It’s as generic a title as one might ponder at this point, but The King Of Fighters is the presumed international title for director Go Hoon’s new period-set crime drama.
Judging by the synopsis available at HanCinema, this one appears to denote historic organized crime boss, Kim Doo-han, by way of observing a pre-existing turn-of-the-century tale inspired by Joseon crime figure, Goo Ma-jeok. The description also elucidates he was man of legend on the streets and known for his significant power and influence in Joseon at the time. It’s as the plot so states: “A new ‘Age of Wild Men’ begins.”
History books and other folks more knowing might care to weigh in as I don’t have the knowledge handy at the time of this report. At any rate, the latest trailer signals a manly, fittingly macho martial arts piece of fanfare loaded with enough kicks and fisticuffs to feed the action hungry masses, and a worthy-enough story to help this potboiler draw some interest.
It stars actor Kim Seung-Hyun (not same name as the actor seen in Summer Story and The Rush) in the title role and opens this month, and we’ll see if it gets any overseas traction by then.
