The Merciless (film)
| The Merciless | |
|---|---|
-poster.jpg) Theatrical poster | |
| Hangul | 불한당: 나쁜 놈들의 세상 |
| Revised Romanization | Bulhandang: Nabbeun Nomdeului Sesang |
| Directed by | Byun Sung-hyun |
| Produced by | Yun Ji-won |
| Written by |
Byun Sung-hyun Kim Min-soo |
| Starring |
Sol Kyung-gu Im Si-wan |
| Music by |
Kim Hong-jip Lee Jin-hee |
| Cinematography | Cho Hyoung-rae |
| Edited by |
Kim Jae-bum Kim Sang-bum |
Production company |
CJ E&M |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$6.7 million[1] |
The Merciless is a 2017 South Korean crime-action film directed by Byun Sung-hyun, and starring Sol Kyung-gu and Im Si-wan. The film was released in South Korea on May 17, 2017. It was shown out of competition in the Midnight Screenings section at the 70th Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2017.[2]
Plot
The story about the friendship and betrayal between an inmate leader and a new prisoner, who team to take over a gang.
Cast
- Sol Kyung-gu as Jae-ho
- Im Si-wan as Hyun-soo
- Kim Hee-won as Byung-gab
- Jeon Hye-jin as Chun In-sook
- Lee Geung-young as Byung-chul
- Jang In-sub as Min-chul
- Kim Ji-hoon as Jung-sik
- Lee Ji-hoon as Public prosecutor Oh
- Choi Byung-mo as Captain Choi
- Moon Ji-yoon as Young-geun
- Nam Gi-ae as Hyun-soo's mother
Special appearance
- Heo Joon-ho as Kim Sung-han
Cameo
- Shin So-yul as Osean Trading advertisement beauty 1
- Kim Bo-mi as Osean Trading advertisement beauty 2
- Lee Mi-so as Osean Trading advertisement beauty 3
- Kim Sung-oh as Jung Seung-pil
Release
Prior to its local release, the film has been pre-sold to 85 countries including France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Australia, India, Taiwan, the Philippines and Singapore at the 2017 Hong Kong Film Mart. [3] According to the distributor CJ Entertainment the film was later sold to additional territories, reaching a total of 117 countries worldwide.[4]
The film was released in French cinemas on June 28, 2017, by ARP Distributors.[5][6]
Reception
The film received a seven-minute standing ovation at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.[7]
Michele Halberstadt from ARP Films praised the film for its screenwriting, direction and characters.[8][9]
According to the Korean Film Council, the film topped the Korean box office on the first day of release and sold 95,261 tickets.[10][11]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | JIMFF Awards | JIMFF OST Award | Kim Hong-jip Lee Jin-hee | Won |
References
- ↑ http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20164844
- ↑ http://www.asiaone.com/asia/merciless-korean-bromance-style
- ↑ "Cannes-bound Korean film pre-sold to 85 countries". The Korea Herald. 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ↑ Lee Hyo-won (24 May 2017). "Cannes: South Korean Thriller 'The Merciless' Sells Worldwide". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ↑ Lee Hyo-won (28 April 2017). "Cannes: South Korean Action Film 'The Merciless' Sells to France". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ↑ "Cannes-bound Korean film to open in France in June". The Korea Herald. 28 April 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
- ↑ Doo, Rumy (25 May 2017). "‘Merciless’ receives rave reviews, lengthy standing ovation at Cannes". The Korea Herald.
- ↑ http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-south-korean-action-film-merciless-sells-france-998389
- ↑ http://variety.com/2017/film/asia/cannes-korean-thriller-merciless-sold-1202406332/
- ↑ "'The Merciless' tops S. Korean box office on opening day". Yonhap News Agency. 18 May 2017.
- ↑ ""The Merciless" Tops S. Korean Box Office". KBS Radio. 18 May 2017.