Ha Ji-weon Movies

A corporate thug charged with the task of convincing impoverished Seoul fringe dwellers to sell their property to wealthy real-estate developers experiences a curious change of heart in this dark, Capra-influenced comedy drama from Sex is Zero writer/director Yun Je-gyun. First Street is the Korean equivalent of America's Skid Row - a place where the hopeless and homeless go when all other options are lost. On this street, there is no electricity, and the community restroom is a shared hole in the ground. To outsiders, the folks who live on this rugged little patch of land would likely have little to fight for, but to them, community is all that matters. When corporate real estate representative Pil-je (Im Chang-jeong) arrives on a mission to persuade the First Street locals to relinquish their shoddily constructed homes in the name of progress, he is met with unanimous resistance. The person most fiercely opposed to Pil-je's proposal is tough-but-lovely Myung-ran (Ha Ji-won), a pretty pugilist who longs to become a champion just like her brain-damaged father - a former boxer who has since fallen on hard times. Convinced that he is in for an extended battle, Pil-je arranges for electricity and internet access to be brought into the neighborhood for his own convenience. As a result, the man who was supposed to frighten the citizens away suddenly becomes a hero of the community. The attention heaped upon him makes Pil-je feel refreshingly good, and he soon begins teaching the local kids how to fight back against bullies in addition to showing a young television fanatic how to fly like Ultraman. Later, when his corporate handlers decide that Pil-je has had plenty enough time to accomplish his mission, the situation takes an unexpectedly grim turn of events. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

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

His life in shambles after youthful dreams of becoming a golf champion yield disappointing results, bored stock exchange worker Seungwan receives a second chance at success after a freak accident puts his life back on track. Severely beaten after inexplicably angering local mob boss Ma Gangseong, Seungwan passes out after meeting a man who appears to be his clone. Upon regaining consciousness, Seungwan learns that the life he knew is no more; he is no longer a miserable failure, but a famous golf champion. Though his marriage had been heading down a rocky road for some time, his newfound success and passion finds him and his wife Jiyeong falling back in love. Though everything suddenly seems to be falling into place for Seungwan, an upcoming golf championship threatens to unravel his ideal world unless he is able to pull it all together for one shot at a life of happiness. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide