Nabbeun namja (2001)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Director:

Ki-duk Kim

Writer:

Ki-duk Kim (writer)

Release Date:

11 February 2005 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Trapped in a world of pleasure and pain ...

Plot:

In busy downtown Seoul, a thuggish young man notices a fresh-faced college student who sits on a bench...

Plot Keywords:

Bench | Seoul | College Student | Soldier | Loan Shark

Awards:

2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Jae-hyeon Jo	...	Han-ki
Won Seo	...	Sun-hwa
Yun-tae Kim	...	Yun-tae
Duek-mun Choi	...	Myeong-su
Yoon-young Choi	...	Hyun-ja
Yoo-jin Shin	...	Min-jung
Jung-young Kim	...	Eun-hye
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gung-Min Nam	...	Hyun-su

Directed by
Ki-duk Kim

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ki-duk Kim		writer

Produced by
Seung-beom Kim	....	executive producer
Seung-jae Lee	....	producer

Original Music by
Ho-jun Park

Cinematography by
Cheol-hyeon Hwang

Film Editing by
Seong-won Hang

Production Companies

• LJ Film
• Prime Entertainment

Distributors

• Bright Angel Distribution (2003) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Lifesize Entertainment (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• SPO (Japan) (theatrical)
• Tartan (2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• CJ Entertainment
• Lifesize Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• MTV Netherlands (2007) (Netherlands) (TV) (first national airing)
• Raro Video (2007) (Italy) (DVD) (boxed set)
• Tartan Video (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (2004) (Netherlands) (DVD) (VHS)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2005) (Germany) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Bad Guy (International: English title) (literal title)

Runtime:

100 min

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Certification:

Norway:15 | Italy:VM18 (DVD) (self-applied) | Finland:K-18 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Singapore:R21 | South Korea:18 | UK:18 | Hong Kong:III

Company:

LJ Film

Soundtrack:

I tuoi fiori

study on the vanity

In Korea, this film made skandal and unusual controversy. Many angry feminists shouted this film was an clear example of masculine violence on women in the fields of cinema. Some criticized that a college girl to hooker story was sheer farce.

Though I don't disagree with them on some points and I support some feminist and law-and-order issues, I have to say they miss an important point. Documentary about evil men degrading innocent women is not the film's real concern. The entire film is a sheer fantasy, daydreaming, fictional wish fulfillment of a poor man, maybe pimp. The real object of his desire is not a pretty woman but his own vanity. In fact it's not a college girl to hooker story. The reverse is true.

Folks, I recommend viewing this again. Then you'll understand why he (the pimp husband) cannot talk, why he doesn't touch her body and why she returns at her free will.

It's very absurd idea that the most spotlighted talent of Korean new wave couldn't think about the absurdities of surface story line.

As a study on the vanity of man, it's enough fine, I should say.