The Thieves

The Thieves
Hangul 도둑들
Revised Romanization Dodukdeul
McCune–Reischauer Todukdŭl
Directed by Choi Dong-hoon
Produced by Ahn Soo-hyun
Written by Choi Dong-hoon
Lee Ki-cheol
Starring Kim Yoon-seok
Lee Jung-jae
Kim Hye-soo
Jun Ji-hyun
Music by Jang Young-gyu
Cinematography Choi Young-hwan
Edited by Shin Min-kyung
Distributed by Showbox/Mediaplex,Inc.
Release dates
  • July 25, 2012[1]
Running time
 136 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Japanese
English
Mandarin
Cantonese
Budget US$14.1 million (₩15.2 billion)
Box office US$86,655,225[2]

The Thieves (Hangul: 도둑들; RR: Dodukdeul; MR: Todukdŭl) is a 2012 South Korean heist film directed by Choi Dong-hoon with an all-star ensemble cast.[3][4][5][6]

Splashy action in overseas locations is mixed with double-dealings and multiple betrayals as a gang of South Korean thieves team up with a Hong Kong crew to steal a diamond necklace from a heavily guarded casino safe in Macau.[7]

With over 12.9 million ticket sales, the action comedy is currently the fourth highest grossing movie in Korean film history.

Plot

Posing as mother and daughter, two professional thieves — middle-aged Chewing Gum (Kim Hae-sook) and young cat burglar Yenicall (Jun Ji-hyun) — rob the wealthy owner of Leesung Gallery (Shin Ha-kyun) of a rare artifact he bought from notorious Chinese fence Wei Hong (Ki Gook-seo). The theft is organized by team leader Popie (Lee Jung-jae), helped by his associate Zampano (Kim Soo-hyun). The next day they are visited by a police detective (Ju Jin-mo) who is hot on Popie's trail. Meanwhile in Hong Kong, Chinese veteran thief Chen (Simon Yam), along with Jonny (Derek Tsang) and Korean-Chinese Andrew (Oh Dal-su), are robbing a jewelry shop. Afterwards, they are joined by Julie (Angelica Lee), the daughter of a professional safecracker.

To escape the heat at home, the Koreans join Chen's gang in Hong Kong for a heist led by South Korean master thief Macao Park (Kim Yoon-seok), who was once Popie's boss. Park's plan is to steal the Tear of the Sun diamond, worth US$20 million, which was stolen during an exhibition in Tokyo and is now in the possession of Madame Tiffany (Yeh Soo-jung), the Japanese mistress of Wei Hong, who is coming to Macau to visit a casino. Popie has brought along safecracker Pepsee (Kim Hye-soo), just released on parole, but Park is unhappy with her joining the team, as they once had a relationship that ended badly four years earlier. Park intends to sell the diamond back to Wei Hong for US$20 million — a risky venture as Wei Hong, whose face has rarely been seen, is known for murdering anyone who crosses him.

Each of the thieves has a separate agenda and, when the robbery finally takes place in Macau, little goes according to plan.[8][9][10]

Cast

Main cast

Supporting cast

Additional cast

Production

Casting negotiations began since late 2010,[29] and on March 21, 2011, film distributor Showbox confirmed the star-studded cast in a press release. Director Choi Dong-hoon was quoted: "These are the very actors that inspired me to write what I have for the movie's script starting from its first line. I'm dreaming of creating explosive ensembles that will clash or harmonize within a single movie due to their different styles."[30] Choi later confessed that the thought of directing this group of high-profile actors and actresses was "really scary", but "during filming, I couldn't take my eyes off the monitor because of the charisma of all these actors. Never did it occur to me that they needed to be handled in a certain way. It's just that the screenplay must be fully understood... We talk. Slowly infect them with my thoughts, mixing the individual with the movie's tone and manner."[5][6][31][32]

Calling Choi "a genius who also works extremely hard," actress Kim Hye-soo was in awe when she first read the script, saying, "It was a product of great effort, genius ideas and a detail-oriented, calculative mind. I think he knows who he is, the exact kind of films that he wants to make, and how to make them. The Thieves proves it."[33]

On comparisons with Ocean's Eleven, the director said he never went into production consciously thinking about the hit Hollywood film. Though similar to it, he thinks The Thieves is actually closer to his previous films The Big Swindle and Tazza: The High Rollers, with the action featured "invested with more emotion." Kim Yoon-seok added that contrary to the characters' compatible and harmonious collaboration in Ocean's Eleven, "In The Thieves, we are all over the place, all with our own faults. But I think that you will see through the friendships and love in the film, our unique emotional developments will show through."[6][34]

After six months of location shoots in Seoul, Busan,[35] Macau,[36] and Hong Kong, filming wrapped up on December 7, 2011.[37][38][39]

Box office

With 436,622 tickets sold on the day of its release, The Thieves recorded the second highest single day opening of all time in Korea after The Host opened with 449,500 tickets sold in 2006.[40] On its sixth day of release, it broke the 3 million mark in audience number, drawing 3.35 million viewers. [41][42][43] In eight days, the numbers had risen to 4,365,078 tickets,[44][45] by the eleventh day, it drew 6.2 million viewers,[46][47][48] by the thirteenth day, 7 million,[49][50] and over 8 million by the sixteenth day.[51][52][53]

After 22 days, it reached the "magic number" of 10 million viewers, only the sixth film to have done so in Korean film history.[54][55][56][57][58][59][60] Kim Soo-hyun then fulfilled his public pledge to give a piggyback ride to the 10 millionth ticket holder, a middle school girl.[61]

After reaching over 11 million viewers on its fourth week, it rose to number 4 on the Korean all-time box office charts, beating Haeundae.[62][63][64][65] It then passed 12 million to leapfrog over Taegukgi,[66][67] and on its sixth week its 12.31 million overtook King and the Clown's record to become the second highest grossing movie in Korean film history.[68][69][70][71]

Though the film's promoter sent out a press release that The Thieves reached 13,020,393 admissions on October 2 (70 days since its opening), making it the new number 1 on the all-time box office chart,[72][73][74][75][76] the Korean Film Council reported the actual admissions to be at 12,983,334 — leaving the previous record of The Host unbroken.[77]

International release

The distribution rights to the picture were purchased by several countries including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Vietnam.[78][79][80] It made its North American premiere at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival,[81] and was distributed in the US by Well Go USA Entertainment.[82] Well Go released it on DVD and Blu-ray on February 12, 2013.

Accolades

Festivals

Year Festival Date
2012
37th Toronto International Film Festival - Contemporary World Cinema
 September 6 - 16, 2012
17th Busan International Film Festival - Open Cinema
 October 4 - 13, 2012
45th Sitges Film Festival - Official Fantàstic Casa Asia
 October 4 - 14, 2012
32nd Hawaii International Film Festival - Closing Film *U.S. Premiere
 October 11 - 21, 2012
21st Philadelphia Film Festival - World Narrative
 October 18 - 28, 2012
2013
15th Deauville Asian Film Festival - Non-Competing
 March 6 - 10, 2013
15th Udine Far East Film - *Italian Premiere
 April 19 - 27, 2013
4th Korean Film Festival in Australia - Closing Film
 August 14 - September 11, 2013

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2012
21st Buil Film Awards
 Best Cinematography Choi Young-hwan Won
Best Art Direction Lee Ha-jun Won
Buil Readers' Jury Award The Thieves Won
Best Director Choi Dong-hoon Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Kim Hae-sook Nominated
Best New Actor Kim Soo-hyun Nominated
49th Grand Bell Awards[83]
 Best Supporting Actress Kim Hae-sook Won
Best Director Choi Dong-hoon Nominated
32nd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards[84]
 Best Cinematography Choi Young-hwan Won
33rd Blue Dragon Film Awards[85]
 Best Film The Thieves Nominated
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film Won
Best Director Choi Dong-hoon Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Kim Hae-sook Nominated
Best New Actor Kim Soo-hyun Nominated
Popularity Award Won
Best Screenplay Choi Dong-hoon, Lee Ki-cheol Nominated
Best Cinematography Choi Young-hwan Nominated
Best Lighting Kim Seong-kwan Nominated
Technical Award Yoo Sang-sub, Jung Yoon-hyun Won
20th Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards[86]
Grand Prize/Daesang (Film) Kim Yoon-seok Won
Best Film The Thieves Won
Top Excellence Award, Actress in a Film Kim Hye-soo Won
Women in Film Korea Awards[87][88]
Best Producer Ahn Soo-hyun Won
2014
KOFRA Film Awards (Korea Film Reporters Association)[89]
 Best Supporting Actress Kim Hae-sook Won
7th Asian Film Awards[90]
Best Supporting Actress Kim Hye-soo Nominated
Jun Ji-hyun Nominated
Best Cinematography Choi Young-hwan Nominated
Best Editing Shin Min-kyung Nominated
49th Baeksang Arts Awards[91]
Best Director Choi Dong-hoon Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Jun Ji-hyun Nominated
Popularity Award, Actor Kim Soo-hyun Nominated
Kim Yoon-seok Nominated
Popularity Award, Actress Jun Ji-hyun Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Suk, Monica (11 June 2012). "The Thieves ready to premiere next month". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  2. ↑ "The Thieves". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  3. ↑ Paquet, Darcy (19 July 2012). "In Focus: The Thieves (Doduk-deul)". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  4. ↑ "The Caper Film King Is Back with The Thieves - CHOI DONG-HOON". Korean Cinema Today. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Kwaak, Je-yup (23 July 2012). "'Actor and director are like husband and wife'". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Cho, Jae-eun (13 June 2012). "The Thieves all-star cast set to steal show". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  7. ↑ Patrick Frater, Stephen Cremin (27 July 2012). "Thieves steals a march on competition". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  8. ↑ Elley, Derek (22 August 2012). "The Thieves". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  9. ↑ Lee, Maggie (21 August 2012). "The Thieves". Variety. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  10. ↑ Kang, Byeong-jin (7 February 2012). "Korea’s most anticipated films of 2012". Korea Cinema Today. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  11. ↑ Lee, Claire (29 July 2012). "‘I’m more motivated than ever’". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  12. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (4 August 2012). "Interview: Lee Jung Jae Praises Kim Soo Hyun for Lightening the Mood on Set". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  13. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (5 August 2012). "Interview Part I: Lee Jung Jae Will Now Only Concentrate on Acting". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  14. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (5 August 2012). "Interview Part II: Lee Jung Jae on His Personal Life and His Future". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "Kim Hye Soo and Lee Jung Jae in Sexy Photo Shoot for Vogue Korea". Soompi. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  16. ↑ Lee, Claire (23 July 2012). "Kim Hye-soo 'steals' her scenes". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  17. ↑ "A-Listers Vie for Screen Time in Heist Movie The Thieves". The Chosun Ilbo. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  18. ↑ Son, Jin-ah (18 July 2012). "Thieves Kim Hye Soo tells about her hug time". StarN News. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  19. ↑ Hong, Grace Danbi (5 July 2012). "Jun Ji Hyun is Just Getting Started as an Actress". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  20. ↑ Lee, Jin-ho (22 July 2012). "Interview: Jun Ji Hyun Invites Everyone Into Her Veil of Secrecy". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  21. ↑ "Jeon Ji-hyun Gets Back into Groove with The Thieves". The Chosun Ilbo. 4 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  22. ↑ Lee, Jin-ho (13 June 2012). "Jun Ji Hyun Talks about Kissing with Kim Soo Hyun for The Thieves". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  23. ↑ "The Thieves Jun Ji Hyun, "A Competition With Kim Hye Soo? I Can't Even Compete With Her Breasts."". Korea Portal. 11 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  24. ↑ Lee, Jin-ho (13 June 2012). "Kim Soo Hyun Talks about Kissing with Jun Ji Hyun for The Thieves". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  25. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (11 July 2012). "Kim Soo Hyun was Honored to Have Kissed Jun Ji Hyun for The Thieves". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  26. ↑ "The Thieves Kim Soo Hyun, "I Wish There Were More Kiss Scenes With Jun Ji Hyun"". Korea Portal. 10 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  27. ↑ Lim, Ju-hui (12 August 2012). "The Thieves Oh Dal Soo getting high compliments for his amazing acting". StarN News. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  28. ↑ Jeon, Su-mi (9 August 2012). "Hong Kong Actress Angelica Lee Praises The Thieves Cast Member Jun Ji Hyun". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  29. ↑ Ko, Kyoung-seok (15 March 2011). "Top actors to film Korean version of Ocean's Eleven". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  30. ↑ Kim, Jessica (21 March 2011). "Kim Soo-hyun joins cast of high-profile movie". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  31. ↑ "The Thieves The Meaning Behind The Characters' Nicknames Revealed". Korea Portal. 2 July 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  32. ↑ Lee, Jin-ho (18 July 2012). "Director of The Thieves Wanted to Include a Jun Ji Hyun-Kim Hye Soo Kiss Scene". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  33. ↑ Lee, Claire (21 August 2012). "Newsmaker: Director Choi Dong-hoon steals show with The Thieves". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  34. ↑ Kwaak, Je-yup (11 July 2012). "Star-studded Thieves takes different route from Ocean". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  35. ↑ Oh, Mi-jung (24 July 2012). "The Thieves Goes to Busan to Promote Before Premiere". enewsWorld. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  36. ↑ Frater, Patrick (1 August 2011). "Thieves completes Macau casino raid". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  37. ↑ Kim, Jessica (9 December 2011). "Kim Yun-seok, Kim Hye-soo The Thieves cranks up". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  38. ↑ "The Thieves wraps shoot". Korean Film Biz Zone. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  39. ↑ Hong, Lucia (19 March 2012). "The Thieves presold to four countries during film fest in Berlin". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  40. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (26 July 2012). "The Thieves records 2nd biggest opening of all-time in Korea". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  41. ↑ Kwaak, Je-yup (30 July 2012). "Thieves breaks record with 2.9 mil.". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  42. ↑ Hong, Lucia (30 July 2012). "The Thieves steals box office from American superhero". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  43. ↑ "The Thieves a hit at local box office". Yonhap. 1 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  44. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (2 August 2012). "The Thieves sets record after stealing 4 mln moviegoers’ hearts". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  45. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (3 August 2012). "The Thieves steals attendance record". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  46. ↑ "The Thieves breaks audience record with 6 mil. in 11 days: data". The Korea Times. 5 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  47. ↑ "Thieves tops 6 million at box office". Korea JoongAng Daily. 6 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  48. ↑ Suk, Monica (6 August 2012). "The Thieves tops box office after racking up 6.2 mln ticket sales". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  49. ↑ Frater, Patrick (7 August 2012). "Thieves holds up 7m mark". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  50. ↑ Lee, Tae-ho (8 August 2012). "The Thieves heads for 10 mln". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  51. ↑ "The Thieves tops 8 mln viewers". The Korea Times. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  52. ↑ "'The Thieves' tops 8 mln viewers". Yonhap. 10 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  53. ↑ Park, Eun-jee (11 August 2012). "Thieves stealing the show in Korea". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  54. ↑ "The Thieves Takes Box Office by Storm with Nearly 10 Million Viewers". The Chosun Ilbo. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  55. ↑ "The Thieves breaks 10 mln audience number". Yonhap. 16 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  56. ↑ Ryu, Jennifer (16 August 2012). "The Thieves breaks 10 million mark". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  57. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (16 August 2012). "The Thieves rakes in whopping 10 mln moviegoers". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  58. ↑ Cremin, Stephen (16 August 2012). "Thieves crosses 10m admissions". Film Business Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  59. ↑ "THE THIEVES steal 10 million hearts". Korean Film Biz Zone. 17 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  60. ↑ Yi, Paul (18 August 2012). "Korean Cinema Renaissance With Blockbuster Films". Arirang News. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  61. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (21 August 2012). "Kim Soo-hyun fulfills pledge as The Thieves reaches 10-million mark". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  62. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji. "The Thieves scores 5th highest grossing Korean movie". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  63. ↑ "The Thieves outperforms Haeundae to become fourth best-selling movie at home". Yonhap. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  64. ↑ "The Thieves outperforms Haeundae to become 4th best-selling movie at home". The Korea Times. 23 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  65. ↑ Lee, Hye-ji (23 August 2012). "The Thieves outperforms Haeundae to sit at No.4 on all-time Korean film chart". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  66. ↑ "The Thieves Set for New Box Office Record". The Chosun Ilbo. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  67. ↑ Lee, Claire (27 August 2012). "Korean movies dominate box office". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  68. ↑ "The Thieves now 2nd top-selling Korean film". Yonhap. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  69. ↑ "The Thieves now 2nd top-selling Korean film". The Korea Herald. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  70. ↑ "The Thieves Looking to Steal No. 1 Spot in All-Time Box-Office Rankings". The Chosun Ilbo. 31 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  71. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (3 September 2012). "Thieves now 2nd-most watched film". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  72. ↑ "The Thieves becomes top-selling Korean movie". The Korea Times. 2 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  73. ↑ Jackson, Julie (3 October 2012). "The Thieves steals Korean box office record". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  74. ↑ "The Thieves Emerges as Most Popular Korean Movie". The Chosun Ilbo. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  75. ↑ Sunwoo, Carla (4 October 2012). "The Thieves becomes most-watched Korean film". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  76. ↑ "The Thieves steals top spot in box office history". Korea JoongAng Daily. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  77. ↑ http://www.kobis.or.kr/kobis/business/stat/offc/findFormerBoxOfficeList.do
  78. ↑ Hong, Lucia (21 August 2012). "The Thieves to burst into screens in Asian countries next month". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  79. ↑ "The Thieves Goes International". KBS World. 21 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  80. ↑ Kim, Hyun-min (5 September 2012). "THE THIEVES begin their Asian tour". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  81. ↑ Lee, Eun-sun (10 September 2012). "THE THIEVES help reveal a bright future for Asian film". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  82. ↑ http://www.wellgousa.com/theatrical/the-thieves
  83. ↑ Lee, Claire (30 October 2012). "Gwanghae sweeps Daejong Film Awards". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
  84. ↑ Jang, Sung-ran (19 October 2012). "PIETA Wins a Triple Crown: KAFC Announces winners of KAFC Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  85. ↑ Ji, Yong-jin (4 December 2012). "PIETA Wins Best Picture at Blue Dragon Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2012-12-04.
  86. ↑ "Winners - Film category". 20th KCEA Awards. Retrieved 2013-04-02.
  87. ↑ "Byun Young-joo Picked as Director of the Year by Female Film Critics". The Chosun Ilbo. 5 December 2012. Retrieved 2012-12-05.
  88. ↑ Kim, Hyun-min (6 December 2012). "BYUN Young-joo Selected as the Woman Filmmaker of 2012". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2012-12-15.
  89. ↑ Ji, Yong-jin (1 February 2013). "PIETA Regarded as the Best Film in 2012 by Reporters". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-04.
  90. ↑ Lee, Eun-sun (21 January 2013). "PIETA Nominated for Best Film at Asian Film Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
  91. ↑ Hicap, Jonathan M. (5 April 2013). "49th Baeksang Arts Awards nominees revealed". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2013-04-11.

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