FILMOGRAPHY: KIM NAM GIL in PUBLIC ENEMY RETURNS (2008)

Official Website: http://001-1.co.kr/
Director: KANG Woo-suk 강우석 (Silmido, Public Enemy, Hanbando)
Screenplay: JANG Jin 장진 (Going By The Book, My Son, Welcome To Dongmakgol, Someone Special)
Main Cast: SUL Kyung-gu, JUNG Jae-young
Genre: Crime, Action, Comedy
Opening Date: June 19, 2008
Rate: Over 15
Production: KnJ Entertainment
Distribution / International Sales: CJ Entertainment




SYNOPSIS

KANG Chul-jung has been a detective fighting crime for 15 years, but he leads a hand-to-mouth living. The criminals he�s put behind bars in the past are now doing much better for themselves, and all this makes Chul-jung regret becoming a cop.

On the other end of the spectrum is Jae-young. He is a wealthy owner of a mini-empire including businesses in finance, construction, food and entertainment. He takes in young boys and has them take the fall for him for the crimes he has committed. One day Jae-young�s gang kills the owner of a meatpacking company, and pins the murder on Ha-yeon, a young kid not yet old enough to have a registration ID. Ha-yeon tries to go to the cops, but sensing his betrayal, the mob has him killed.

Kang Chul-jung feels an incredible anger towards Jae-young, who is quick to turn young boys into criminals for his own selfish gains. Vowing to capture him, Chul-jung gets his hands on Jae-young after he tries to run, feeling the heat of the investigations. They confront each other for the long-awaited battle.



CAST OF CHARACTERS


Seol Kyeong-gu 설경구 (Voice Of A Murderer, Silmido, Jailbreakers, Oasis, Peppermint Candy)


Jeong Jae-yeong 정재영  (Going By The Book, Welcome To Dongmakgol, Someone Special,  Silmido, Hi Dharma


Lee Han 이한 (Modern Boy; When Spring Comes, Lovers)
Lee Moon-sik 이문식 (Bank Attack, Mapado 2, Fly Daddy, A Bloody Aria)
Yoo Hae-jin 유해진 (Tazza, King & The Clown, Another Public Enemy)
Kang Shin-il 강신일 (Black House)
Im Won-hee 임원희 (Le Grand Chef)
Yeon Je-wook 연제욱 (Someone Behind You, Gangster High)


PRESS CON PHOTOS






REVIEWS

Public Enemy Returns ("Gonggongui Jeog 3" -- South Korea) 
Lee Han as Moon-su, with Lee Min Ho 


Written by Ronnie Scheib


A CJ Entertainment presentation, in association with Cinema Services/CJ Ventures Investment, of a KNJ Entertainment production, in association with Cinema Service. Produced by Jeong Seon-yeong. Executive producer, Kim Joo-Sung. Directed by Kang Woo-suk. Screenplay, Jan Jin.


With: Seol Gyeong-gu, Jeong Ju-yeong, Kang Shin-il, Lee Mun-shik, Yu Jai-jin, Yeon, Jee-wook, Kim Nam-gil.
A handful of messy, screw-up cops battle legions of impeccable, organized gangsters for the hearts and minds of Korean youth in Kang Woo-suk's third "Public Enemy" go-round. A return to form for the hugely popular franchise after its disappointing sophomore sortie, pic, well-scripted by Jang Jin, has the cohesiveness its predecessor so sadly lacked. But the film's true joy lies in watching immensely talented Seol Gyeong-gu reprise his renegade cop lead, ably supported by a rogue's gallery of second bananas. Though it's done boffo business at home since opening in mid-June, the character-driven, comedy-heavy faceoff still might not translate offshore.



Natty villain Lee Won Sool (Jeong Ju-yeong, in an atypical baddie role) and scruffy hero Kang (Seol) establish their respective positions right out of the starting gate. Lee need only raise an eyebrow to have a 17-year-old student rush forward and knife a recalcitrant associate amid hanging sides of beef ("You'll feel better in a minute," an imperturbable Lee murmurs to his victim as he bleeds to death). In contrast, Kang, herded by 9-year-old daughter Mimi to "Bring Your Dad to School Day," finds the entire class thinks gangsters are way cooler than cops, their opinion vindicated as an angry Kang proceeds to browbeat his diminutive audience, much to Mimi's mortification.


Fed up, broke and unable to get a loan, Kang vainly tries to quit the force, his letter of resignation tossed on a pile of like missives by his supportive, long-suffering captain (Kang Shin-il, in a quietly compelling performance). But a new case, involving the recruitment of high school students into the corporate ranks as cold-blooded killers, draws Kang back into the game. Soon he is happily harassing Lee, up close and personal; getting badly beaten is a small price to pay for tweaking Lee's unflappable cool.


In familiar (and welcome) "Public Enemy" territory, pic trades visually on the vast differences in power and esteem commanded by the two men: Solo Kang is forever out on some seriocomic limb, while minions materialize as soon as Lee swings into view. For once, Kang has no problem convincing his colleagues of the rich CEO's guilt, given Lee's gangster past -- instead, the entire police force's credibility is on the line as they strive to steer teens away from crime.


Crime pays even after the fact, in the case of returning comic-relief ex-gangster An-Soo (the hilariously rubber-faced Lee Mun-shik), ducking and deferential at the sight of Kang (old habits die hard), though now completely legit with a string of karaoke bars. 



If the adult world teems with colorful characters, helmer Kang finds himself on shakier ground tonally with his uneven cast of juves as they vacillate between schoolyard hijinks and corporate skullduggery. Finally, however, any concerns for Korea's youth pale before the anticipation of whatever insanely self-destructive but oddly effective move Kang will pull off next.


Tech credits are aces.


Reviewed at New York Asian Film Festival, July 3, 2008. Running time: 127 MIN.
via Variety Asia

[MOVIE REVIEW]New 'Public Enemy' upgrades humor

In "Public Enemy Returns," the third installment of the police action series by director Kang Woo-suk, the most visible -- and welcome -- change comes from the central character, detective Gang Cheol-jung.

Gang, played by veteran actor Sul Kyoung-gu, still works as a quirky, almost uncontrollable detective who specializes in hunting down the vicious villains. But this time around Gang is much more tenacious: even after he gets stabbed by an attacker and goes through a major surgery, he springs back to his feet and runs after what he sees as "a public enemy."

The enemy is Lee Won-sul (played by Jung Jae-young), chairman of Geo-seong Group. An up-and-coming entrepreneur, chairman Lee runs a host of seemingly legitimate businesses, but his real business remains deeply rooted in his lifelong career of gangster. All of his employees are in fact members of a massive gangster group led by Lee, and their key business is to threaten, stab and kill for money. 




▲A scene from "Public Enemy Returns"

Compared with the previous two installments, detective Gang looks bigger and more powerful, and even the evil character, Lee, comes with multiple psychological layers in a departure from the typically cardboard criminals. The movie also draws strength from a solid cast of supporting characters who do their part in throwing in more dramatic effects as well as a whiff of realism.

The movie, however, is not exclusively devoted to action sequences. Jokes are inserted in key moments, softening the overall tone of the film and offering a much-needed Korean sense of humor. The credit of this enhanced comic effect goes to the screenwriter Jang Jin, an established filmmaker himself who is known to be adept at creating tongue-in-cheek comic scenes, which are plentiful in "Public Enemy Returns." 



In the beginning, Detective Gang is seriously considering a career change. For years he has tracked down really bad criminals, but he does not have enough money to secure a decent house for his daughter and mother. Gang drops in at a bank to get some loans, but the bank clerk's answer is resolutely negative. After all, his credit rating, because of his dangerous and terribly busy job that does not come with corresponding monetary returns, is at rock bottom. 


Gang files his resignation letter to his boss but nobody believes he's quitting. While he is trying to get out of his trap, something serous hits the town. Gang's team is confronted with two murder cases whose traces seem to be linked with Geo-seong Group chairman Lee.

Lee is a very affectionate father who brings his son to a weekend farm house to teach him lessons about nature and humanity. He loves his wife dearly to the point of obeying her orders whenever possible. But behind this gentleman's facade lies a hidden identity: a merciless gangster boss who makes money, even by recruiting high school students and training them to stand in the front line of deception and violence.

Noticing that Lee's dirty hands are linked with the murder cases, Gang sets aside his career problem and begins his investigation, which turns out be more dangerous than he imagines.


Sul Kyoung-gu has increased the energy of Gang's character, showing off a more relaxed yet seasoned touch. Jung Jae-young, despite his first-ever role of an evil character, has successfully created an intriguing persona who is hopelessly corrupted to the heart and yet humorously vulnerable in a way that generates plenty of sympathy.

The original "Public Enemy" was a commercial hit in 2002, and the sequel "Another Public Enemy" produced mixed results in 2005. The third installment of the series, which draws keen interest as a major Korean film with box-office potential, is scheduled to be released on June 19.

By Yang Sung-jin
(insight@heraldm.com)


EXCERPT FROM : Twitch Sep 6, 2008


[K-FILM REVIEWS] 강철중: 공공의 적 1-1 (Public Enemy Returns)
Posted by X at 10:54am.
Posted in Film & DVD Reviews , Asia.



"Call it a �fat Elvis� moment, if you will.

It�s certainly not a horrible film per se. But the social issues thrown at the wall, like the pathetic use of the mad cow hoopla, with the subtlety of an hippopotamus coming out of the water, have no punch whatsoever; whatever comedy is there doesn�t ingrain itself within the story, it just tends to stick, stand out and give you a laugh every ten minutes or so. All the added weight, the all-too-obvious narrative underpinnings and the even more superficial conclusion just add fuel to the fire. Seol Kyung-Gu and Jung Jae-Young are predictably wonderful, but I�ll just take a page out of veteran critic Jung Sung-Il�s book, and do some math. Public Enemy did return, but in this new and �improved� robes, it feels like something took off its soul. After all, 1-1 equals the number of indifference and endless mediocrity. Zero....."

MISCELLANEOUS: 

Kang Cheol-jung: Public Enemy 1-1" surpassed 4.3 million mark to become the 3rd best selling film of 2008.

1. The Chaser (5.13 million admission)
2. Kung Fu Panda (4.5 million)
3. Kang Cheol-jung: Public Enemy 1-1 (4,304,155)

http://spn.edaily.co.kr/entertain/newsRead...325126586477144


"Public Enemy Returns," which opened in mid June, appears to have long legs and still ranked at No.10, lifting its cume to $26.3 million gross from 4.18 million admissions to date. In its second week, "Sunny" sustained well at the box office, taking $9 million from 1.43 million admissions. 



SOURCES: SOOMPI/HANCINEMA

ADMIN's NOTE:

Since I am already aware of the synopsis from soompi that says KNG (Lee Han ) will die in this movie, I watched it with anticipation as to its plot. And I agree with what  the numbers  say!. It is really good, nope, Awesome Instead! The humor fused in the story made me laugh almost all the time , even forgot my popcorn  for this. (LOL). The first ten minutes of the film will make you wonder how will the cops will figure out who killed who. It was a drag at first but when the charisma of Gang Cheol-jung entered the scene, that knocked me off and continued to see how the cop versus mob story will end.

It may leave you think it is the k-drama version of Fight Club, with the all those nerve racking fist fights and all. But what made it stand out from other action-thriller drama  is that it has humor and human side of it-more on family oriented theme. I like how the writer showed the other side of a professional gangster-that despite the odds, he still have a heart for his wife and kid. The grunting cop on the other hand, is a realistic example of cops being paid at minimum but still the duty to protect overrides  their hurtful empty pockets.

As per Kim Nam Gil portraying in this movie, I saw where the deadly stare of Bidam came from. His acting here as a cold-blooded assassin made me shiver. He might not be as scary as Bidam or Geun Wook here, but the potential was there. The reviews may not have mentioned him that much but the success of the movie itself, of course his acting was indeed one of the factors. 

Two thumbs up for PER! ^^ ~l 










Comments

Popular Posts