Undoing (film)
Encyclopedia
Undoing is a 2006
neo-noir
drama directed by Chris Chan Lee
. The movie is set in the streets of Los Angeles' Koreatown and follows the story of Samuel Kim who returns after a mysterious one-year absence to find redemption from his past. Undoing stars Sung Kang
, Tom Bower
, Russell Wong
, Kelly Hu
, Jose Zuniga
, Leonardo Nam
and Bobby Lee.
The story unfolds as we learn about the night, a year ago, when Sam and Joon (Leonardo Nam) meet for a joyride through Koreatown. Joon has more serious plans for the evening, but they soon go terribly wrong, leaving Sam alone and lost in a world he desperately wants to escape.
A year later, Sam returns to the scene of the crime, and with Don’s help, finishes what he should have done a year ago. But just as things appear to be resolved, we find out that Sam came back not only to avenge Joon’s death, but also to win back his love, Vera (Kelly Hu). Sam locates Vera working as a waitress/bar manager at the Red Room, and they’re suddenly thrown back into their impossible desires for each other; two people who seem hopelessly isolated from the world around them and from each other.
Abandoned a year ago, Vera resents Samuel and now finds herself deep in debt and also emotionally entangled with the owner of the Red Room, Randall (Jose Zuniga). With no family and no outside resources, Sam must return to the Koreatown streets of his past in attempt to settle Vera’s obligations, as well as his own debts to the past. His reckless naiveté leads him to hustle a corrupt, veteran police detective named Kasawa (Mary Mara
). Unbeknownst to others, Kasawa and Sam’s mentor Don share a history in a former generation of inner-city crime. Though the two have led their lives in opposing order: one in law enforcement and the other in crime; they share a unique bond in their attempt to find comfort in the niche they’ve spent a lifetime carving out. But Sam stirs chaos and, in classical noir form, “good” and “bad” are not so easy to differentiate; each character struggles with the conflicting impulses of good and evil in the world around him, and in themselves.
2006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
neo-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...
drama directed by Chris Chan Lee
Chris Chan Lee
Chris Chan Lee is an Asian American filmmaker.After graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles, California, Lee wrote/directed Yellow, an independently financed feature film about the harrowing grad night of eight Korean-American teens in Los Angeles that culminates in a...
. The movie is set in the streets of Los Angeles' Koreatown and follows the story of Samuel Kim who returns after a mysterious one-year absence to find redemption from his past. Undoing stars Sung Kang
Sung Kang
Sung Kang is an American actor, known for his role as Han Seoul-Oh in the films Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and Fast Five....
, Tom Bower
Tom Bower
Tom Bower is a British writer, noted for his revelatory investigative work such as his unauthorized biographies.A former Panorama reporter, his books include unauthorised biographies of Tiny Rowland, Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Geoffrey Robinson, Gordon Brown and Richard Branson...
, Russell Wong
Russell Wong
Russell Girard Wong is an American actor and photographer, as well as the brother of actor/model Michael Wong.-Biography:...
, Kelly Hu
Kelly Hu
Kelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during...
, Jose Zuniga
Jose Zuniga
José Zúñiga is an American actor.Zúñiga was born in Honduras. He is best known for his roles in films such as Alive, Ransom, Con Air, Fresh, Crooklyn, Next Stop Wonderland and Twilight...
, Leonardo Nam
Leonardo Nam
Leonardo Nam is an Argentine-born Australian actor of Korean descent.-Early life:Nam was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 6, he moved to Sydney, Australia. Nam attended Sydney Technical High School and studied architecture at the University of New South Wales. Nam left Sydney to...
and Bobby Lee.
Plot
After a mysterious year-long absence, Samuel Kim (Sung Kang) returns to Los Angeles determined to find redemption from the past. His mentor and only friend, Don Osa (Tom Bower), is a retired gangster with a parallel desire to leave the former world behind. But as Sam tries to balance revenge with reconciliation, he is drawn back to the shadowy world he left behind. Can Sam undo his mistakes before losing what he came back to save?The story unfolds as we learn about the night, a year ago, when Sam and Joon (Leonardo Nam) meet for a joyride through Koreatown. Joon has more serious plans for the evening, but they soon go terribly wrong, leaving Sam alone and lost in a world he desperately wants to escape.
A year later, Sam returns to the scene of the crime, and with Don’s help, finishes what he should have done a year ago. But just as things appear to be resolved, we find out that Sam came back not only to avenge Joon’s death, but also to win back his love, Vera (Kelly Hu). Sam locates Vera working as a waitress/bar manager at the Red Room, and they’re suddenly thrown back into their impossible desires for each other; two people who seem hopelessly isolated from the world around them and from each other.
Abandoned a year ago, Vera resents Samuel and now finds herself deep in debt and also emotionally entangled with the owner of the Red Room, Randall (Jose Zuniga). With no family and no outside resources, Sam must return to the Koreatown streets of his past in attempt to settle Vera’s obligations, as well as his own debts to the past. His reckless naiveté leads him to hustle a corrupt, veteran police detective named Kasawa (Mary Mara
Mary Mara
Mary Mara is an American TV and film actress from Syracuse, New York known for her recurring role as Inspector Bryn Carson on Nash Bridges and primetime dramas ER and Law & Order. She also appeared in Mr. Saturday Night....
). Unbeknownst to others, Kasawa and Sam’s mentor Don share a history in a former generation of inner-city crime. Though the two have led their lives in opposing order: one in law enforcement and the other in crime; they share a unique bond in their attempt to find comfort in the niche they’ve spent a lifetime carving out. But Sam stirs chaos and, in classical noir form, “good” and “bad” are not so easy to differentiate; each character struggles with the conflicting impulses of good and evil in the world around him, and in themselves.
Cast
- Sung KangSung KangSung Kang is an American actor, known for his role as Han Seoul-Oh in the films Better Luck Tomorrow, The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift, Fast & Furious, and Fast Five....
- Samuel Kim - Kelly HuKelly HuKelly Ann Hu is an American actress and former fashion model. She was Miss Teen USA 1985 and Miss Hawaii USA 1993.-Early life:Hu was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, the daughter of Juanita, an engineering drafter for Honolulu, and Herbert Hu, a salesman and exotic bird breeder; the two divorced during...
- Vera - Russell WongRussell WongRussell Girard Wong is an American actor and photographer, as well as the brother of actor/model Michael Wong.-Biography:...
- Leon - Tom BowerTom BowerTom Bower is a British writer, noted for his revelatory investigative work such as his unauthorized biographies.A former Panorama reporter, his books include unauthorised biographies of Tiny Rowland, Robert Maxwell, Mohamed Al-Fayed, Geoffrey Robinson, Gordon Brown and Richard Branson...
- Don Osa - Jose ZunigaJose ZunigaJosé Zúñiga is an American actor.Zúñiga was born in Honduras. He is best known for his roles in films such as Alive, Ransom, Con Air, Fresh, Crooklyn, Next Stop Wonderland and Twilight...
- Randall - Leonardo NamLeonardo NamLeonardo Nam is an Argentine-born Australian actor of Korean descent.-Early life:Nam was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the age of 6, he moved to Sydney, Australia. Nam attended Sydney Technical High School and studied architecture at the University of New South Wales. Nam left Sydney to...
- Joon