The Man from Nowhere (2010 film)

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The Man from Nowhere
The Man from Nowhere poster.jpg
Original Korean poster
Hangul아저씨
Revised RomanizationAjeossi
McCune–ReischauerAjŏssi
Directed byLee Jeong-beom
Written byLee Jeong-beom
Produced byLee Tae-heon
Starring
CinematographyLee Tae-yoon
Edited byKim Sang-bum
Music byShim Hyun-jung
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • August 4, 2010 (2010-08-04)
Running time
119 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$43 million[1]

The Man from Nowhere (Korean: 아저씨; RR: Ajeossi) (English: Mister) is a 2010 South Korean action thriller film starring Won Bin and written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. It was South Korea's highest-grossing film in 2010 and had 6.2 million admissions.[2] The film was released in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2010. The film follows the story of a mysterious and shady man (Won Bin) who embarks on a bloody rampage when the only person who seems to understand him is kidnapped. It also marks the final on-screen appearance of Won Bin as of 2020.[3][4]

Rocky Handsome, an official Indian remake starring John Abraham, was released in 2016.[5]

Plot[]

Cha Tae-sik is a quiet man running a pawnshop. His only friend is a little girl, So-mi, who lives in the same neighborhood. So-mi's mother, Hyo-jeong, is a go-go dancer and heroin addict.

Instructed by her lover, Hyo-jeong steals a large pack of heroin being sold at the bar where she works and hides it in a camera bag, which she pawns to Tae-sik for safe keeping. Her action attracts the attention of crime lord Oh Myung-gyu, who tasks his subordinates, brothers Man-seok and Jong-seok, to retrieve the drugs. Jong-seok locates Hyo-jeong, tortures her in front of So-mi, and forces her to reveal where the drug is. His lackeys, Du-chi and Bear, go to Tae-sik's place to intimidate him, but he easily overpowers them.

Realizing Tae-sik has a soft spot for So-mi, Jong-seok kidnaps her and forces him to deliver the drugs to Oh Myung-gyu. Man-seok informs the police, leading to them swarming Myung-gyu's property. Myung-gyu escapes, while Tae-sik is arrested and discovers Hyo-jeong's body, with her organs harvested, in the back of the car he used to make the delivery.

Tae-sik escapes from the police station, alarming them with his display of combat prowess. Upon further investigation, the police officers discover he was a former covert operative for the South Korean Army Intelligence, with numerous commendations, but retired after he was wounded and his pregnant wife was killed by a hitman.

Following the lead from the burner phone he received from Jong-seok, Tae-sik tracks Du-chi to a nightclub. As he asks where the brothers are, Ramrowan walks in and shoots at Tae-sik, killing Du-chi in the crossfire. The two fight to a standstill and Tae-sik gets shot. Bleeding out, Tae-sik finds his former partner, who performs emergency surgery to remove the bullet. Tae-sik recovers, asks his partner to help him acquire a gun, then goes back to the city.

Tae-sik finds and frees several child slaves in a drug manufacturing plant, in the process killing off Jong-seok. He tracks down the elder brother, Man-seok, at the gang's condo, where a dozen gang members and Ramrowan are also waiting. Man-seok says that he has had So-mi killed and shows Tae-sik a container that has what he says are her eyes. He demands to know what happened to his younger brother, and, in a rage, Tae-sik kills the gang members, including Ramrowan and Man-seok.

As Tae-sik prepares to commit suicide out of grief a scared, dirty, but unscathed So-mi emerges from the darkness; she'd been saved by Ramrowan, who took pity on her because she had been kind to him - the eyes in the container belonged to the gangsters' surgeon, who had been killed off-camera by Ramrowan. The police allow Tae-sik and So-mi to ride together after Tae-sik's arrest, and while she sleeps Tae-sik asks if they can be dropped off at a small convenience store. Tae-sik buys a backpack along with other school supplies. He tells So-mi that she's going to be on her own now, as the police have to take him away.

Before he goes, he asks her for a hug and breaks down in tears as they embrace.

Cast[]

  • Won Bin as Cha Tae-sik
  • Kim Sae-ron as So-mi
  • Kim Hee-won as Man-seok
  • Kim Sung-oh as Jong-seok, Man-Seok's brother
  • Kim Tae-hoon as Detective Kim Chi-gon
  • Thanayong Wongtrakunl as Lum Ramrowan
  • Lee Do-gyeom as Child at workplace
  • Kim Hyo-seo as Hyo-jeong, So-mi's mother
  • Lee Jong-yi as Detective No
  • Song Young-chang as Oh Myung-gyu
  • Jo Seok-hyuon as Moon Dal-seo
  • Jo Jae-yoon as Jang Doo-sik
  • Hong So-hee as Yeon-soo
  • Hwang Min-ho as Nam Sung-Sik
  • Kwak Byung-Kyu as Detective Kim
  • Lee Jae-won as Du-chi

Release[]

During its August 6–8 opening weekend, the film recorded 712,840 admissions, taking the number 1 spot on the box office charts for five weeks straight. It had sold a total of 6,228,300 tickets when it finished its theatrical run on November 17, 2010.[2] The film grossed a total of US$42,484,155 in South Korea.[6] On October 1, 2010 CJ Entertainment gave the film a limited theatrical release to North American theaters where it grossed US$35,751 in 1 theater its opening weekend. After widening the release up to 19 theaters, the film grossed US$528,175 in the U.S. and Canada.[1]

Reception[]

The Man from Nowhere has received positive reviews from English-language critics, holding a score of 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. As of August 2013, six of six critics gave 'Fresh' reviews, according to Rotten Tomatoes.[7] One of those critics, Russell Edwards of Variety, wrote, "Brutal violence dominates the dynamic Korean thriller The Man From Nowhere. Local heartthrob Won Bin (Mother, Tae Guk Gui) transforms himself into an action hero in writer-helmer Lee Jeong-beom’s swift and blood-soaked yarn, about a mystery man who gets caught up in a gang war while trying to protect a child, recalling Luc Besson's The Professional."[8]

Awards[]

  • 2010: (19th) Buil Film Awards – October 8[9]
    • Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
    • Special Award (Buil Independence Judge): The Man from Nowhere
  • 2010 (19th) Philadelphia Film Festival – October 14–24
    • "Graveyard Shift Special Mention": The Man from Nowhere
  • 2010: (47th) Grand Bell Awards – October 29[10]
  • 2010: (8th) Korean Film Awards – November 18[11][12]
    • Best Actor: Won Bin
    • Best New Actress: Kim Sae-ron
    • Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
    • Best Lighting: Lee Cheol-oh
    • Best Editing: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum
    • Best Visual Effects: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes)
    • Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
  • 2010: (31st) Blue Dragon Film Awards – November 26[13]
    • Technical Award: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes)
    • Popularity Award: Won Bin
    • Box Office Award: The Man from Nowhere
  • 2010: (2nd) Korean Wave Industry Awards – December 4
    • Popular Culture Award (Film section): The Man from Nowhere
  • 2010: (6th) University Film Festival of Korea – December 13
    • Best Director: Lee Jeong-beom
    • Best Actor: Won Bin
    • Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
    • Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
  • 2010: (13th) Director's Cut Awards – December 17
    • Best Production: Opus Pictures (Lee Tae-heon) The Man from Nowhere
  • 2010: (11th) National Assembly Society of Popular Culture & Media Awards (Korea) – December 20
    • Movie of the Year: The Man from Nowhere
  • 2011: (2nd) Film Journalists Association Annual Film Awards (Korea) – January 27
  • 2011: (8th) MaxMovie Awards – February 1
  • 2011: (3rd) Beaune International Thriller Film Festival – March 30 – April 3[14][15][16]
    • Grand Prize: The Man from Nowhere
  • 2011: (47th) Baeksang Arts Awards – May 26
    • Best Film: The Man from Nowhere
  • 2011: (33rd) Golden Cinematography Awards – September 1
    • Gold Medal Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon

Soundtrack[]

The Man from Nowhere Original Soundtrack
Soundtrack album by
Mad Soul Child, Mystery
ReleasedAugust 4, 2010 (2010-08-04)
Recorded2010
GenreSoundtrack
Length3:59
Mad Soul Child, Mystery chronology
LALALA
(2009) 		The Man from Nowhere Original Soundtrack
(2010)

Soundtrack list:

  1. The Man From Nowhere
  2. In Tae - Sik s Memory
  3. Trash Can
  4. Mother In Danger
  5. Chasing Her
  6. Chain Of Mystery
  7. Fights In Golf Club
  8. Finding Clue
  9. Dark Knight
  10. Somi in Danger
  11. Surviving Today
  12. Agent. Tae - Sik
  13. Dirty Cash - Mystery
  14. His Path Of Life
  15. There's No One But You
  16. Shave Himself
  17. Delivering Drug
  18. Jump Off
  19. Spit - Mystery
  20. The Last Bullet
  21. Ajussi
  22. Dear - Mad Soul Child

Remake[]

In March 2012, Dimension Films acquired the rights to do an English-language remake of The Man From Nowhere; plans are to have Shawn Christensen, who wrote and directed the 2012 short film Curfew, write the adaptation.[17][18] On August 5, it was reported that the remake will be produced by John Wick director Chad Stahelski and Jason Spitz with a script provided by Derek Kolstad for New Line Cinema.[19]

An Indian remake titled Rocky Handsome, directed by Nishikant Kamat and starring John Abraham was released in March 2016.[20][21] [22]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Man from Nowhere". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "The Best Selling Films of 2010". Korean Film Council via Koreanfilm.org. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  3. ^ "Netizens criticize Won Bin for having no new projects and only promoting as an endorsement model". Allkpop. 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  4. ^ Julie Jones (2015-10-20). "Won Bin's Comeback Will Wait A While Longer". Kdramastars.com. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  5. ^ Roshmila Bhattacharya (2014-04-07). "John Abraham plays a killing machine in 'Rocky Handsome'". Mumbai Mirror/Times of India. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  6. ^ "South Korea Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  7. ^ "The Man from Nowhere". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  8. ^ Edwards, Russell (2010-10-27). "Brutal violence dominates the dynamic, glossy Korean thriller The Man from Nowhere". Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  9. ^ "19th Award Winning Film". Busan.com. 2010-10-08. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  10. ^ "Won Bin won his first Daejong Best Actor Award". HanCinema. 2010-10-30. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  11. ^ "Won Bin won Best Actor Award in Korea Film Awards". HanCinema. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  12. ^ "The Man From Nowhere sweeps Korea Film Awards". 10Asia. 2010-11-19. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  13. ^ "2010 Blue Dragon Film Awards Winners". HanCinema. 2010-11-27. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  14. ^ "The Awards 2011". film festival official site. Archived from the original on 2011-04-28. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
  15. ^ "Nowhere, Kingdom stir Beaune". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2011-04-04.
  16. ^ Grobler, Craig (2011-04-09). "The International Festival of Detective Films of Beaune 2011: the winners!". hancinema.net. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  17. ^ Brooks, Brian (2012-03-08). "Shawn Christensen To Write The Man From Nowhere Redo For Dimension Films". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  18. ^ McNary, David (2016-07-26). "Korean Action-Thriller 'Man From Nowhere' Getting Remake From New Line". Variety.
  19. ^ Kroll, Justin (2020-08-05). "Chad Stahelski To Produce 'Man From Nowhere' Remake At New Line, Reuniting With 'John Wick' Scribe Derek Kolstad". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  20. ^ Bhattacharya, Roshmila (7 April 2014). "John Abraham plays a killing machine in 'Rocky Handsome'". Mumbai Mirror via The Times of India. Retrieved 2014-04-16.
  21. ^ "John Abraham's Rocky Handsome to release in February 2015". The Indian Express. 2014-04-07. Retrieved 2021-03-09.
  22. ^ "John Abraham, Shruti Hassan's next 'Rocky Handsome's release date announced". DNA India. Zee News. 2015-09-07. Retrieved 2021-03-09.

External links[]

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