Ryu Seung-wan Movies
- 2008
A legendary Korean spy is assigned the task of recovering a national treasure, only to discover that he was set up for failure from the very beginning by the very people he once trusted most. Korea is under Japanese imperialism, and when the Golden Buddha goes missing, what better candidate to ensure its safe return than legendary covert operative Lee? Unfortunately the mission was fixed, and in the process of attempting to recover the Golden Buddha, Lee loses both the statue and his partner. Upon discovering the truth about his doomed mission, a vengeful Lee sets out to settle the score with the man who set him up, and expose the shadowy figure for all to see. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Martial-arts pro Jeong Du-hong stars as Jeong Tae-su in notorious Korean action director Ryoo Seung-wan's The City of Violence (aka Jakpae). A former punk and brawler-turned-police detective, Tae-su returns to his hometown for the funeral of a buddy, Wang-jae (Ahn Gil-gang). Once there, he reconnects with members of the "old gang," including the tough but loyal fighter Ryoo Seok-hwan (played by the director) and the gang leader, Jang Pil-ho. Tae-su suspects foul play in Wang-jae's death, and instinctively ties it to Pil-ho, now a scuzzy slimeball with a massive inferiority complex and hordes of armed men. His instincts, it seems, are correct -- Pil-ho indeed had Wang-jae rubbed out. Thus, Tae-su and Seok-hwan ultimately take on Pil-ho at an abandoned Korean restaurant, fighting myriads of his henchmen with bare knuckles, blades, and Korean martial arts, and accompanied by a rousing Leone-style score. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jeong Du-hong, Lee Beom-su, (more)
A woman looks for both revenge and redemption after spending 13 years in prison in this offbeat thriller from South Korea. Lee Geum-ja (Lee Yeong-ae) was in her early twenties when she was found guilty of kidnapping and killing a young boy, and though she confessed to the crime under duress, while behind bars she dreamed of one day being able to clear her name -- and even the score with the people who railroaded her, including the police officer who brought her in (Nam Il-woo) and Mr. Baek (Choi Min-Sik), a teacher who wronged her in a number of ways. Lee Geun-ja teams up with a number of friends she made during her time in lock-up, including Woo So-yeong (Kim Bu-seon), a thief with a gunsmith for a husband; Oh Su-heui (Ra Mi-ran), who was saved from assault at the hands fellow inmates by Lee; and Preacher Jeon (Kim Byeong-ok), an eccentric man of the cloth who was struck by her gentle nature in jail. As Preacher Jeon helps Lee seek salvation for all she had to do while in prison, her other friends stand by her side as she gets even with her rivals and searches for the daughter she was forced to leave behind when she was convicted. Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (aka Chinjeolhan Geum-ja-ssi) was the third film in a series, preceded by Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, and Old Boy. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Lee Yeong-ae, Kim Shi-hu, (more)
- 2005
After the success of the modern-day comic martial arts epic Arahan, writer/director Ryu Seung-wan changed gears and again teamed up with his brother, actor Ryu Seung-beom, to produce Crying Fist, a much more serious boxing drama. Actor Ryu plays Yu Sang-hwan, a street thug who rejects the life of his hard-working, struggling father for a life of petty crime and run-ins with the law. He winds up in a juvenile detention center, where he responds to some bullying by flying at the bully, Roc (Kim Su-hyeon), and biting his ear off. Yu is then taken under the wing of the prison's boxing trainer, and he learns a bit of self-discipline through boxing, gradually recognizing his own strengths, and eventually acknowledging the support of his caring family. Meanwhile, 40-year-old Kang Tae-shik (Choi Min-sik of Oldboy), is a washed up former champion whose home and professional life have completely fallen apart. His wife leaves him, taking their young son. Besieged by creditors, Kang earns a meager living by charging people on the street for the privilege of punching him out. In danger of losing his son forever, his own health deteriorating rapidly, Kang decides to enter one last boxing competition, the same one which the equally desperate Yu has chosen to show his mettle. Crying Fist won a FIPRESCI Award at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival, and had its North American premiere at Subway Cinema's 2005 New York Asian Film Festival, with director Ryu in attendance. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Choi Min-Sik, Ryoo Seung-Beom, (more)
- 2004
Writer/director Ryu Seung-wan (No Blood No Tears) directs his brother Ryu Seung-beom again in Arahan, marketed as "Urban Martial Arts Action." Actor Ryu plays Yu Sang-hwan, a bungling but honest patrolman. One day while chasing a purse-snatcher, he comes across a beautiful convenience store cashier and part-time martial arts master named Eun-jin (Yoon So-yi, making her feature debut), whom he finds about to deliver a devastating "palm blast" to the young thug he's just chased down. Eun-jin's aim is off, and Yu ends up knocked unconscious. She brings him back home to the temple of the "Seven Masters," a group of five cranky ch'i masters led by her father, Ja-un (Ahn Sung-Ki from Nowhere to Hide and Slimido). Ja-un quickly recognizes Yu's amazing untapped potential. Yu thinks the five old-timers are a bunch of kooks, but he's attracted to Eun-jin, and after he gets beaten up by some low-level gangsters, he returns to the temple, determined to learn how to do a "palm blast," so he can fight back. Ja-un patiently tries to teach him the ways of ch'i, but Yu is not the most attentive pupil. He wants to learn powerful fighting techniques, and seems more interested in gawking at Eun-jin than in the philosophical and spiritual underpinnings of the Seven Masters' teachings. But push comes to shove when a former Master, Heug-un (fight choreographer Jung Doo-hong), who betrayed the cause returns from centuries underground determined to seize the ultimate power and rule the world. Ja-un believes that the seemingly hopeless Yu is the only hope for humankind. Arahan was shown at the 2005 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
South Korean director Ryu Seung-wan's second feature, No Blood No Tears, features an unlikely friendship between two women. Gyeong-seon (Lee Hye-Eun), a physically tough cab driver, and Su-jin (Jeon Do-yeon), a moll to a gangster named Bulldog (Jeong Jae-eun), meet when the latter hits the former's taxi. Gyeong is in debt to local mobsters because of her deadbeat former husband, and Su, who dreams of fame as a singer, is tired of being assaulted by Bulldog. Together, they plot to make away with the money from Bulldog's dog-fighting operation. The only question is if they can trust each other. The film was screened at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
