Rough Cut is a 2008 South Korean film, and the debut feature of director Jang Hun

Jang Hun (director)

Jang Hun is a South Korean film director. He has worked primarily with director Kim Ki-duk first with the production department, then as an assistant director, to getting a script from Mr. Kim; Rough Cut. In 2010 he directed Secret Reunion selling over 5,000,000 tickets making it the second...

. The film is based on an original story by Kim Ki-duk

Kim Ki-duk

Kim Ki-duk is a South Korean filmmaker noted for his idiosyncratic "art-house" cinematic works. His films have received many distinctions in the festival circuit. He is not related to the Kim Ki-duk who directed Yonggary in the 1960s...

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Synopsis

Gang-pae, played by So Ji-sub

So Ji-sub

So Ji-sub is a South Korean actor.-Biography:It was 1997 when So Ji-sub modeled for the jeans brand "STORM" and first caught the attention of Korean fans. He debuted as an actor in the sitcom Three Guys and Three Girls and remained active in the entertainment industry through dramas and commercials...

, is a local organized crime leader who still wishes he could be in movies. Su-ta, played by Kang Ji-hwan

Kang Ji-hwan

Kang Ji-hwan is a South Korean actor.- Career :Kang made his debut in the entertainment industry through popular musical productions The Rocky Horror Show and Grease...

, is a haughty actor who is easy to provoke. Within his latest film, where he plays a gangster, he gets into the role too much and sends one of the stuntmen to the hospital. The two men meet by chance at a room salon and Su-ta enlists Gang-pae to join the production. But this real life gangster will only join the production if the fights are real. The two main characters continue to try and one-up the other every chance they get.

Cast

• So Ji-sub
  So Ji-sub
  So Ji-sub is a South Korean actor.-Biography:It was 1997 when So Ji-sub modeled for the jeans brand "STORM" and first caught the attention of Korean fans. He debuted as an actor in the sitcom Three Guys and Three Girls and remained active in the entertainment industry through dramas and commercials...
  
   as Gang-Pae (gangster)
• Kang Ji-hwan
  Kang Ji-hwan
  Kang Ji-hwan is a South Korean actor.- Career :Kang made his debut in the entertainment industry through popular musical productions The Rocky Horror Show and Grease...
  
   as Jang Su-Ta (actor)
• Hong Soo-Hyun as Kang Mi-Na (actress)
• Ko Chang-seok
  Ko Chang-seok
  Ko Chang-seok is a South Korean actor who has been in a number of Korean films. He is recognizable by his facial hair and larger body size. He and Yu Jun-sang both won the Best Actor award at the 18th annual Icheon Chunsa Film Festival for their roles in A Barefoot Dream and Moss,...
  
   as Director Bong (director)
• Song Yong-Tae as Chairman Park
• Jang Hee-Jin as Eun-Sun (Su-Ta's girlfriend)

Blurring of real and fake

Since this film crosses back and forth between being an actual movie and a movie within a movie, the lines get blurred as to which the audience is watching. Examples:

• The character name Su-ta (수타) is a parody of 스타 meaning "(movie) star" in Korean. And the character name Gang-pae (강패) is a parody of 깡패 which means "gangster" in Korean.
• Choreographed fights become "real" and a "real" fight turns out to be planned but is however "real".
• The actual movie script for Rough Cut is shown being read and held several times by rehearsing characters and crew within the film.
• Numerous members of the actual crew, including the producer and editor, are seen in the film as "crew members".
• Various movie posters can seen seen including Time also written by Kim Ki-duk and an early draft of a Rough Cut poster, which is the same image on the cover of the scripts.
• The "real" arrest of a bloodied Gang-pae for a recent murder turns out to be in image from a film shown in a theater right before the actual credits roll.

International film festivals

• Hong Kong International Film Festival (2009)
• Shanghai International Film Festival (2009) Won - Jin Jue Award for Best Music
• Udine Far East Film Festival (2009)

Awards

2008 29th Blue Dragon Film Awards

Blue Dragon Film Awards

The Blue Dragon Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony that is presented annually by Sports Chosun for excellence in film in South Korea....

• Best New Actor - So Ji-Seob
• Best New Actor - Kang Ji-hwan
  Kang Ji-hwan
  Kang Ji-hwan is a South Korean actor.- Career :Kang made his debut in the entertainment industry through popular musical productions The Rocky Horror Show and Grease...