Jo Sang-geon Movies
- 2006
A guy with a talent for cards makes his way into the dangerous world of underground gambling in this crime thriller from South Korea. Go-ni (Jo Seung-woo) is a small-town guy with a big appetite for gambling. Convinced he's on a hot streak one evening during a card game, Go-ni bets his life savings on a hand of hwatu, only to lose to a crooked cardsharp. Determined to get revenge, Go-ni sets out to find the guy who cheated him and win back his money. Go-ni's travels lead him to Pyeong Gyeong-jang (Baek Yun-shik), an unusually gifted card player who has gotten out of the game. Pyeong sees a talented protégé in Go-ni and takes him under his wing, introducing him to Madam Jeong (Kim Hye-su), an equally gifted female gambler. Jeong is attracted to the young and handsome Go-ni and takes him on as both a student and a lover, but the young man soon learns how dangerous a gambler's trade can be when he wins a hefty bankroll from Kwak Cheol-yeong (Kim Eung-su), an underworld kingpin who doesn't take losing lightly. Go-ni also foolishly breaks off his affair with Jeong when he falls for Hwa-ran (Lee Su-gyeong), a beautiful woman who runs a nightspot, and makes an enemy of A-gui (Kim Yun-seok), a thug with a hair-trigger temper who holds a grudge against Pyeong. As the various characters come together for a major hwatu tournament, Go-ni struggles to keep his mind on the game as he's forced to keep his eye peeled for enemies prepared to claim his life. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
- Starring:
- Cho Seung-Woo, Baek Yun-shik, (more)
South Korean filmmaker Im Sang-su (A Good Lawyer's Wife) tackles the assassination of President Park Chun-hee (Song Jae-Ho) in his political satire The President's Last Bang. Im focuses on the internecine bickering and jockeying for position that took place among the dictator's closest advisors. Park was in the midst of a brutal crackdown on student protestors, angry workers, and others whom he saw as a threat to his regime. As the film opens, KCIA Chief Agent Ju (Han Suk-Gyu of Shiri) is getting rid of a hooker and her overzealous mother while President Park prepares for a banquet at his safe house with disgruntled KCIA Director Kim (Baek Yun-shik of Save the Green Planet!), Chief Secretary Yang (Gweon Byeong-Gil), and Chief Bodyguard Cha (Jeong Weon-Jung), who has already offended Ju and Kim with his malicious "office politics," and two charming young ladies, a well-known pop singer (Kim Yun-Ah) and a co-ed (Cho Eun-ji). Kim has just had an unhappy doctor's visit, and been told he's suffering from a bad liver and chronic fatigue. Apparently pushed to the breaking point, he enlists his underlings, Ju and Colonel Min (Kim Eung-soo) in a deadly plot. Im insists that while some of the dialogue was necessarily invented, his film tells the story of what actually happened on that historic night in 1979. Park's relatives, still politically active in the country's right wing, sued the filmmaker and successfully kept him from using archival footage of the president in the film's final cut. The President's Last Bang was selected by the Film Society of Lincoln Center for inclusion in the 2005 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
- Starring:
- Song Jae-Ho
Imagine the world and age that you live in unfolding under slightly different circumstances -- what would life be like if our familiar history took a different route? Instead of fighting each other, Japan and the United States have teamed with one another to bring down Hitler during World War II -- and instead of bombs being dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the Enola Gay flew its fateful mission over Berlin, effectively bringing an end to the Nazi reign of terror. When a terrorist attack unleashes destruction upon a museum housing a collection of priceless ancient artifacts, J.B.I. Agent Masayuki Sakamoto (Jang Dong-Gun) discovers an underground band of freedom fighters willing to pay the ultimate price to acquire the mythical "Lunar Soul." As the mystery comes into light and Sakamoto discovers that everything he has ever known could be little more than a complex illusion, political intrigue and speculative science fiction combine to bring viewers one of the most compelling and original fantasy films that South Korea has to offer. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
- Starring:
- Toru Nakamura, Jang Dong-gun, (more)
Directed by Kim Eui-seok, Cheongpung myeongweol (Sword in the Moon) is set in 17th century Korea, a chaotic time period in which the once Confucian society was threatened by an attempted Japanese invasion. The film is centered around an elite band of imperial guards hired to protect the old ways. Choi Ji-hwan (Choi Min-su) and Yun Gyu-yeob (Jo Jae-hyeon) make the backbone of the group, but unforeseen circumstances cause Yun to turn on Choi, the latter of which disappears from the scene after having been revealed as responsible for several murders. Yun's search results in apprehending swordswoman Shi-yeong (Kim Bo-gyeong), Choi's lover and partner in crime, who Yun tortures for information on Choi's whereabouts. Eventually, Choi and Yun meet and prepare for a final battle. The film also features Lee Jong-su, Jeon Seong-hwan, Gi Ju-bong, Yu Yeon-su, and Kang Shin-il. ~ Tracie Cooper, Rovi
- Starring:
- Choi Min-su, Jo Jae-hyeon, (more)
