Ryu Seung-wan
Encyclopedia
Ryu Seung-wan is a South Korea
n film director
.
, a small town in Chungcheong Province
. With the choice of domestic films mostly limited to propaganda and hostess films due to extreme government censorship, young Ryu often opted for the more kinetic and free-spirited action films from the Shaw Brothers canon. Watching Jackie Chan
's Drunken Master
turned him into a lifelong fan, and Ryu spent his youth building his knowledge and love for Hong Kong action
. Dreaming of becoming a film director someday, he took taekwondo
lessons and saved lunch money for three years in middle school to buy an 8mm camera, with which he shot short films.
's 1992 debut The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream
and his work as a critic, went to meet Park and the two quickly became friends. Those formative years also saw Ryu's debut as a 'real' director, with the 1996 short Transmutated Head. The 19-minute short's DP was Jang Joon-hwan
(then a young film academy student), and it featured many familiar faces in the Korean indie scene, including character actor Heo Jong-soo and Lee Mu-young (future director of The Humanist).
With a few years of experience as assistant director on Whispering Corridors
and Park's 1997 film Trio, Ryu was ready to jumpstart his own career. Ryu's debut was initially planned as a full-fledged feature film, but various issues forced him to instead shoot separate short films sharing common characters and themes. In 1998 his short film Rumble won him the Best Film at the 1998 Busan Short Film Festival, and a year later he signed a contract to develop a feature film out of Rumble and three following sequels, one of which was his short Modern Man, which was not only the audience's favorite, but also won Best Film at a Short Film Festival in 1999. The four shorts, shot on a ultra-low budget of around 65 Million won, became Ryu's first feature film: Die Bad
. In an era when blockbusters like Shiri
and Joint Security Area
were the rage in Korean cinema, the action dramedy became an instant sensation. Starring in the film himself along with some industry friends and even his little brother Ryu Seung-beom
, Ryu became an instant cult hit, praised left and right for his masterful debut. With his directorial debut, Ryu became known as the "Action Kid."
With the country experiencing tremendous growth in high-speed Internet penetration, a few companies tried to bank on this momentum by producing online short films. In 2000 the now defunct Cine4M website released a short film by Ryu alongside Jang Jin
's A Terrible Day and Kim Ji-woon
's Coming Out
. Titled after industry slang ("tachimawari" is a part of Kabuki theater
plays that involve spectacular action scenes), the short Dachimawa Lee was a wild and hilarious parody of the films he grew up with: Korean action films of the 60s and 70s, Bruce Lee
and Shaw Brothers flicks, the machismo kitsch of old Korean melodramas, and of course Jackie Chan
. Coupling over-the-top voice dubbing with deliberately mistimed action, Dachimawa Lee was an enormous success online, making lead actor Im Won-hee a minor star and the Ryu Brothers even bigger names.
Big expectations often lead to equally big disappointments, which is what industry insiders and critics felt about Ryu's first real feature film, the gritty action noir
No Blood No Tears. The film mixed big stars like Jeon Do-yeon
with talented actors from the theater world like Jung Jae-young. Joining Director Ryu once again was his younger brother Seung-beom
, who was starting to make a name for himself in the industry independent of his brother. Misunderstood as a Guy Ritchie
or Quentin Tarantino
clone, Ryu's film was an exhilarating mix of all the elements that made Die Bad
one of the best debuts films in Chungmuro
's recent history, but it also added a nasty streak of ultra-realism. The latter was contributed by Jung Doo-hong, occasionally an actor, but better known as the best action choreographer in the country, whose extreme realism balanced Ryu's more fantasy-oriented cinematic sensibilities. With No Blood No Tears a flop at the box office, it was a difficult period for Ryu, who clearly felt betrayed by the same people who had put impossible expectations on his shoulders.
After that disappointment, Ryu collaborated again with Jung Doo-hong and brother Seung-beom
, along with newcomer Yoon So-yi
. The four embarked on Arahan
, part modern-day wuxia and part local comedy. Despite its commercial success, critics still weren't pleased, continuing to lament the loss of Chungmuro
's enfant prodige.
It took another two years for Ryu to come back, but 2005's Crying Fist
was in many ways proof he had matured beyond easy labels and traditional genre boundaries. Ryu was more than just an action kid. Starring acclaimed veteran actor Choi Min-shik, the film saw the official birth of a new star, Ryu Seung-beom
. Steadily impressing critics and audiences since his debut in 2000, Ryu displayed amazing energy and range in the film, such that he often overshadowed his older, more prestigious colleague. But the real star of Crying Fist
was none other than Ryu Seung-wan. Finally stripping himself from genre tropes, he was able to draw an incredible emotional portrayal of two people winning the most important boxing game of their life: the match against their own inner demons. More a story of survival than a simple sports drama, Crying Fist
opened on April 1, 2005 against Ryu's old friend Kim Ji-woon
's A Bittersweet Life
, offering one of the best double-headers of 2005. The two films garnered excellent reviews, but ended up canceling each other at the box office, selling a little over a million tickets a piece.
Waiting to secure funding for his first zombie film Yacha, Ryu decided to take his friend Jung Doo-hong for another challenge, making one last salute to the pure action flicks he grew up with and gave him his nickname. The two had some acting experience, Jung mostly in Ryu's films and Ryu with Die Bad
, a supporting role in Lee Chang-dong
's Oasis
, and a couple of cameos in Park Chan-wook
films. But this was another story: for the first time, Jung and Ryu would be the stars. Produced under CJ Entertainment
, The City of Violence
is a low-budget HD action film meant to show the potential of the new technology. As Ryu described it, The City of Violence
is like a Jackie Chan
-style pure action film with characters from a Chang Cheh
film in a world similar to that of Roman Polanski
's Chinatown. The film brings to a final duel the two conflicting philosophies of the longtime partners (the Korean title of the film, Jjakpae, means partner). Fantasy and realism, outlandish technique and brutally raw streetfight-style action, combine to form pure cinematic flow.
His film The Unjust
, a tale about corruption among policemen and prosecutors, received rave reviews for its seamless storytelling interspersed with action sequences, social commentary and powerhouse performances from Hwang Jung-min and brother Seung-beom
. It became the biggest hit of Ryu's career yet, its more than 2.7 million tickets sold landing it on the top ten box office list of 2010.
Ryu has started working on his next movie The Berlin File, an espionage thriller about what happens when a North Korean spy who, after infiltrating a South Korean group, is cut loose by the North. Budgeted at US$9 million, the film will be reminiscent of The Bourne Identity
and will be shot 100% on location in Europe, featuring the Brandenburg Gate
, and the American Embassy and Holocaust Memorial
right next to it. While preparing for the film, Ryu met with several North Korean defectors
and shot the documentary Spies for Korean broadcaster MBC
as part of a special series that aired in 2011, intending "to make a realistic, fast-paced, Korean-style espionage action film about South Korean agents discovering North Korea's secret accounts and how political dynamics between the two Koreas get involved." On an emotional level, he says he is focusing on the solitude and sorrow of those who live as secret agents. Seasonal aspects will play an important part in the film as well. Ryu hopes to start shooting end of February or beginning of March 2012 to capture the eerie chill of Europe.
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
n film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Early life
Ryu Seung-wan was born in 1973 in OnyangOnyang
Onyang-dong, actually a series of six dong, is the central and most populous part of the city of Asan in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea. It is here that Asan City Hall is located.-Geography:...
, a small town in Chungcheong Province
Chungcheongnam-do
Chungcheongnam-do or Chungnam is a province in the west of South Korea. The province was formed in 1896 from the south-western half of the former Chungcheong Province and remained a province of Korea until the country's division in 1945, thereafter becoming part of South Korea...
. With the choice of domestic films mostly limited to propaganda and hostess films due to extreme government censorship, young Ryu often opted for the more kinetic and free-spirited action films from the Shaw Brothers canon. Watching Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
's Drunken Master
Drunken Master
Drunken Master, also known as Drunk Monkey In The Tiger's Eye, is a 1978 Hong Kong martial arts comedy film directed by Yuen Woo-ping, and starring Jackie Chan, Yuen Siu-tien, and Hwang Jang Lee...
turned him into a lifelong fan, and Ryu spent his youth building his knowledge and love for Hong Kong action
Hong Kong action cinema
Hong Kong action cinema is the principal source of the Hong Kong film industry's global fame. It combines elements from the action film, as codified by Hollywood, with Chinese storytelling and aesthetic traditions, to create a culturally distinctive form that nevertheless has a wide transcultural...
. Dreaming of becoming a film director someday, he took taekwondo
Taekwondo
Taekwondo is a Korean martial art and the national sport of South Korea. In Korean, tae means "to strike or break with foot"; kwon means "to strike or break with fist"; and do means "way", "method", or "path"...
lessons and saved lunch money for three years in middle school to buy an 8mm camera, with which he shot short films.
Career
After graduating from high school in 1992, Ryu worked for six months to raise enough money to cover a year's worth of basic living expenses for his family. After that he joined a private film workshop, and paid his tuition through several part-time jobs: as a construction worker, hotel janitor, vegetable cart driver, and even an instructor at an illegal driving school. Ryu, a fan of a young unknown director named Park Chan-wookPark Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is most known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of...
's 1992 debut The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream
The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream
The Moon Is... the Sun's Dream is the 1992 debut feature by South Korean film director Park Chan-wook.-Plot:Mu-hoon, a gangster in Busan, is the half brother of Ha-young, a successful photographer. When Mu-hoon is caught having an affair with his boss' mistress, Eun-joo, the two run off with their...
and his work as a critic, went to meet Park and the two quickly became friends. Those formative years also saw Ryu's debut as a 'real' director, with the 1996 short Transmutated Head. The 19-minute short's DP was Jang Joon-hwan
Jang Jun-hwan
Jang Jun-hwan is a South Korean film director. He is a graduate of Sungkyunkwan University. Jang's first directing job was on the short film 2001: Imagine. His feature-length debut film was the critically acclaimed cult film Save the Green Planet!...
(then a young film academy student), and it featured many familiar faces in the Korean indie scene, including character actor Heo Jong-soo and Lee Mu-young (future director of The Humanist).
With a few years of experience as assistant director on Whispering Corridors
Whispering Corridors
Whispering Corridors is a 1998 South Korean horror film about a girl's high school. It was part of the explosion in Korean cinema following the liberalization of censorship in the aftermath of the end of the country's military dictatorship, and makes a strong social commentary on authoritarianism...
and Park's 1997 film Trio, Ryu was ready to jumpstart his own career. Ryu's debut was initially planned as a full-fledged feature film, but various issues forced him to instead shoot separate short films sharing common characters and themes. In 1998 his short film Rumble won him the Best Film at the 1998 Busan Short Film Festival, and a year later he signed a contract to develop a feature film out of Rumble and three following sequels, one of which was his short Modern Man, which was not only the audience's favorite, but also won Best Film at a Short Film Festival in 1999. The four shorts, shot on a ultra-low budget of around 65 Million won, became Ryu's first feature film: Die Bad
Die Bad
Die Bad is a 2000 South Korean movie. It was the debut film of director Ryu Seung-wan and starred the director and his brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Park Seong-bin and Bae Jung-shik. The film consists of four distinct parts that were originally created as short films...
. In an era when blockbusters like Shiri
Shiri (film)
Shiri is a 1999 South Korean action film, written and directed by Kang Je-gyu.Swiri was the first Hollywood-style big-budget blockbuster to be produced in the "new" Korean film industry...
and Joint Security Area
Joint Security Area (film)
Joint Security Area is a 2000 South Korean film starring Lee Young Ae, Lee Byung-hun and Song Kang-ho. It was directed by Park Chan-wook and is based on the novel DMZ by Park Sang-yeon...
were the rage in Korean cinema, the action dramedy became an instant sensation. Starring in the film himself along with some industry friends and even his little brother Ryu Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom is a South Korean actor. His brother Ryu Seung-wan is a film director and they have worked together on the films Die Bad, No Blood No Tears, Arahan, Crying Fist, Dachimawa Lee and The Unjust.-Film:*2012 Perfect Love*2012 The Berlin File*2012 Return of the Corpse*2011 Suicide...
, Ryu became an instant cult hit, praised left and right for his masterful debut. With his directorial debut, Ryu became known as the "Action Kid."
With the country experiencing tremendous growth in high-speed Internet penetration, a few companies tried to bank on this momentum by producing online short films. In 2000 the now defunct Cine4M website released a short film by Ryu alongside Jang Jin
Jang Jin
Jang Jin was born on 28 November 1971 in Seoul, South Korea. He is a leading theatre director, playwright, movie director, screenwriter, and producer in South Korea.-Profile:...
's A Terrible Day and Kim Ji-woon
Kim Ji-Woon
Kim Ji-woon is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Kim Ji-woon has a history of successfully tackling a wide range of film genres, garnering a cult following among Asian films fans all over the world.-Career:...
's Coming Out
Coming Out (2000 film)
- Plot :The film opens with a man being interviewed about his sister, who has recorded a video diary in which she makes a shocking confession to her friends and family...
. Titled after industry slang ("tachimawari" is a part of Kabuki theater
Kabuki
is classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.The individual kanji characters, from left to right, mean sing , dance , and skill...
plays that involve spectacular action scenes), the short Dachimawa Lee was a wild and hilarious parody of the films he grew up with: Korean action films of the 60s and 70s, Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee
Bruce Lee was a Chinese American, Hong Kong actor, martial arts instructor, philosopher, film director, film producer, screenwriter, and founder of the Jeet Kune Do martial arts movement...
and Shaw Brothers flicks, the machismo kitsch of old Korean melodramas, and of course Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
. Coupling over-the-top voice dubbing with deliberately mistimed action, Dachimawa Lee was an enormous success online, making lead actor Im Won-hee a minor star and the Ryu Brothers even bigger names.
Big expectations often lead to equally big disappointments, which is what industry insiders and critics felt about Ryu's first real feature film, the gritty action noir
Film noir
Film noir is a cinematic term used primarily to describe stylish Hollywood crime dramas, particularly those that emphasize cynical attitudes and sexual motivations. Hollywood's classic film noir period is generally regarded as extending from the early 1940s to the late 1950s...
No Blood No Tears. The film mixed big stars like Jeon Do-yeon
Jeon Do-yeon
Jeon Do-yeon is a highly-acclaimed South Korean actress who has won many awards including best actress at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival...
with talented actors from the theater world like Jung Jae-young. Joining Director Ryu once again was his younger brother Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom is a South Korean actor. His brother Ryu Seung-wan is a film director and they have worked together on the films Die Bad, No Blood No Tears, Arahan, Crying Fist, Dachimawa Lee and The Unjust.-Film:*2012 Perfect Love*2012 The Berlin File*2012 Return of the Corpse*2011 Suicide...
, who was starting to make a name for himself in the industry independent of his brother. Misunderstood as a Guy Ritchie
Guy Ritchie
Guy Stuart Ritchie is an English screenwriter and film maker who directed Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch, Revolver, RocknRolla and Sherlock Holmes.-Early life:...
or Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer and actor. In the early 1990s, he began his career as an independent filmmaker with films employing nonlinear storylines and the aestheticization of violence...
clone, Ryu's film was an exhilarating mix of all the elements that made Die Bad
Die Bad
Die Bad is a 2000 South Korean movie. It was the debut film of director Ryu Seung-wan and starred the director and his brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Park Seong-bin and Bae Jung-shik. The film consists of four distinct parts that were originally created as short films...
one of the best debuts films in Chungmuro
Chungmuro
Chungmuro refers to an avenue 1.75 km in length and 10∼20m in width and the area nearby the street, located in Jung-gu, central Seoul of South Korea. Since 1960s, Chungmuro has been known as the street of culture, artists, and film industry. Dansungsa, the first movie theaters of Korea is also...
's recent history, but it also added a nasty streak of ultra-realism. The latter was contributed by Jung Doo-hong, occasionally an actor, but better known as the best action choreographer in the country, whose extreme realism balanced Ryu's more fantasy-oriented cinematic sensibilities. With No Blood No Tears a flop at the box office, it was a difficult period for Ryu, who clearly felt betrayed by the same people who had put impossible expectations on his shoulders.
After that disappointment, Ryu collaborated again with Jung Doo-hong and brother Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom is a South Korean actor. His brother Ryu Seung-wan is a film director and they have worked together on the films Die Bad, No Blood No Tears, Arahan, Crying Fist, Dachimawa Lee and The Unjust.-Film:*2012 Perfect Love*2012 The Berlin File*2012 Return of the Corpse*2011 Suicide...
, along with newcomer Yoon So-yi
Yoon So-Yi
Yoon So-yi is a South Korean actress.-Biography:Yoon So-yi debuted as a model in Graffiti Magazine in 2001. After a few years of print and commercial modeling, she auditioned for Ryu Seung-wan's action comedy Arahan in 2004...
. The four embarked on Arahan
Arahan
Arahan is a 2004 South Korean film. The film was the third feature film directed by Ryu Seung-wan and stars the director's brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Yoon So-Yi...
, part modern-day wuxia and part local comedy. Despite its commercial success, critics still weren't pleased, continuing to lament the loss of Chungmuro
Chungmuro
Chungmuro refers to an avenue 1.75 km in length and 10∼20m in width and the area nearby the street, located in Jung-gu, central Seoul of South Korea. Since 1960s, Chungmuro has been known as the street of culture, artists, and film industry. Dansungsa, the first movie theaters of Korea is also...
's enfant prodige.
It took another two years for Ryu to come back, but 2005's Crying Fist
Crying Fist
Crying Fist is a 2005 South Korean film written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan.- Synopsis :Jobless, besieged by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunk to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan's delinquent ways land him...
was in many ways proof he had matured beyond easy labels and traditional genre boundaries. Ryu was more than just an action kid. Starring acclaimed veteran actor Choi Min-shik, the film saw the official birth of a new star, Ryu Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom is a South Korean actor. His brother Ryu Seung-wan is a film director and they have worked together on the films Die Bad, No Blood No Tears, Arahan, Crying Fist, Dachimawa Lee and The Unjust.-Film:*2012 Perfect Love*2012 The Berlin File*2012 Return of the Corpse*2011 Suicide...
. Steadily impressing critics and audiences since his debut in 2000, Ryu displayed amazing energy and range in the film, such that he often overshadowed his older, more prestigious colleague. But the real star of Crying Fist
Crying Fist
Crying Fist is a 2005 South Korean film written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan.- Synopsis :Jobless, besieged by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunk to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan's delinquent ways land him...
was none other than Ryu Seung-wan. Finally stripping himself from genre tropes, he was able to draw an incredible emotional portrayal of two people winning the most important boxing game of their life: the match against their own inner demons. More a story of survival than a simple sports drama, Crying Fist
Crying Fist
Crying Fist is a 2005 South Korean film written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan.- Synopsis :Jobless, besieged by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunk to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan's delinquent ways land him...
opened on April 1, 2005 against Ryu's old friend Kim Ji-woon
Kim Ji-Woon
Kim Ji-woon is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Kim Ji-woon has a history of successfully tackling a wide range of film genres, garnering a cult following among Asian films fans all over the world.-Career:...
's A Bittersweet Life
A Bittersweet Life
A Bittersweet Life is a 2005 South Korean film directed and written by Kim Ji-woon and starring Lee Byung-hun...
, offering one of the best double-headers of 2005. The two films garnered excellent reviews, but ended up canceling each other at the box office, selling a little over a million tickets a piece.
Waiting to secure funding for his first zombie film Yacha, Ryu decided to take his friend Jung Doo-hong for another challenge, making one last salute to the pure action flicks he grew up with and gave him his nickname. The two had some acting experience, Jung mostly in Ryu's films and Ryu with Die Bad
Die Bad
Die Bad is a 2000 South Korean movie. It was the debut film of director Ryu Seung-wan and starred the director and his brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Park Seong-bin and Bae Jung-shik. The film consists of four distinct parts that were originally created as short films...
, a supporting role in Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong
Lee Chang-dong is a South Korean film director, screenwriter and novelist. He won the 2008 Special Director's Prize at the Asian Film Awards and has been nominated for the Golden Lion and Palme d'Or. Lee served as South Korea's Minister of Culture and Tourism from 2003 to 2004.-Life and career:Lee...
's Oasis
Oasis (film)
Oasis is South Korea Lee Chang-dong's third feature film, and the last one he directed before his stint as South Korea's Minister of Culture...
, and a couple of cameos in Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook
Park Chan-wook is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. One of the most acclaimed and popular filmmakers in his native country, Park is most known for his films Joint Security Area, Thirst and what has become known as The Vengeance Trilogy, consisting of...
films. But this was another story: for the first time, Jung and Ryu would be the stars. Produced under CJ Entertainment
CJ Entertainment
CJ Entertainment is a South Korean entertainment company which is involved in film production, investment, distribution and exhibition. It is the largest entertainment company in South Korea...
, The City of Violence
The City of Violence
The City of Violence is a 2006 South Korean action film co-written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan. The story re-unites three old friends for a fourth one's funeral, where they vow to find his murderer.-Plot:...
is a low-budget HD action film meant to show the potential of the new technology. As Ryu described it, The City of Violence
The City of Violence
The City of Violence is a 2006 South Korean action film co-written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan. The story re-unites three old friends for a fourth one's funeral, where they vow to find his murderer.-Plot:...
is like a Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
-style pure action film with characters from a Chang Cheh
Chang Cheh
Chang Cheh was Shaw Brothers Studio's best known and most prolific film director, with such films as the Five Venoms, the Brave Archer , the The One-Armed Swordsman, and other classics of wuxia and kung fu film.-Career:Referred to as "The Godfather of Hong Kong cinema", Chang Cheh directed over 100...
film in a world similar to that of Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski
Roman Polanski is a French-Polish film director, producer, writer and actor. Having made films in Poland, Britain, France and the USA, he is considered one of the few "truly international filmmakers."...
's Chinatown. The film brings to a final duel the two conflicting philosophies of the longtime partners (the Korean title of the film, Jjakpae, means partner). Fantasy and realism, outlandish technique and brutally raw streetfight-style action, combine to form pure cinematic flow.
His film The Unjust
The Unjust
The Unjust is 2010 South Korean crime film by Ryu Seung-wan. It was screened in the Panorama section at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:*Hwang Jung-min ... Choi Cheol-Gi*Ryu Seung-beom ... Joo-Yang...
, a tale about corruption among policemen and prosecutors, received rave reviews for its seamless storytelling interspersed with action sequences, social commentary and powerhouse performances from Hwang Jung-min and brother Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom
Ryu Seung-beom is a South Korean actor. His brother Ryu Seung-wan is a film director and they have worked together on the films Die Bad, No Blood No Tears, Arahan, Crying Fist, Dachimawa Lee and The Unjust.-Film:*2012 Perfect Love*2012 The Berlin File*2012 Return of the Corpse*2011 Suicide...
. It became the biggest hit of Ryu's career yet, its more than 2.7 million tickets sold landing it on the top ten box office list of 2010.
Ryu has started working on his next movie The Berlin File, an espionage thriller about what happens when a North Korean spy who, after infiltrating a South Korean group, is cut loose by the North. Budgeted at US$9 million, the film will be reminiscent of The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Identity (2002 film)
The Bourne Identity is a 2002 American spy film loosely based on Robert Ludlum's novel of the same name. It stars Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, an amnesiac attempting to discover his true identity amidst a clandestine conspiracy within the Central Intelligence Agency . The film also stars Franka...
and will be shot 100% on location in Europe, featuring the Brandenburg Gate
Brandenburg Gate
The Brandenburg Gate is a former city gate and one of the most well-known landmarks of Berlin and Germany. It is located west of the city centre at the junction of Unter den Linden and Ebertstraße, immediately west of the Pariser Platz. It is the only remaining gate of a series through which...
, and the American Embassy and Holocaust Memorial
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe , also known as the Holocaust Memorial , is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. It consists of a site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae", arranged in a...
right next to it. While preparing for the film, Ryu met with several North Korean defectors
North Korean defectors
A number of individuals have defected from North Korea. Since the division of Korea after World War II and the end of the Korean War , many people have defected from North Korea, mainly for political, ideological, religious and economic reasons...
and shot the documentary Spies for Korean broadcaster MBC
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
as part of a special series that aired in 2011, intending "to make a realistic, fast-paced, Korean-style espionage action film about South Korean agents discovering North Korea's secret accounts and how political dynamics between the two Koreas get involved." On an emotional level, he says he is focusing on the solitude and sorrow of those who live as secret agents. Seasonal aspects will play an important part in the film as well. Ryu hopes to start shooting end of February or beginning of March 2012 to capture the eerie chill of Europe.
Personal life
Ryu is married to Kang Hye-jung, film producer and CEO of their production shingle Filmmaker R&K. They met when Kang was a crew member in his 1996 short Transmutated Head.As director
- The Berlin File (2012)
- Spies (MBCMunhwa Broadcasting CorporationMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC (Hangul : 문화방송주식회사, Munhwa Bangsong Jushikoesa) is one of four major national South Korean television and radio networks. Munhwa is the Korean word for "culture". Its flagship terrestrial television...
documentaryDocumentaryA documentary is a creative work of non-fiction, including:* Documentary film, including television* Radio documentary* Documentary photographyRelated terms include:...
, 2011) - The UnjustThe UnjustThe Unjust is 2010 South Korean crime film by Ryu Seung-wan. It was screened in the Panorama section at the 61st Berlin International Film Festival.-Cast:*Hwang Jung-min ... Choi Cheol-Gi*Ryu Seung-beom ... Joo-Yang...
(2010) - Timeless (MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
short, 2009) - Dachimawa LeeDachimawa Lee- Plot :Legendary Korean spy Dachimawa Lee is assigned to recover the fabled Golden Buddha statue, but his mission ends in failure. Lee discovers that his mission was sabotaged, and must face off against the shadowy figure behind the plot.- Cast :...
(2008) - The City of ViolenceThe City of ViolenceThe City of Violence is a 2006 South Korean action film co-written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan. The story re-unites three old friends for a fourth one's funeral, where they vow to find his murderer.-Plot:...
(2006) - Hey, Man! (short from If You Were MeIf You Were MeIf You Were Me is a 2003 South Korean omnibus film, comprising six short films directed by six promininent Korean directors, including Park Chan-wook. Commissioned by South Korea's National Human Rights Commission, each of the shorts deal with discrimination in Korea...
2, 2006) - Crying FistCrying FistCrying Fist is a 2005 South Korean film written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan.- Synopsis :Jobless, besieged by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunk to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan's delinquent ways land him...
(2005) - ArahanArahanArahan is a 2004 South Korean film. The film was the third feature film directed by Ryu Seung-wan and stars the director's brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Yoon So-Yi...
(2004) - No Blood No Tears (2002)
- Dachimawa Lee (short, 2000)
- Die BadDie BadDie Bad is a 2000 South Korean movie. It was the debut film of director Ryu Seung-wan and starred the director and his brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Park Seong-bin and Bae Jung-shik. The film consists of four distinct parts that were originally created as short films...
(2000) - Transmutated Head (short, 1996)
As screenwriter
- Troubleshooter (2010)
- Dachimawa LeeDachimawa Lee- Plot :Legendary Korean spy Dachimawa Lee is assigned to recover the fabled Golden Buddha statue, but his mission ends in failure. Lee discovers that his mission was sabotaged, and must face off against the shadowy figure behind the plot.- Cast :...
(2008) - The City of ViolenceThe City of ViolenceThe City of Violence is a 2006 South Korean action film co-written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan. The story re-unites three old friends for a fourth one's funeral, where they vow to find his murderer.-Plot:...
(2006) - Hey, Man! (short from If You Were MeIf You Were MeIf You Were Me is a 2003 South Korean omnibus film, comprising six short films directed by six promininent Korean directors, including Park Chan-wook. Commissioned by South Korea's National Human Rights Commission, each of the shorts deal with discrimination in Korea...
2, 2006) - Crying FistCrying FistCrying Fist is a 2005 South Korean film written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan.- Synopsis :Jobless, besieged by creditors, and abandoned by his wife, the once silver medalist Tae-shik has sunk to street hustling, becoming a human punching bag. Meanwhile, young Sang-hwan's delinquent ways land him...
(2005) - ArahanArahanArahan is a 2004 South Korean film. The film was the third feature film directed by Ryu Seung-wan and stars the director's brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Yoon So-Yi...
(2004) - No Blood No Tears (2002)
- Dachimawa Lee (short, 2000)
- Die BadDie BadDie Bad is a 2000 South Korean movie. It was the debut film of director Ryu Seung-wan and starred the director and his brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Park Seong-bin and Bae Jung-shik. The film consists of four distinct parts that were originally created as short films...
(2000)
As actor
- The City of ViolenceThe City of ViolenceThe City of Violence is a 2006 South Korean action film co-written and directed by Ryu Seung-wan. The story re-unites three old friends for a fourth one's funeral, where they vow to find his murderer.-Plot:...
(2006) - OasisOasis (film)Oasis is South Korea Lee Chang-dong's third feature film, and the last one he directed before his stint as South Korea's Minister of Culture...
(2002) - Die BadDie BadDie Bad is a 2000 South Korean movie. It was the debut film of director Ryu Seung-wan and starred the director and his brother Ryu Seung-beom along with Park Seong-bin and Bae Jung-shik. The film consists of four distinct parts that were originally created as short films...
(2000)
As music video director
- The Girl Who Can't Break Up, The Boy Who Can't Leave (LeessangLeessangLeessang is a South Korean Hip-hop duo, composed of Kang Hee-gun and Gil Seong-joon . Formed in 2002, Leessang is known for its collaborations with Drunken Tiger, Yoon Mi Rae, Big Mama King, Hwayobi, and many others. Leessang is composed of one vocalist and one rapper...
, 2009) - Ballerino (LeessangLeessangLeessang is a South Korean Hip-hop duo, composed of Kang Hee-gun and Gil Seong-joon . Formed in 2002, Leessang is known for its collaborations with Drunken Tiger, Yoon Mi Rae, Big Mama King, Hwayobi, and many others. Leessang is composed of one vocalist and one rapper...
, 2007)
External links
- Ryoo Seung-wan at HanCinema
- Ryoo Seung-wan at Korean Film Biz Zone