ha jung woo

BROKEN: Catch The First Teaser Trailer For The New Korean Crime Drama Starring Ha Jung-Woo!

Formerly titled “Nocturnal,” the first trailer is out for upcoming crime drama now titled Broken, from director Kim Hwang-jin. Ha Jung-woo, Kim Nam-gil, Yoo Da-in, and Jeong Man-sik star. Min-tae, a once-notorious gangster who now leads a peaceful retired life, discovers the bloody corpse of his only next of kin: his younger brother Seok-tae. With his brother’s missing wife Moon-young as the prime suspect, Min-tae uncovers a suspicious last phone call between her and a mysterious novelist, sparking a vicious hunt for the truth despite his seemingly deceitful former crime syndicate and the police in hot pursuit. Broken opens for Korean audiences beginning February 5 from Barunson E&A. Check out the trailer below along with a pair of teaser posters just beneath!

HIJACK 1971: Terror In The Skies In The Official U.S. Trailer!

Lee B. Golden III

Sony Entertainment is taking the mantle this summer with Kim Sung-han’s new suspenseful thriller, Hijack 1971. Based on a true story, the movie is already out in South Korea and is now poised for select theatrical in the U.S. on July 5. Pilots Tae-in (HA Jung-woo) and Gyu-sik (SUNG Dong-il) are set to fly to Gimpo. Under the guidance of flight attendant Ok-soon (CHAE Soo-bin), passengers are busy boarding. However, shortly after takeoff, a homemade bomb explodes, turning the cabin into chaos. Check out the trailer from Rotten Tomatoes:

Ransomed-KoreanActionDramaAdventure-WellGoUSA-1340x754-4

RANSOMED Signals August Release For Well Go USA Hostage Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA is slating an August 4 theatrical release for the new action adventure thriller, Ransomed (Unofficial Operation as South Korea knows it). Kim Sung-hoon directs a cast led by Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon, and the official trailer and gallery are here to help seal the deal. After a South Korean diplomat to the Middle East suddenly receives a coded message from an abducted colleague who has long been presumed dead, he volunteers to lead the dangerous rescue mission. But when the plan goes awry, he is forced to team up with a local taxi driver—the only Korean expat he can find—and go deep into the heart of Lebanon in a final desperate attempt to bring their fellow countryman home.

UNOFFICIAL OPERATION First Teaser Trailer Reveals Topsy-Turvy Rescue Antics With Ha Jung-Woo And Ju Ji-Hoon!

Lee B. Golden III

Kim Sung-hoon’s new political thriller has a rousing first teaser trailer for Unofficial Operation following poster and image reveals in the past month. The film stars Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon and opens on August 2 from Showbox in South Korea; a North American release via Well Go USA is also in toe. Ha plays a diplomat thrust into the turmoil of the war-torn streets of 1986 Beirut when he’s assigned to rescue another diplomat who was kidnapped and taken hostage two years earlier. Ju plays a local taxi driver and the other half of the oddball pairing that must now work together if they’re to survive Beirut and complete the mission. Check out the teaser trailer!

UNOFFICIAL OPERATION: Hitch A Ride In New Posters And Stills For The Latest South Korean Political Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

A title change remains in order for Kim Sung-hoon’s newest film starring Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon. For this, we turn to the official poster art treatments, as well as a batch of stills for Unofficial Operation, which opens in South Korean cinemas on August 2 from Showbox. Ha plays a diplomat thrust into the turmoil of the war-torn streets of 1986 Beirut when he’s assigned to rescue another diplomat who was kidnapped and taken hostage two years earlier. Ju plays a local taxi driver and the other half of the oddball pairing that must now work together if they’re to survive Beirut and complete the mission. Peep the pictorials in the mosaic below!

RANSOMED: Well Go USA Snaps Up New Kidnapping Thriller From ‘A Hard Day’ And ‘Tunnel’ Director

Lee B. Golden III

Set to arrive in South Korean cinemas sometime possibly in August is Ransomed, a new ripped-from-the-headlines thriller from director Kim Sung-hoon. In the meantime, reports out of Cannes have revealed acquisition for North America by Well Go USA, among a raft of pre-sales for other distributors at the market place, according to Screendaily’s Jean Noh. A YOUNG DIPLOMAT IS ASSIGNED THE TASK OF CARRYING THE RANSOM MONEY TO RESCUE AN ABDUCTED DIPLOMAT In Beirut 1986, during the Lebanese civil war, a Korean diplomat is taken hostage without a trace. Two years pass and long forgotten, a young diplomat Min-jun receives a phone call proving that the hostage is still alive. With the given mission, Min-jun is sent to Beirut to save the hostage with a bag of ransom money. However, Min-jun gets into trouble as soon as he sets foot in Beirut. As luck would have it, Minjun manages to […]

NARCO-SAINTS: South Korean Crime Drama Sets Sights Overseas In The Official Series Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Guns, drugs, zealotry, and violence are abound in the upcoming series, Narco-Saints, from showrunner Yoon Jong-bin. Debuting all six episodes on Netflix from September 9, the new crime drama series marks a reunion for Yoon with actor Ha Jung-woo who has starred in nearly all of Yoon’s films since 2005’s The Unforgiven. Narco-Saints follows an ordinary entrepreneur enlisted by the National Intelligence Service for a secret government mission to capture a Korean drug lord operating in South America. Yoon is joined by his The Spy Gone North co-writer Kwon Sung-hui in creating the series which is reportedly based on true events. The show also comes stacked with a bevy of A-list screentalent, including multi-nominated Squid Game actor Park Hae-soo, Yoon’s The Spy Gone North star Hwang Jung-min, and Taiwanese film star Chang Chen of Dune fame. Also starring are Jo Woo-jin (Alienoid) and Yoo Yeon-Seok (New Year Blues), and the […]

Well Go USA’s ESCAPE FROM MOGADISHU Releases This Week, So Here Are Eight More Hit Ryoo Seung-Wan Movies To Check Out Now!

Lee B. Golden III

Well Go USA is proudly releasing Ryoo Seung-wan’s latest period espionage thriller, Escape From Mogadishu this week wherever movies are sold. The film, which based on real life events surrounding the Somali Civil War in 1991, marks yet another level in artistic and creative growth for Ryoo who made his feature debut more than twenty years ago starring alongside his brother in gritty crime noir, Die Bad, and diving further into a variety slate of action titles like 2002’s No Blood No Tears, martial arts comedy Arahan, 2008 spy romp Dachimawa Lee and revenge thriller The City Of Violence to name a few. Depending on where you look, you might get lucky to find all, or at least some of these films on disc in some form or fashion, as necessary as it is. Alas, with streaming staking its claim over much of the commercial film market these days, and […]

ASHFALL: Lee Byung-Hun And Ha Jung-Woo Star In South Korean Disaster Thriller Releasing October 6 on U.S. DVD

ASHFALL: Lee Byung-Hun And Ha Jung-Woo Star In South Korean Disaster Thriller Releasing October 6 on U.S. Blu-Ray And DVD

Lee B. Golden III

MPI Home Video is proudly releasing Korean blockbuster epic, Ashfall, on DVD and Blu-Ray in the U.S. beginning October 6. The film previously opened in South Korea from CJ Entertainment last December, scoring in the top 20 markets, earning a total of $61 million internationally. Written and directed by Lee Hae-Jun (My Dictator) and Kim Byung-Seo (Cold Eyes), actors Lee Byung-Hun (I Saw the Devil, The Magnificent Seven, The Good The Bad & The Weird) and Ha Jung-woo (The Yellow Sea, The Chaser, The Handmaiden), lead the all star cast for the story of an imprisoned North Korean defector, and an explosives disposal expert who join forces to prevent a devastating explosion in the wake of a volcanic eruption along the China-North Korea border. Also starring are Bae Suzy (Architecture 101, Dream High) and (Unstoppable, upcoming The Eternals). The film will be presented in English dub, an in Korean language […]

ASHFALL: Korea Battles Fire Down Below In The Official Teaser

Lee B. Golden III

With five directing credits between them, Lee Hae-jun and Kim Byeong-seo had their work cut out for them with their latest disaster epic, Ashfall – internationally titled for market appeal and for western audiences, particuarly in the U.S. where CJ Entertainment will eventually signal its own release stateside. The two round up a cast headed by Lee Byung-hun, Ha Jung-woo, Don Lee and Bae Suzy for the story of a seismologist who teams up with a rogue North Korean officer to help prevent a disaster following the sudden eruption of Baekdu Mountain, endangering the Korean peninsula. The film is due in December.

Kim Byung-woo’s TAKE POINT Opens In Select U.S. Cities Through January!

Lee B. Golden III

The Terror, Live helmer Kim Byung-woo’s new tactical action thriller, Take Point, is officially rolling out its U.S. campaign one week before releasing in South Korea as PMC: The Bunker. The film, starring actors Ha Jung-woo, Lee Sun-kyun and actress Jennifer Ehle, is poised for a strategic theater rollout across select cities beginning in Los Angeles ans Buena Park on December 27, and in New York, Texas, Hawaii, Colorado and Georgia on January 4. “War Means Business!” Captain Ahab (HA Jung-woo), who works for private military company Black Lizard, is tasked with carrying out a top secret mission for CIA. His mission is to infiltrate a secret underground bunker 30m below Korean DMZ and take out a target. The mission immediately derails when the target turns out to be none other than Supreme Leader of North Korea himself, who has incredibly high bounty on his head. Ahab and his 12 […]

TAKE POINT: Ha Jung-Woo Is On The Brink In The Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

CJ Entertainment proudly unveiled its official trailer this week for PMC: The Bunker – otherwise opening as Take Point outside South Korea. This film definitely aimed for international appeal in its production and packaging with Ha Jung-woo (Kundo) and Lee Sun Kyun (A Hard Day) as the film’s principle key Korean talents, and with Ha taking center stage in both Korean and English. On the day of U.S. presidential election in 2024, Ahab (HA) and his team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct Armed Forces Minister of North Korea in an underground bumker below the Korean DMZ. In a moment, the team gets caught under a crossfire that threatens to take the mission to the brink of the WWIII. Also starring are Jennifer Ehle (I Kill Giants) and Kevin Durand (Garm Wars: The Last Druid) with a release now set for December 26.

TAKE POINT: Don’t Miss The First Teaser For Ha Jung-Woo’s New Thriller

Lee B. Golden III

Nearly a year since popping up on our radar at the HK FilMart, Kim Byung-Woo’s Take Point is finally poised for release with a date to be set this December. There’s no exact date but an official teaser is now up and running host to the latest from Ha Jung-Woo who happens to be one of my favorite actors working in film. On the day of 2024 U.S. presidential election, Ahab and his team of mercenaries working for a private military corporation head to a secret bunker below the Korean DMZ. Their mission, assigned by the CIA, is to abduct Armed Forces Minister of North Korea who is supposed to attend a secret meeting in the bunker. However, things take a turn when North Korea’s Supreme Commander, code name “King”, shows up to Ahab’s surprise. Ahab decides to kidnap the more valuable target “King”, but to his dismay, North Korea […]

Na Hong-Jin’s THE YELLOW SEA Is A Heart-Breaking, Soul-Searching Post-Mortem In Four Acts

Lee B. Golden III

To date, Na Hong-Jin has only ever helmed three films – his most recent being 2016 mystery thriller, The Wailing. Six years earlier, Na sat in for his second film after 2008’s The Chaser with The Yellow Sea, reuniting with actor Ha Jung-Woo two years later. Ha happens to be one of my favorite actors as of 2014 when I first saw him in Yoon Jong-Bin’s Kundo. The Yellow Sea retroactively reaffirms this in one of the rawest performances you’ll see amidst an epic crime drama that almost never lets up in its intensity or bleakness. At two hours and change, there is a lot to unpack, but the gist of the story centers on Gu-nam, a Joseonjok migrant who reluctantly accepts an offer from a local crimeboss to travel to Korea to perform a hit-for-hire. Calamity ensues when he’s framed for the murder, ensuing a twist of events that […]

Don’t Miss The Final Trailer For ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS

Lee B. Golden III

The reviews are already out for Kim Yong-Hwa’s upcoming afterlife fantasy webtoon adaptation, Along With The Gods: The Last 49 Days. You can read our here while just a few days out from its release in South Korea and North America, Well Go USA is out to remind the masses with an official trailer. The fantasy epic that smashed box office records in Korea reaches its thrilling climax in ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS. As the deceased soul Su-hong and his three afterlife guardians face the remaining trials to obtain their reincarnation, the guardians come face to face with the buried truth of their tragic time on earth a thousand years ago, culminating in a final battle with a rogue god. Actors Ha Jung-Woo, Ju Ji-Hoon and Don Lee star with actress Kim Hyang-Gi, and actors Kim Dong-Wook and Lee Jung-Jae for the film’s August 1 release!

Review: ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE LAST 49 DAYS Maintains Epic Fantasy Deliberation With Unfolding Drama

Lee B. Golden III

Director Kim Yong-Hwa made a major hit for himself late last year adapting Korean fantasy webtoon, Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds. The film even took me by surprise thinking it would be one straightforward film at one point and not knowing right away there would be an almost immediate back-to-back sequel, and even learning recently that more developments for the big and small screen were in bound. Immersed in a Buddhist narrative, the first movie is one of nearly constant emotive stimulus, coupled with big scale battles with mystical weapons against varying creatures and entites, including a fast-growing demonic vengeful spirit proving pivotal in the movie’s progression. The drama is heavy-handed amidst a sprawling millieu spanning Earth and the Afterworld, and the action left an almost anime-inspired feel with our characters moving at lightning speed. All these and more now draw us into next chapter, Along With The […]

South Korean Action Thriller TAKE POINT Spawns New Sales Art At HK Filmart

Lee B. Golden III

This year’s events at Filmart continue to be a bustling feat with a ton of gems to spy an eye on. Posters galore align the corridors including some enticing promo art for upcoming South Korean action thriller, Take Point, which CJ Entertainment/CJ E&M is repping in Hong Kong as we speak. On the day of 2024 U.S. presidential election, Ahab and his team of elite mercenaries embark on a secret CIA mission to abduct North Korea’s Armed Forces Minister in an underground bunker below the Korean DMZ. However, they get caught under a crossfire that threatens to take the mission to the brink of the Third World War. The film is produced by Choi Won-Ki (The Chronicles Of Evil, A Single Rider) and reunites The Terror, Live helmer Kim Byung-Woo with actor Ha Jung-Woo (Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds). Also starring are Lee Sun-Kyun of A Hard Day […]

Jang Joon-Hwan’s 1987: WHEN THE DAY COMES Lands An Official Trailer

Lee B. Golden III

Not one to shy away from history, Hwayi: A Monster Boy helmer Jang Joon-hwan’s new film, 1987: When The Day Comes, is readying for a release later this year. The official trailer is circulating online ahead of its Korean and North American releases reuniting Jang with actor Kim Yoon-seok, and also adding Ha Jung-woo, Yoo Hai-jin and Kim Tae-ri to the roster for a compelling take on another tumultuous turning point in history. In 1987 Korea, under an oppressive military regime, a college student gets killed during a police interrogation involving torture. Government of officials are quick to cover up the death and order the body to be cremated. A prosecutor who is supposed to sign the cremation release, raises questions about a 21-year-old kid dying of a heart attack, and he begins looking into the case for truth. Despite a systematic attempt to silence everyone involved in the case, […]

Well Go USA’s ALONG WITH THE GODS: THE TWO WORLDS, Bows On December 22

Lee B. Golden III

200 Pounds Beauty and Mr. Go helmer Kim Yong-Hwa’s sweeping new fantasy adventure, Along With The Gods, aims to cover a lot of ground through next year. Its inspiration from a popular webcomic hopes to be the seed that sprouts a two-part epic that is now being confirmed for an official North American release date on December 22 from Well Go USA two days after its Korean bow. Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent in human life, he’s able to reincarnate, and his 3 afterlife guardians are by his side to defend him in trial. Well Go USA has launched its official trailer with the date branded accordingly. Rounding out the cast of principles are actor Ha Jung-woo (The Handmaiden), Cha Tae-hyun (Scandal Makers), Ju Ji-hoon (Asura: The City of […]

ALONG WITH THE GODS: Kim Yong-Hwa’s Two-Part Epic Takes To North America For Well Go USA

Lee B. Golden III

200 Pounds Beauty and Mr. Go helmer Kim Yong-Hwa’s latest is something of a mystery to me. I remember spotting a trailer online for the new film, Along With The Gods, earlier this month only to suddenly lose track of it after seeing it mysteriously disappear from my YouTube viewing history. Now all of a sudden reports are coming in via Variety as of a few days ago that Well Go USA have nabbed the rights to the film which turns out to be a two-part epic – the first of which is now branded Along With The Gods: The Two Worlds, and seeing the trailer here again has only inspired that same fascination and excitement I felt the first time around. Having died unexpectedly, firefighter Ja-hong is taken to the afterlife by 3 afterlife guardians. Only when he passes 7 trials over 49 days and proves he was innocent […]