Commitment (film)

Commitment
Directed by Park Hong-soo[1]
Produced by Park Eun-gyeong
Lee Deok-jae
Lee Seong-hun
Choe Ji-yun
Written by Kim Soo-young
Starring Choi Seung-hyun
Han Ye-ri
Kim Yoo-jung
Music by Noh Hyeong-woo
Cinematography Kim Gi-tae
Edited by Kim Sang-beom
Kim Jae-beom
Distributed by Showbox/Mediaplex[2]
(South Korea)
Well Go USA Entertainment (United States)
Release dates
  • November 6, 2013 (South Korea)
  • December 6, 2013 (United States)
Running time
 113 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Box office US$6,834,802[3]

Commitment (Hangul: 동창생; RR: Dong-chang-saeng; lit. "Alumnus" or "The Graduate") is a 2013 South Korean spy thriller film starring Choi Seunghyun (also known as T.O.P from the K-pop boyband BIGBANG).[4] He plays the teenage son of an ex-North Korean agent who is tasked to kill a North Korean assassin in South Korea in order to save his younger sister.[5][6][7][8]

The film is about third generation Koreans since the division of the peninsula and the Korean War, historical events that the teenage characters did not directly experience that nevertheless change their lives and destinies.[9][10]

Plot

Nineteen-year-old Li Myung-hoon (Choi Seung-hyun) never imagined he would become a killer. Born to a privileged life in North Korea, his dream was to become a pianist. But when his father, a North Korean spy, dies disgraced, Myung-hoon and his younger sister Hye-in (Kim Yoo-jung) are sent to a "guilt-by-association" forced labor camp. Their father's superior, high-ranking military official Colonel Moon (Jo Sung-ha) proposes a deal to Myung-hoon: if he goes down to the South as a "technician" (an assassin) and finishes what his father had failed to accomplish, he and his sister will be released from the prison camp. Myung-hoon accepts the deal and undergoes two years of intense training.

Myung-hoon finally arrives in South Korea under the guise of a North Korean defector. He is adopted by a South Korean couple who are actually North Korean spies and enrolls at a local high school. He gradually befriends Hye-in (Han Ye-ri), a bullied schoolgirl who shares the same name as his sister and has aspirations of becoming a professional dancer. Myung-hoon then receives his mission: in order to rescue his sister and go back home to the North, he must locate and take out "Big Dipper" (Jung Ho-bin), a North Korean agent working for the opposing government faction. Meanwhile, a power struggle ensues in North Korea with the failing health of dictator Kim Jong-il, and Myung-hoon quickly becomes a liability and must ultimately cope with Colonel Moon's treachery.

Cast

Release

The film was released in South Korea on November 6, 2013, opening at number 2 in the box office.[13] On its opening weekend, it sold 689,600 tickets, grossing US$2,859,921.[14][15] In total, Commitment grossed US$6,512,794 with 1,048,254 tickets sold nationwide.[16][17]

Following its pre-sales deal to eight Asian countries (Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Indonesia),[18] distribution company Well Go USA acquired the North American rights to the film and gave it a limited theatrical release on December 6, 2013.[19][20] Commitment played in a total of 22 theaters and grossed US$60,317 on its opening weekend.[21][22] In total, the film grossed US$76,543 during its North American run.[23]

European distributor Splendid Film also released Commitment as Silent Assassin in German-speaking territories in 2014.[24]

References

  1. ↑ Ho, Stewart (11 September 2012). "The Alumnus, Starring Big Bang's T.O.P, Finds New Director and Resumes Filming". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  2. ↑ Noh, Jean (18 May 2013). "Showbox finds buyers not afraid of Commitment". Screen International. Retrieved 2013-05-18.
  3. ↑ "Commitment (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  4. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (27 September 2013). "Big Bang T.O.P Man Up in Posters of Upcoming Film". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  5. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (26 June 2012). "T.O.P to play North Korean assassin". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  6. ↑ Ho, Stewart (24 January 2013). "Big Bang's T.O.P Wraps Filming on The Alumni". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  7. ↑ Lee, Tae-ho (24 January 2013). "New Movie Starring T.O.P Wraps Up Shooting". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  8. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (25 January 2013). "T.O.P wraps up filming movie". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  9. ↑ Lee, Eun-sun (8 February 2013). "A Lonely Boy Meets a Lonely Girl in COMMITMENT". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-11.
  10. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (31 December 2013). "North Korea a major theme in movies' big year". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  11. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (30 October 2013). "Han Ye Ri Talks about Being Able to Work with T.O.P and Park Yoo Chun". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-10-31.
  12. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (25 June 2012). "Kim Yoo Jung and Han Ye Ri to Become T.O.P's Ladies in The Alumni". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  13. ↑ Lee, Sun-min (12 November 2013). "Thor sequel leads box office in Korea, U.S.". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  14. ↑ "South Korea Box Office November 8–10, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  15. ↑ "Korean Box Office". Hancinema. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  16. ↑ "South Korea Box Office November 22–24, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  17. ↑ "Korean Box Office". Hancinema. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  18. ↑ Song, Soon-jin (27 December 2013). "2013 American Film Market Report". Korean Cinema Today. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  19. ↑ "K-Pop Crossover: T.O.P. Film Commitment Hitting U.S. Theaters, And Other Popular Korean Movies Which Have Hit America!". KpopStarz. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  20. ↑ "Commitment (2013) – Release Info". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  21. ↑ "Weekly Box Office December 6–12, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  22. ↑ "Weekly Box Office December 13–19, 2013". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  23. ↑ "Commitment (2013)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  24. ↑ Tae, Sang-joon (29 October 2013). "COMMITMENT Commits to US, Europe and Asia". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-03-22.

External links