Moby Dick (2011 film)
Moby Dick | |
---|---|
Directed by | Park In-je |
Screenplay by | Park In-je, Park Shin-kyu |
Produced by | Oh Young-suk |
Starring | Hwang Jung-min Kim Min-hee Jin Goo Kim Sang-ho |
Production company | Palette Pictures |
Distributed by | Showbox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
Country | South Korea |
Language | Korean |
Moby Dick (Korean: 모비딕; RR: Mobidik) is a 2011 South Korean thriller written by Park In-je and Park Shin-kyu, directed by Park In-je, and starring Hwang Jung-min.
The film is the feature directing debut of Park In-je, grand prizewinner of the 2003 Mise-en-Scene Genre Film Festival.[1] Park was working on a screenplay about a reporter when he came across an account of Private Yun Seok-yang, a soldier at the Defense Security Command of Korea’s Armed Forces. In 1990 Yun deserted his camp, carrying a floppy disk that contained a list of national leaders, including former presidents, religious leaders, politicians, and social activists, that the DSC had been illegally investigating; he made a declaration of conscience and revealed the contents of the disk at a press conference.[2] Moby Dick, loosely based on Yun’s story, follows a journalist’s attempts to investigate a secret organization that controls the government.[3] The title Moby Dick alludes to Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick by conjuring up an overwhelming entity whose size makes it impossible to see all at once; Moby Dick was also the name of a café near Seoul University that was used by the DSC to investigate ordinary citizens.[4] Starring actor Hwang Jung-min interviewed bureau-level reporters to help prepare for his role.[5]
The film was shot during the coldest winter in South Korea in 30 years. Shooting began in mid-October 2010 and ended in February 2011, with the cast and crew enduring the cold for five months.[6]
Plot[]
In winter 1994, an explosion occurs at the fictional Balam Bridge on the outskirts of Seoul and is attributed to terrorists. Social affairs reporter Lee Bang-woo (Hwang) begins to investigate the case when an old friend, Yoon-hyuk (Jin), hands him some secret documents and claims that the explosion was committed intentionally by the government. Lee teams up with fellow journalists Sung Hyo-kwan (Kim Min-hee) and Son Jin-ki (Kim Sang-ho) to pursue the truth. Their investigation reveals what seems to be a secret group that operates the government, and they begin to unravel a string of conspiracies that become far deadlier than they anticipated. [7][8]
Cast[]
- Hwang Jung-min as Lee Bang-woo
- Kim Min-hee as Sung Hyo-kwan
- Jin Goo as Yoon-hyuk
- Kim Sang-ho as Son Jin-ki
- Han Soo-yeon as Seo Eun-sook
- Kim Min-Jae as Kim Yong-sung
- Lee Geung-young as Professor Jang
- Jung Man-sik as Nam Seon-soo
- Jo Hee-bong as Im Jik-sa
- Bae Seong-woo as President Maeng
- Ahn Gil-kang as Detective Ma
- Kim Bo-yeon as Director Jo
Release & Reception[]
The film was released on June 9, 2011, to generally positive reviews for its 90s-era settings, moody cinematography, and cast performances.[9] [10][11] It grossed around $3 million at the South Korean box office. [12] [13]
References[]
- ^ Lee, Hyo-won (5 May 2011). "Hwang Jung-min returns as reporter". The Korea Times.
- ^ Lee, Claire (6 June 2011). "'Moby Dick,' a well-made conspiracy flick". The Korea Herald.
- ^ Lee, Ye-eun (31 May 2011). "'Moby Dick' Director Park In-je 'The actual incident serves as the motif, but…". The Chosun Ilbo/Sports Chosun.
- ^ Kim, Do-hyung (14 June 2011). "A movie depicting the Yun Seok-yang incident. The reason why Yun Seok-yang won't watch it". Han Kyeol/One People.
- ^ Lee, Ye-eun (26 April 2011). "'Moby Dick' Hwang Jung-min became a reporter and slimmed down!". The Chosun Ilbo/Sports Chosun.
- ^ Park, Seon-hye (5 June 2011). "(Review) Movie 'Moby Dick' "I will reveal Korea's conspiracy theories"". CheonJi Ilbo.
- ^ "Moby Dick, 2011". Modern Korean Cinema. 22 April 2012.
- ^ "Moby Dick". Daum Movies. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ Lee, Hwa-jeong (1 June 2021). "Thriller 'Moby Dick' starring Hwang Jung-min released for the first time". Cine21.
- ^ Lee, Seon-pil (1 December 2016). "Hwang Jung-min Why is 'Moby Dick' just okay?". OhMyNews.
- ^ Lee, Claire (6 June 2011). "'Moby Dick,' a well-made conspiracy flick". The Korea Herald.
- ^ "Moby Dick, 2011". KoBiz. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "South Korean Box Office for 2011". IMDb Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
External links[]
- 2011 films
- Korean-language films
- South Korean films
- 2011 crime thriller films
- South Korean crime thriller films