of a documentary on North Korea
  • Kim Sung-kyun as Ri Kwang-jo
  • Jo Jae-yoon as Captain Jo
  • Park Ji-il as Executive director Song
  • Kim Min-jae as Reporter Joo
  • Kim Eui-sung as Deputy department head Shin
  • Won Poong-yeon as Kim Seok-ho's underling
  • Won Jin as SA1
  • Song Jae-rim as Professor Kim (SA2)
  • Choi Jong-ryul as Butler Moon
  • Nam Bo-ra as Ji Dong-chul's wife
  • Lee Na-eun as Ri Kwang-jo's wife
  • Song Jae-ho as Haejoo Group president Park Geon-ho
  • Gi Ju-bong as coroner
  • Jo Seok-hyun as Colonel Choi
  • Lee Yong-jik as bearded stranger
  • Choi Tae-hwan as mysterious casualty
  • Lee Dong-jin as North wanderer

Production

Yoon Kye-sang was originally cast in the lead role, but dropped out after costar Choi Min-sik left the project.[8]

The film was partly shot in Puerto Rico in April 2013.[9][10]

Release

The Suspect opened in South Korea on December 24, 2013. It was a box office hit, with 4.1 million admissions.[11][12]

The film's distribution rights was sold to seven territories, including North America, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, the Middle East and German-speaking countries.[13][14][15] Well Go USA screened the film in 15 theaters in the United States on January 10, 2014.[16]

Reception

The Los Angeles Times praised the film's "inspired and teeth-grittingly determined" set pieces.[17] The Washington Post wrote that the film "should entertain any action buff,"[18] while Screen Daily, a film journal in the UK, also gave a good review: "the style of the action scenes is so explosive and immersive that the movie even threatens the reputation of the 007 series."[19] The New York Times reviewed that the "guns-or-butter dichotomy" is "more resonant than you'd expect."[20]

References

  1. ^ Song, Soon-jin (29 November 2013). "Live showcase for December release THE SUSPECT". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  2. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (13 December 2013). "Gong Yoo a Suspect in his first action role". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  3. ^ Lee, Yong-cheol (6 January 2014). "WON Shin-yun, Director of THE SUSPECT "Something that action genre fans remember for a long time"". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  4. ^ Lee, Eun-sun (8 February 2013). "THE SUSPECT Depicts the Agony of an Abandoned North Korean Agent". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  5. ^ Conran, Pierce (30 December 2013). "In Focus: The Suspect". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  6. ^ Hong, Lucia (21 August 2012). "Gong Yoo to return to theaters as special agent". TenAsia. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  7. ^ Jung, Ji-won (11 February 2014). "Gong Yoo shows off his serious side". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-02-11.
  8. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (1 March 2012). "Yoon Kye-sang to star in action extravaganza". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-02-19.
  9. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (23 April 2013). "Gong Yoo Hits Up Puerto Rico and is Welcomed by Fans". enewsworld. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  10. ^ Lee, Eun-ah (5 June 2013). "Actor Gong Yoo's New Action Flick Cranks Up". TenAsia. Retrieved 2013-08-06.
  11. ^ Conran, Pierce (7 January 2014). "THE ATTORNEY Reaches 8 Million Admissions, Spy Thriller THE SUSPECT Goes over 3 Million". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  12. ^ Tae, Sang-joon (20 January 2014). "Box Office: January 2-15, 2014". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  13. ^ Conran, Pierce (31 December 2013). "THE SUSPECT to Screen in 7 Countries". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  14. ^ Lee, Cory (31 December 2013). "Gong Yoo's New Action Movie Sold to 7 Countries". TenAsia. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  15. ^ Conran, Pierce (18 February 2014). "Buyers Target THE SUSPECT in EFM". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
  16. ^ Tae, Sang-joon (20 January 2014). "THE SUSPECT Receives Positive Reviews Following US Opening". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  17. ^ Kang, Inkoo (9 January 2014). "Review: North Korean refugee or spy? Right now, he's The Suspect". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  18. ^ Jenkins, Mark (10 January 2014). "The Suspect movie review: Some jump cuts and gunplay with your subtitles". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  19. ^ Bechervaise, Jason (23 December 2013). "The Suspect". Screen Daily. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
  20. ^ Webster, Andy (9 January 2014). "A Korean Who's More Than He Seems". The New York Times. Retrieved 2014-02-08.
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