drug war

BELIEVER Delivers A Smokin’ New Trailer For Lee Hae-Young’s DRUG WAR Remake

To say that remakes can’t be done right is a statement that doesn’t exactly stand flawless. Granted, there are plenty that fail to deliver, but the scale weighs differently with each film which is exactly why I’m always willing to give them a shot. That being said, I don’t specifically know if the same skeptic sentiments often shared in Western audiences extend in China and Korea, but director Lee Hae-Young is more than willing to make a worthwhile case. Having found his inspiration in Johnnie To’s hit crime thriller, Drug War, Lee’s fourth film, dubbed Believer, has begun its campaign with a first a official trailer that doesn’t hesitate to get down, dirty and in the thick of things. Detective Won-ho is determined to catch the infamous leader of Asia’s largest drug market, who is known only by the name, ‘Mr. LEE.’ While searching for Mr. LEE, Won-ho apprehends and […]

South Korean DRUG WAR Remake Now Underway

Lee B. Golden III

Director Johnnie To’s 2012 film, Drug War, was a staunch and stark crime thriller with a compelling story, riveting characters and haunting finale. The film won a raft of awards and nominations around the world through 2014 next to its rave reviews at the time, now begging to see if its remake value stands with equal merit. That litmus test is now being applied through the lens of Arahan: Jangpung Daejakjeon (2004) scribe, The Silenced (2015) helmer Lee Hae-young with production underway as his fourth feature film set for next year. Actors Cho Jin-woong (A Hard Day) and Ryu Jun-yeol (The King) will reimagine the respective roles as such, per To’s film, intially centered on a Hong Kong drug enforcement whose lead detective successfully captures a key witness – an elusive, conniving drug lord now forced to work with the police to infiltrate a bigger criminal empire or face the death penalty. Also […]

Well Go Delivers Its New Trailer For The US Release Of DRUG WAR

Lee B. Golden III

Director Johnnie To‘s latest crime thriller, Drug War, is set to hit select screens this summer, with Well Go USA and Variance teaming up to premiere the film in New York, Los Angeles and Canada between July 26 and August 9. The film, starring Louis Koo as a drug lord who is forced to go undercover to help police end a major cocaine ring, was a box office success back in April and was a major seller at the European Film Market earlier this year, so I am inclined to believe this film is pretty good. But, I digress, and will wait for its release to judge for myself. The film also stars Sun Honglei, Wallace Chung, Guangjie Li, Michelle Ye, Xiao Cong, Yin Zhusheng, Gao Yunxiang, Crystal Huang, Wang Siya and Siu Fai Cheung. SYNOPSIS: Manufacturing just fifty grams of meth in China will earn you a death sentence, and Timmy Choi (Louis Koo) has […]