사생결단 (Bloody Tie) Press Screening Report

Ever feel like half the films you're watching could fall into the 'coming of age' canon? And I don't necessarily mean films about teenagers experiencing growth, those 성장드라마 (coming of age dramas) like 고양이를 부탁해 (Take Care of My Cat) or 발레교습소 (Flying Boys). Since life is continuous growth, and we keep facing obstacles (in our teens, twenties, thirties and so on) before reaching a new status, then even a film like 고독이 몸부림 칠때 (Sweet Sixties) can become a coming of age drama. And when that 'growth' takes place inside the underbelly of society, within a gang or drug ring, then it's again about reaching a maturation, albeit in different terms.

After all, Yoo Ha's 막죽거리 잔혹사 (Once Upon a Time in High School), 비열한 거리 (A Dirty Carnival) and his closure to the trilogy deal more with its characters approaching and growing inside the underworld, than all the historical or genre-based elements. So if we apply this potentially vague approach to Choi Ho's career and his films, then we could say they're all about growing. His first film, 1998's 바이준 (Bye June) didn't show much potential, lazily reworking the usual tropes of coming of age Drama and 삼각관계 (love triangle) seen elsewhere, but it was with 2002's 우아유 (Who R U) that Choi made a name for himself in Chungmuro.

In the post-네 멋대로 해라 (Ruler of Your Own World) world of trendy urban melodramas, the 2002 film starring Lee Na-Young and Jo Seung-Woo was one of the best, mixing the new generation's obsession with technology and the Internet with a solid script (full of coming of age elements, obviously) and good performances (not to mention a top notch soundtrack). Although he started working in the industry ever since the early 90s, as part of the producing team of the legendary indie film 파업전야 (The Night Before The Strike), it seems Choi is continuing his tradition of one film every four years, as after his 1998 debut and 2002's urban melodrama, here's 2006, this time with an action noir, 사생결단 (Bloody Tie).

Then what does this film have to do with the coming of age structure? That of its two main characters, escaping the hold of the world they're living in, both corrupt and possibly leading to death. Although drugs certainly have appeared before in Korean films, serious works dealing with this 'secret society' are few and far between. Choi, who admitted the film can be interpreted as an homage to Fukasaku Kinji's brutal classic 仁義なき戰い (Battle Without Honour and Humanity), moved the spotlight from funny gangsters to the seedy drug ring in Busan, and used the post-IMF crisis Korea to make some striking social commentary. But of course we're also dealing with action, car chases, and the usual element of black comedy found in most films of this kind from Chungmuro, recently seen in Kim Jee-woon's 달콤한 인생 (A Bittersweet Life).

But if mentioning Ryu Seung-Beom and Hwang Jung-Min as the main point of interest in the film is pretty much obvious, it's also very nice to see legendary Kim Hee-Ra back in the business. Kim, who was a big star in the 70s, slowed down considerably in the 90s, thanks to a chronic disease getting worse, and his failures both in his business and political careers. His last film was 1998's 찜 (Tie a Yellow Ribbon), and many people expected him to retire for good, so seeing him back in action (literally. Well, kind of) is really nice, as the long and touching applause he received shows. One of early 2006's most interesting films, Bloody Tie had its press screening today at the Megabox in Samsung-dong. Present at the premiere director Choi Ho and stars Ryu Seung-Beom, Hwang Jung-Min, Kim Hee-Ra and Chu Ja-Hyun. The film debuts on April 27.

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PRESS REACTION
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We've got a winner, folks. Close to 100% thumbs up, and most praised the actors in particular. Hwang Jung-Min gives another commanding performance, and it seems like Ryu Seung-Beom upped the ante once again. It's a very powerful and striking film, giving a sort of 80s Hong Kong noir vibe in terms of style, with many closeups and hand held camerawork, mixed with an uniquely Korean feeling, with dry humour combined with brutal scenes (be it sex, dialogue or violence/action). If anything, the film might be a little long, and might not completely appeal to younger viewers. But if you're a fan of the genre and like very realistic, raw, brutal 'masculine (without becoming macho)' action noir, this is the one. And generally most were positive about its box office potential, although we're probably dealing with another 달콤한 인생 (A Bittersweet Life) more than a huge hit.

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COMMENTS
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CHOI HO
"I wanted to try and explore all the contradictory energy inside that 'law of the jungle' created by the sudden changes our society experienced after the IMF crisis. I didn't really want to focus on Busan's peculiarities as a city itself, but I wanted people to feel it as a very important space within a genre film. So, in a way, Busan is just another character in the film, the third lead. When I was in my college days, I watched Im Kwon-Taek's 짝고 (Two Old Men), and after that Kim Hee-Ra became an object of envy for me. Just mentioning his name will remind people of how much of a great actor he is, so I just jumped at the chance to work with him. By coincidence I heard he wanted to come back to the business, so I sent him the script in an instant. We worked really hard for four months shooting in Busan, and if I had any rule in mind, that was to make yes a genre film, but something representing reality as much as possible."

HWANG JUNG-MIN
"Honestly, I watched the film for the first time today, and I feel a little uneasy. I don't really know why, it must be because life is hard. I think amongst the skills I was given birth, I'm most thankful for being able to forget things really fast. I didn't simply try to portray someone like Do Jin-Gwang by focusing on my personal feelings towards the character, I just tried to immerse myself in his world. I'm neither particularly good nor bad, just a normal person like everyone else, with his flaws and virtues. We shot for four long months in Busan like madmen, but it was also a lot of fun."

RYU SEUNG-BEOM
"Since I'm a Seoulite through and through, I don't really know how good or bad my Busan dialect was, but I tried my best to make it as realistic as possible. I don't know if people from Busan will react calling me to task, but then I'd like them to try to use the Seoul central dialect for once, and see how difficult speaking different dialects effectively can be. Because of the difference brought up by the genre and the film's use of those tropes, a sort of unique culture seemed to emerge from all that. So in that sense, if you watch this film then you'll get hungry for more of the same. To be honest, I was really nervous watching this, my legs were constantly shaking. I worried a lot about the dialect, but since there was really nothing easy in this film, I'd like to give myself an applause, at least for trying hard.

KIM HEE-RA
"I've been in hundreds of films, but seeing something this good is a first for me. I've been blessed living long enough to experience and act in today's films too, and even though tomorrow's my birthday, I feel so good it seems like my birthday came a day earlier. Ryu Seung-Beom is just a fantastic actor, I was so surprised working with him, I wonder where he learned to act like that."

CHU JA-HYUN
"I came into this project knowing nothing about the film business, so I learned a lot and made many new experiences. It's true I was a little worried because of the many sex scenes, but Ryu Seung-Beom helped me a lot, never making me feel uncomfortable. Playing a drug addict was a very difficult challenge for me, and since I couldn't get the feeling right, I interviewed a real drug addict to understand what goes through their mind in these situations. I never really tried drugs myself (laughs), but I was so immersed in the character I could realize what a problem it can become for people. I tried not to lose that feeling for the entire shoot."

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QUICK JUDGMENT
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Hanguk Economy's Yoo Jae-Hyeok
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: GOOD

Herald Economy's Lee Hyung-Seok
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: GOOD

Screen's Park Ji-Young
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: GOOD

GQ Korea's Na Ji-Yeon
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: AVERAGE

Cineseoul's Choi Dong-Gyu
Film Quality: EXCELLENT
Box Office Potential: GOOD

Movieweek's Choi Mi-Hyun
Film Quality: GOOD
Box Office Potential: GOOD

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사생결단 (死生決斷, Bloody Tie)
Director: 최호 (Choi Ho)
Cast: 류승범 (Ryu Seung-Beom), 황정민 (Hwang Jung-Min), 김희라 (Kim Hee-Ra), 추자현 (Chu Ja-Hyun)
Press Screening Report
Official Website
Twitch Preview
Theatrical Trailer (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)
Theatrical Trailer (Downloadable, Windows Media)
Music Video (Streaming, 700k, Windows Media)
Movie Stills/Posters
Budget: 4.5 Billion Won
Produced By: MK 픽쳐스 (MK Pictures)
Distributed By: MK 픽쳐스 (MC Pictures)
International Sales: MK International
Rating: 18 and Over
RELEASE: April 27

Sources
Star News: 1, 2, 3
Yahoo Korea: 1, 2, 3, 4
Film2.0: 1
nKino: 1