Ahn Sung-ki Movies
A lone hero comes to the rescue of a village about to be overrun by a marauding army in this historical epic from Hong Kong. In the year 370 B.C., China has been torn apart by a handful of warring factions, and the Zhao State has set out on a long march to invade and conquer the Yan State. En route, the ten thousand-strong Zhao army will pass through the town of Liang City, home to four thousand souls. Led by Lord Liang (Wang Zhiwen), an ineffectual and alcoholic leader, the people of Liang City fear the worse, and beg the warriors of the Mozi clan to come to their aid in protecting the city. As Zhao general Xiang Yanzhong (Ahn Sung-ki) and his men loom on the horizon, a single Mozi fighter, Ge Li (Andy Lau), arrives in Liang City; while the townspeople are certain the battle is already lost, Li is a brilliant strategist, and convinces the handful of Liang soldiers that they can indeed fend off the Zhao invaders. With the help of Liang cavalry woman Yi Yue (Fan Bingbing) and Zi Tuan (Nicky Wu), a master of the bow and arrow, Li is able to fight the Zhao soldiers to a standstill; however, Lord Liang is humiliated by the success of the interloper, and his right-hand man (Wu Ma) plants seeds of doubt in the villagers' minds about their new champion. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Andy Lau, Ahn Sung-ki, (more)
- 2005
Director Lee Myung-se returns to the screen with his long-awaited follow-up to the acclaimed 1999 policier Nowhere to Hide. Duelist takes place in Korea during the Chosun dynasty, where a large-scale counterfeiting scheme threatens to send the whole country into chaos. Two cops, Detective Ahn (Ahn Sung-kee, who played the killer in Nowhere to Hide) and his young protégé, Namsoon (Ha Ji-won of Phone), stumble upon the plot while they're working undercover at a street fair. A masked swordsman (Kang Dong-won, whose character is identified in the credits as "Sad Eyes") uses his amazing skills to distract onlookers while he pulls off a robbery. Namsoon doggedly pursues him, and finds herself strangely but inexorably drawn to the young man, even as they have one violent encounter after another. While Sad Eyes relies on his swordsmanship, Namsoon is an expert with her two daggers. Their skills are comparable, and inconveniently enough, they seem to be falling in love. Eventually, the police investigation leads to Sad Eyes' employer, the Minister of Defense (Song Young-chang, another frequent collaborator of director Lee's), who is apparently using the counterfeiting plot in an effort to take over the government. Duelist had its New York premiere at the 2006 New York Asian Film Festival, presented by Subway Cinema. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ha Ji-weon, Gang Dong-weon, (more)
Renowned Korean director Im Kwon-Taek (Chunhyang) tells the story of legendary iconoclastic Chosun Dynasty artist Oh-won (Choi Min-Sik). With little reliable documentation of the artist's life, the director (along with co-writer Kim Young-Oak) used dramatic license to fill in the details of the man's life. Born a peasant named Jang Seung-ub in 1843, the artist used his talents to escape a life of poverty. A wealthy nobleman, Kim Byung-Moon (Ahn Sung-Ki), recognizes Jang's talent, and takes him in at an early age. Master Kim recommends Jang to a respected art teacher, and his career path begins. As a young man, Jang grows in stature for his ability to flawlessly copy well-known Chinese paintings. He also falls in love with a noble's daughter, Mae-Hyang (You Ho-Jeong). Because of the class difference, he can never be with her, and he's heartbroken when she marries another man. This sets him on the path he follows for much of his life -- that of a drunken wanderer. Despite his self-destructive hard drinking, his penchant for consorting with prostitutes, his impoverished background, his refusal to follow anyone's rules, the political turbulence of the times in which he lives, and the fact that he rarely signs his own work, Oh-won rises to prominence as an artist. Director Im shared the Best Director prize (with Paul Thomas Anderson) at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, and Chihwaseon was also featured in the 2002 New York Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Choi Min-Sik, Ahn Sung-ki, (more)
- 1998
Set during the summer of 1952, the volatile period before the end of the Korean War, this first feature by UCLA graduate Kwangmo Lee focuses on the moral degeneration that is the outcome of any war. Two village boys, Sung Min and Chang Hee pass the time spying on the U.S. soldiers who have sex with village women in a deserted mill. Fun and games come to an end when it turns out that one of the women is Chang Hee's mother -- and her pimp is Sung Min's father. Cinematography is particularly exquisite in this minimalist film in which the story unfolds in a leisurely pace. Arrumdawoon Sheechul took four years to achieve recognition after Kwangmo Lee won the Grand Prix for his script at the 7th Hartley Merril International Screenwriting Contest USA 1995. After its premiere at Cannes Film Festival (Directors Fortnight) 1998, it has fast become a festival favorite, winning several awards among which are the Gold Award for a new director at the Tokyo International Film Festival and the Artistic Achievement Award at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. ~ Gönül Dönmez-Colin, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Sung-ki, Yoojung Bae, (more)
- 1996
Kohei Oguri directs this sumptuously photographed free-formed tale about a beautiful corner of Japan. Consisting of a number of enigmatic, interwoven story lines, the film's title comes from Takuji (Ahn Sung-ki), who returns to his rural hometown after journeying about the world. After an accident in the mountain where he used to play as a child, he falls into an impenetrable slumber from which he cannot awake. Other tales include: a young lad listens to folklore spun by an old man who manages a water wheel; a foreign barkeep named Tia (Christine Hakim), who harbors a mysterious past; and Takuji's childhood friend (Koji Yakusho), who tells stories of the sleeping man's past. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Sung-ki, Christine Hakim, (more)
- 1992
In this political allegory, probably only interpretable by those living in South Korea, a Korean journalist working in Paris becomes intrigued by the murder trial of a Korean girl accused of killing her French stepfather. Nothing can be learned from the girl, because the trauma of the event has changed her into a mute, so the journalist seeks out her brother. Foreign reviewers were able to discern that the brother and sister represented South and North Korea, respectively, but were unable to follow the meaning of the rest of the investigation which, when considered purely as a story, they found confusing and unsatisfying. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Ahn Sung-ki
