| The Yellow Sea | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Na Hong-jin |
| Screenplay by | Na Hong-jin |
| Starring | Kim Yoon-seok Ha Jung-woo |
| Music by | Youngkyu Jang Byung-hoon Lee |
| Studio | Fox International Productions Popcorn Films |
| Distributed by | Showbox/Mediaplex 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | December 22, 2010 |
| Running time | 140 minutes[1] |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
The Yellow Sea (Hangul: 황해; RR: Hwang hae) is a 2010 Korean thriller film directed by Na Hong-jin.
Contents |
On the Chinese side of the China-Russia-North Korea border, in Yanbian, Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Ku-Nam (Ha Jung-woo) toils away as a taxi driver. When not working, he is often found at gambling halls. Ku-Nam is now in serious debt. His wife left to work in South Korea and promised to send money back. He has yet to hear from her and is tormented by nightmares of her having an extra-marital affair. Making matters worse, Ku-Nam is fired from his job and debt collectors take most of his severance pay.
Dog seller and underworld crime boss Myung-Ga (Yun-Seok Kim) offers him a deal. If Ku-Nam goes to South Korea to carry out a hit, he will get ¥57,000 ($10,000 USD). Ku-Nam accepts and leaves for South Korea on a rickety fishing boat with $500 dollars for expenses.
When Ku-Nam arrives in South Korea, he carefully scopes out his target for days while also searching for his wife. When the time arrives for Ku-Nam to take out his target, a string of unexpected events occurs, leaving Ku-Nam desperately looking for a way out. Meanwhile, the cops, the South Korean mob, and the Chinese mafia all frantically search for Ku-Nam.
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival[2], as well as the 2011 Munich "Filmfest".
The film opened on December 22, 2010 in South Korea and was top at the box office and sold 1.05 million tickets according to the Korean Film Council.[3]