Ahn Song-Gi Movies
South Korean-born filmmaker Yu-Jin Kim (A Promise) takes the helm for this epic historical war drama detailing the invention of the first multi-launch rocket system. Created during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), the revolutionary weapons system forever changed the face of combat by allowing armies to rain destruction down on their enemies with unprecedented ferocity. A century after the Sino-Korean conflict, China has grown increasingly hostile in its efforts to reign in the affairs of its small tributary state. As a result, Joseon King Sejong (Ahn Seong-gi) strives to protect his country's autonomy by allocating secret funding for the development of a highly sophisticated weapon. This responsibility is bestowed upon sleazy merchant Seol-ju (Jeong Jae-yeong), the son of a gunpowder maker from the fallen Goryeo Kingdom (918-1392). Not only does the merchant's lowly status make him the ideal candidate to head-up such a top-secret project, but his knowledge of explosives provides him with the knowledge to create a weapon that's capable of flying up to two kilometers and creating a crater up to thirty centimeters deep. When the Chinese government becomes suspicious and the original weapons designer takes his own life, his young daughter Hong-ri (Han Eung-jeong) is faced with the task of guarding a volatile national secret. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- 2007
A fresh-faced prosecutor reconnects with his estranged father - a veteran detective who previously deserted his family - as the pair sets out to investigate an accident that could be connected to a lucrative drug-smuggling ring. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Jo Han-seon, (more)
- 2006
On the heels of their small screen hit The King and the Clown, filmmaking duo Lee Jun-II and writer re-team for a heterosexual all-male love story starring Ahn Song-Ki and Park Joong-Hoon. Back in 1998, rocker Choi Gon had the power to make an entire stadium full of girl weep, but these days he relegated to playing small coffee houses. Embittered and unstable, Choi is constantly picking fights, and eventually winds up in jail. Soon after, Choi is offered a DJ gig at a provincial radio station in Young-wol. At first Choi scoffs at the prospect, but soon enough his long-suffering manager Park Min-Soo (Ahn) convinces the has-been rocker to give it a try. Despite the fact that the first few months are pretty rough going, things start to look up when a local garage band announce plans to play a tribute concert to their musical hero. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Park Joong-Hoon, Ahn Sung-kee, (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
- 1999
This documentary tackles the emotional battle to protect South Korea's national film industry against the corporate juggernaut of the MPAA (which is backed by the U.S. government). From a high profile hunger strike by Korean directors in the summer of 1998 to the current stalemate after the issue was separated from general trade talks, the film focuses on Korea's use of screen quotas for local flicks (currently standing at 106, but this is bound to be reduced). While the MPAA sees Korea as a key market in its attempts to dominate all of Asia, Korean filmmakers regard local productions as central to Korea's sense of national identity. This film was screened at the 1999 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Myung Kye-Nam
- 1999
Kim Kuk-hyeong makes his feature debut with this genre-bending millennial angst drama. After a night of binge drinking, the film's hospital surgeon protagonist (played by Korean heartthrob Ahn Sung-ki) discovers that the world has suddenly got awry (earthquakes, mass suicides, and a war alert with South Korea). At the same time, his ex-girlfriend sends him a confessional tape recalling their past relationship and their frequent kinky sex games. Black Hole was screened at the 1999 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Kim Min, (more)
- 1999
Romance blooms amidst informal story conferences in this witty romantic story. Chul-soo (Lee Seong-jae), a young man who is on leave from the Korean army, goes to the apartment he shares with his girlfriend, Da-hye (Song Seon-mil), only to make a startling discovery -- Da-hye has broken up with him, moved out, and sublet the apartment to a friend, Choon-hee (Shim Eun-ha). Chul-soo is understandably upset, and announces he's not leaving the apartment until Da-hye stops by to discuss this state of affairs with him. As it seems that might take a while, Chul-soo and Choon-hee are forced to get to know each other. It turns out Choon-hee makes her living making wedding videos but really wants to direct feature films; she's working on a screenplay, but can't type especially well. Chul-soo, however, is a fine typist and starts helping her prepare her script. The screenplay, entitled "The Art Museum by the Zoo," is a story of unrequited love between a young woman and an older man, and soon two people who at first had no interest in being friends find themselves talking about love a great deal. First time director Lee Jeong-hyang scored a hit with this film, which was a major box office success in its native South Korea. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Shim Eun-Ha, Ahn Song-Gi, (more)
Korean maverick auteur Lee Myung-Se directs this wildly exuberant, genre-crunching, police-comedy action flick. Held together with only the barest of plot elements, this film is a gleeful romp through a litany of film styles and references. Following a gangland murder in a popular Seoul shopping area, bumptious, cock-sure detective Woo ( Lee regular Park Joong Hoon) and his marginally more contemplative partner Kim (Jang Dong-gun) comb the city for the killer (former heartthrob Ahn Sung-Ki). Woo stumbles from one jaw-dropping sequence of stylized violence to another until he has his final two-fisted showdown with the killer. Nowhere to Hide was the second-highest-grossing film of 1999 in Korea and an audience favorite at the 1999 Pusan Film Festival and the 2000 Sundance Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Park Joong-Hoon, (more)
- 1998
Taken from South Korean female playwright Um In-hee's production of the same name, this thoughtful comedy drama centers on a married pair of lawyers, Sung-ki (Ahn Sung-ki) and Gi-ja (Mun Seong-keun) who find themselves facing off in court and at home after a woman (Hwang Cine) decides to sue a major conglomerate for destroying her lover's sex-drive. Prosecutor Gi-ja represents the woman, while Sung-ki helps the defendant. The primary issue centers on the unstoppable Korean post-war work ethic in which employees are expected to devote their lives to supporting their companies, something that destroys many relationships and even lives. Arguments from the case parallel the lawyers' marriage and open a huge, painful gulf between them. This film played at the 1998 Pusan Film Festival. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Mun Seong-keun, (more)
- 1998
South Korean filmmaker Moon Seung-wook returns to Poland, the country where he learned to make movies (he is a graduate of Poland's Lodz Film school and former student of Krzystof Kieslowski) to tell the story of Kim (Ahn Sung-ki), a Korean immigrant who left his wife and family to see the world and ended up opening a Taekwondo school in Warsaw. There he encounters two young people who will completely change his life. One of those, Jola (Ewa Gawryluk), is a free-spirited blonde, while the other, Michal (Pawel Burczyk), is one of Kim's more talented students even though he is also a bit of a ruffian. This film was shown at the 1998 Pusan Film Festival and represents the first co-production between Poland and South Korea. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Pawel Burczyk, (more)
The Devil, you say! Seung-heui (Chu Sang-mi) is a beautiful female auto mechanic who was born in the midst of a mass suicide by a cult of Satanists -- which might explain why she often has bad dreams. Further enlightenment of her difficulty with sleep is provided by Father Park (Ahn Sung-ki) and Jun-hu (Oh Hyeon-chul). Their research into spiritual and paranormal matters has led them to believe Satan himself wants Seung-heui to be the mother of his child -- and he doesn't like to take no for an answer. This fast-paced supernatural thriller, loaded with special effects, was a major success in South Korea. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Shin Hyun-Joon, (more)
- 1994
This South Korean drama makes a poignant case for the reunification of north and south as it uses childhood memories to chronicle the events that divided the population of a small island. The film begins in modern times and looks back. Moon Chae-ku and Kim Chul have been friends since childhood. Together they are returning to Kwisong Island to bury Moon's father. Unfortunately, bitter locals will not let the boat containing his body land. Moot tries to talk to them, but they are adamant. Kim begins to remember the 40-year old events that led to this moment. Kim again becomes a baby. Oknim is a young village woman with mild mental retardation. Before her wedding she tells Kim how the souls of the dead become stars. He remembers Moon Duk-bae, his friend's philandering, uncaring father who watched his sickly daughter die and his wife go mad with grief and then sent her to her death which caused the whole conflict. Moon Duk-bae also helped the Nationalist Army find and execute supposed Communists upon the tiny island. In the present it is a shaman that brings them all back together. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Moon Sung-Keun, Ahn Song-Gi, (more)
- 1989
This bittersweet slice-of-life comedy was an indication of an increased level of freedom for artists in South Korean at the time it was made.Two South Korean buddies paint billboards for a living. The younger of the two, Chilsu (Park Djung-Hun), fantasizes about joining his relatives in Miami. The older one, Mansu (Ahn Song-Gi), is shirking family reponsibilities by doing nothing to help his father, a long-time political prisoner. The two men have fun together, at work or in their shared apartment. They spend spare time going to discos or hanging out with a waitress friend, Chin-A (Bac Chong-Ok). They're hard pressed for money but have a reasonably comfortable existence. One fateful day, they find out that Chin-A is entering into an arranged marriage, and also that Mansu's father's long-anticipated 60th birthday leave from prison has been denied. The combination of these two blows sets them off. They climb atop of a billboard located over an apartment block, and begin yelling and shouting, drawing crowds, police, and TV news crews. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi
- 1988
No one knows who Lee Jong-Sae is, and no one cares who he thinks he is. This irrepressible nightclub emcee seems to be unaware of just how not-famous he really is and is forever thanking the puzzled people he meets for their "continued support." Now that he is famous, if only in his own mind, he wants to be more famous. He has decided to film a movie in the tradition of Charlie Chaplin or the Keystone Cops, and he ropes some friends into staging a series of bungled robberies. Since he hasn't raised the money for the film yet, the police don't know they are watching a movie in progress, and in this South Korean comedy (packed with local political references), the dense emcee and his pals get chased for real. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Hwang Shin-Hye, (more)
- 1987
The star-crossed lovers in this 16th-century historical romance run into nothing but trouble but nonetheless cannot pretend they do not care for one another. At the outset, a lovely daughter of an ambitious court official is in love with the son of a much lower-ranking official, and he is in love with her. The girl's contemptible father is determined to prevent his daughter from making a marriage which will not serve his career and has the boy castrated and brought into the royal court's staff of eunuchs. The king is an equally small-minded individual, and to spite the court official, he refuses to even notice his daughter as a person of significance, relegating her to the humiliating status of being the servant of one of the king's less-favored mistresses. Then, when the girl and her castrated boyfriend attempt to escape, the perfidious monarch rapes her in the presence of the man she loves, which has tragic consequences for all concerned. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi
- 1987
In college, the girl in this movie meets the man of her dreams, and she is the same for him. However, the boy joins the underworld after a couple of troubling revelations emerge about his family-life. Though his girl still wants him for her own, and he returns to her for a little while, he leaves again quite suddenly. She and her love's best friend find out that he has married the prostitute who gave birth to his child, and so she gives up on him and marries the best friend instead. When the young gangster decides to try and change his ways in order to return to her, he discovers that, for all sorts of reasons, his resolution has come too late. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Song-Gi, Lee Mee-sook, (more)
