Son Byeong-ho Movies
As the Korean peninsula falls into the hands of Japanese imperialists and countless Koreans seek refuge in the vast wilderness of Manchuria, a determined thief, a cold-blooded hitman, and a mysterious bounty hunter all vie for an elusive map that could lead them to a buried treasure from the Qing Dynasty. Tae-gu is "The Weird," a thief who comes into possession of the sought-after map while boldly robbing a train of Japanese military officers. But at the very same time Tae-gu attacks the train, relentless assassin Chang-yi and his violent gang of bandits beset the locomotive as well. Chang-yi is "The Bad," and he'll kill anyone who tries to come between him and the untold treasures of the Qing Dynasty. Just as the cloud of gunpowder begins to clear, a shadowy stranger suddenly appears and rescues Tae-gu from certain death. That stranger is Do-won, "The Good." Do-won has been chasing Tae-gu in hopes that he can capture him and collect the reward money. Now, as these three resolute strangers converge in a sprawling landscape that none of them can truly call home, they quickly discover that Korean resistance fighters, resilient mountain bandits, and the Japanese army also covet the prized map. The fight on the train is only the beginning, too, because when the stakes are this high the action is bound to get bloody. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Song Kang-ho, Lee Byung-hun, (more)
Kang Min (Gam Woo-seong) wakes up in the middle of a forest and wanders toward a nearby cabin, where he's shocked to find the scene of a brutal, bloody crime. A man lies hacked to death, and Kang Min's girlfriend, Su-young (Kang Gyeong-heon) lies dying of stab wounds nearby. Kang Min sees a dark figure fleeing the cabin and gives chase. Eventually he winds up in a tunnel, where he is struck down by a speeding SUV. In the hospital with a head injury and suspected of murder, Kang tries to recall what happened for his policeman friend, Choi (Jang Hyeon-seong). In flashback, we see Kang, a TV producer, try to deal with the tragic death of his wife. As he sinks into a pit of alcoholism and despair, Su-young, a co-worker who shares a secret bond with him, tries to rouse him out of his funk. When Kang is assigned to investigate rumors that Spider Forest, the remote wood where the murder took place, is haunted, he asks a girl from the region, Su-in (Seoh Jung of The Isle), to tell him all about the local legend. As it turns out, Kang has his own mysterious connection to the ghost story. Spider Forest, written and directed by Song Il-gon (Git), was shown at the 2005 New York Korean Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
A mysterious radio signal prompts a troop of South Korean soldiers to set out in search of a missing patrol unit, only to find that the horrors of war aren't limited to the human realm in director Su-Chang Kong's tale of supernatural terror on the battlefield. As the Vietnam War rages, a South Korean army base begins receiving radio contact from a patrol unit that has been missing in action for nearly six months. With resources dwindling and the battle taking its toll on the fatigued troops, the determined but shell-shocked commanding officer leads his unit on a brave rescue mission to the source of the signal - a war-torn parcel of land known only as R-point that is seemingly devoid of human presence. But there is a presence there, and when it finally makes itself known to the weary soldiers, the one-time rescue mission quickly becomes a harrowing struggle for survival against a force more deadly than any war. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Gam Woo-seong, Son Byeong-ho, (more)
- 2004
Korean superstar Song Gang-ho (Memories of Murder) stars in writer/director Lim Chan-sang's ambitious feature debut, The President's Barber. Song stars as Seong Han-mo, a barber whose shop is within shouting distance of the "Blue House," where the president (Jo Yeong-jin) lives. The film takes place during the early '70s, a tumultuous period in South Korea's history, and Seong finds himself in the middle of a number of historical events. Seong doesn't know much about politics, and follows the lead of local leaders, who involve him in a scheme to rig an election in the president's favor. His son Nak-an (Lee Jae-eung) is born during the April 19 revolution, while soldiers are gunning down protestors in the street. Later, he inadvertently gets in the middle of a bitter political rivalry between Park (Park Yong-su), the head of the CIA, and Jang (Son Byeong-ho), the head of the secret service. When he inadvertently embarrasses Park, Jang rewards him by helping him become the president's personal barber. Park's prestige grows among his neighbors, and his life improves. Even his nagging wife, Min-ja (Moon So-ri of Oasis and A Good Lawyer's Wife), is proud of him. His relatively carefree, oblivious life is thrown into turmoil when the government starts rounding up people with diarrhea, purportedly to help them track down collaborators with sick North Korean spies. Little Nak-an gets sick, and Seong misguidedly tries to prove his loyalty to the dictator by turning the boy in, thinking no harm will come to him. But he's underestimated the brutal irrationality of his leaders. The President's Barber had its international premiere at the 2005 New York Korean Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Song Kang-ho, Moon So-ri, (more)
Still haunted by the untimely death of his lover during an assignment gone horribly awry, police officer Jay (Kim Seok-hun) now spends his days as a detached subway cop who has seemingly lost his soul. Pickpocket Kay (Bae Du-na) has become infatuated with Jay and when former government assassin Bishop (Park Sang-min) hijacks a subway car, the obsessive Kay tips off Jay and the two end up in Bishop's target car when the hijacker makes his move. Realizing that this may be his one chance for redemption, Jay vows to bring down Bishop and save the lives of countless Korean citizens. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kim Seok-hun, Bae Du-na, (more)
