(Korean Movies) Assassination, 2015

'I arrived safely in Nagasaki yesterday.
All of this seems to be due to your concern, as things are going the way you want them to.
Looks like something good is going to happen. Both body and mind are happy.
It will be difficult to see your face again.”

A short letter from the Resistance who died fighting for his dream.
It was difficult to guess where such bold and calm courage came from.

Many people fought and survived that era as fate would have it.
Some left their names, some left no names.
He didn't even tell the story of his life.

The film starts from that unresolved story.

Director Choi Dong-hoon

[ Hot Issue ]

Stories of people who lived in a time when their homeland disappeared
Director Choi Dong-hoon pays attention to the 1930s!
The beginning of <Assassination> started with a single photograph of an unnamed independence fighter. Director Choi Dong-hoon said, "I came up with an image of a person who has a destiny that has been given to him and who walks into that fate without wavering." When <Tazza> was released in 2006, the story of <Assassination> was initially conceived, but he decided to devote more time to this work and continued to study and ponder the history of the independence movement and historical events in the 1930s. And after finishing <The Thieves> (2012), I was able to write the screenplay for <Assassination> only 9 years after I had conceived the story.

The 1930s, which is the historical background of The Assassination, was a time when romanticism prevailed in literary history and modernism blossomed, but on the other hand, it was also a period of constant struggle for independence. <Assassination> depicts a fictional assassination event unfolding by fictional characters with the motif of the historically real record of the Uiyeoldan's activities. Director Choi Dong-hoon said, “We are human beings who are not different from us, but I wanted to show that there were people who had to live differently for their beliefs in the tragedies of the times. I wanted to remember that they were there.”

The existence alone adds to the trust!
Jeon Ji-hyeon, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-su, Cho Jin-woong, Choi Deok-moon
An ensemble of 6 actors and 6 actors who returned to the characters themselves!
The movie <Assassination> draws attention with its cast that adds credibility to the existence of Jeon Ji-hyeon, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-su, Cho Jin-woong, and Choi Deok-moon. Director Choi Dong-hoon said, "The first image that came to mind when I started <Assassination> was finally completed as Jun Ji-hyun. She also approached the character sincerely and deeply cherished Ahn Ok-yun herself." Regarding Lee Jung-jae, who plays the role of 'Yeom Seok-jin', a cold-hearted provisional government member who summons assassins for an operation, director Choi Dong-hoon said, "Lee Jung-jae immersed himself in Yeom Seok-jin for 10 months. In order to express a person with a complex inner side, she constantly explored whether she could trust the person herself, and that passion and belief became a great strength.” Director Choi Dong-hoon said, "Ha Jung-woo is a strange actor like the Hawaiian pistol. He is a great actor who captures even the smallest details, reads the director’s mind well, and makes subtle changes to the same scene.”

In addition, about Oh Dal-su, who played the role of 'Inspiration', the partner of the contract killer Hawaii Pistol, director Choi Dong-hoon said, "He is an actor like a fairy from the sky. He has a natural talent to make people happy.” Jo Jin-woong, who exuded a witty charm by taking on the role of 'quick-fire', a livelihood independence force, showed unsparing affection, saying, "I throw lines like flowing water, but I feel like I am breathing with the other actor's acting well." Regarding Choi Deok-moon, who took on the role of 'Hwang Deok-sam', an activist independence force, he said, "Hwang Deok-sam, a model student of an assassination corps who only thinks about operations, and Choi Deok-moon's acting skills, which he has built up on numerous theatrical stages, have completed the character of the independence army."

The six actors, Jeon Ji-hyeon, Lee Jung-jae, Ha Jung-woo, Oh Dal-su, Cho Jin-woong, and Choi Deok-moon, who became the characters of “Assassination” in this way, made the process of meeting different fates with different choices as a fantasy acting ensemble. will satisfy

Reproduce the era with a net production cost of 18 billion won!
A glimpse of Gyeongseong and Shanghai in the 1930s!

#One
The best location for a large open set!
A total of 5 months long journey between Korea and Shanghai, China!
In order to vividly capture the appearance of Gyeongseong and Shanghai in the 1930s, <Assassination> captured the reality of the times by filming 24 episodes on location for about a month at China's top 10 sets such as Shanghai Cheodun, Shengchang, and Laoxing. In particular, the set is a place where Chinese movies such as <Color, System>, set in the 1930s, were filmed. .

Mitsukoshi Department Store (now Shinsegae Department Store) located in Myeongchijeong (Myeong-dong) and Gyeongseong Street were set up on the set. After about three months of preparation in the field, about 300 Korean and Chinese staff and 4,000 auxiliary performers were mobilized in total. Mitsukoshi Department Store, which is responsible for the highlight of the movie, perfectly reproduces the appearance of the time by adding one floor to the three-story building with computer graphics. In addition, using various spaces, buildings in the surrounding streets such as Gyeongseong Post Office, Chosun Commercial Bank, and Chosun Savings Bank were reproduced with computer graphics to express the splendid streets of Gyeongseong in 1933.

Director Choi Dong-hoon said, “When I visited Shanghai to explore the location, I felt the energy of that time and worked on the screenplay. In the small canal city of Jiaxing, China, the provisional government was set up, and the exterior of the Mitsukoshi Department Store in Myeongchijeong (Myeongdong) was reproduced. The scene inside the department store, the main stage of the assassination group in the second half, took about 7 months to complete.”

In 1933, the main setting of the film, Seosomun Street in Gyeongseong was held at an open set in Goyang, Gyeonggi-do. After three months of construction, a large-scale open set of about 4,100 pyeong, the largest in the history of Korean films, was produced and filmed for a total of 21 times. From Seosomundae, where the sniper takes place on a site of about 5,500 pyeong, to the gas station street at that time, 5 streets and 76 detached buildings were reproduced to create a space optimized for <Assassination>. In addition, the filming was carried out at the old Seoul Station, where the appearance of the old Gyeongseong Station has been preserved as it is, and it added meaning to it. It will convey the atmosphere of the times as it is.

#2
Magnificent scale and delicate style that captures the times!
The largest set that reproduces the colorful streets of the 1930s!
4,500 costumes made and airlifted in the same way as at the time!

Art Ryu Seong-hee <Monster> <The Attorney> <International Market>
<Assassination> approached by thinking first of the different characters who lived in the 1930s and the space that could be the background of their lives. From the gas station alleys that show the daily lives of ordinary people in Gyeongseong through the movie, to the Mitsukoshi Department Store, where the highlight scenes of the movie unfold, and the splendid life of the upper class, I wanted to recreate various spaces that audiences could not see directly. In particular, Mitsukoshi Department Store is a place where the greatest desire of the time is realized with its splendor and overwhelming scale. The beginning to express the times was from thorough historical research, but as a result, I wanted to satisfy the visual pleasure of the audience and complete it in accordance with the magnificent scale that the movie will provide.

Costume Cho Sang-gyeong <Oldboy> <New World> <Kundo: Age of Rampant>
From the 1910s to the 1940s, the emotions and images of the times were reflected through a total of 4,500 costumes. It took three months to make one coat, and even the costumes of the minor actors were made one by one, creating a line of clothing for the times. I thought that the costume itself was the gateway to the era for actors, so I chose the fabric used in that era, and made the costume by reproducing the way it was at the time. Indigo blue in China and indigo blue in Korea have a very different feeling even in one blue color. The principle in the costume work for <Assassination> was 'Use Chinese clothes made in China'. I thought that the emotions of the region would be helpful to the actors too, so for the Chinese filming period, the costumes made by local Chinese staff were thoroughly airlifted to delicately express the space and era distinguished by the clothes of Gyeongseong and Shanghai.

#3
A visual pleasure that depicts an era that the audience has never experienced!
Shooting and lighting that follows the logic of light rather than flashy techniques!
CG that captures the scenery of the times according to thorough historical research!

Cinematography Kim Woo-hyung <The People at That Time> <Late Autumn> <Gojijeon>
Lighting Kim Seung-gyu <Wagon Car> <Taste of Money> <Watchers>
I chose shooting and lighting that follows the logic of light rather than flashy technique because I wanted the audience to feel the pain of that era that was hidden behind the splendid side of the story rather than the story of the past. I focused on the characters, lines, and the light that surrounds the space, which are the most important elements in filming and lighting, and I wanted to clarify the logic of the light that penetrates the entire film. The biggest challenge was to reproduce the actual sun light in the light sources that would fill the space. I thought about the night view of Gyeongseong, which is different from the different sunlight in Gyeongseong and Shanghai and the splendor that dominates the streets of Shanghai. If the light of Shanghai was set with red, the color that symbolizes the splendor of China, the light of Gyeongseong, which was taken away from the country, had to be distinguished. As the story unfolds, the lighting is designed so that the energy of independence can gradually be revealed in Gyeongseong.

CG Previous Hyung & Lee Dong-hoon <Bat> <Mother> <Woochi Jeon>
In order to capture the 1930s, which cannot be seen now, on the screen, the part that is realized as a set through collaboration with the art team and the part that needs to be covered with CG has been thoroughly tested. The appearance of the second floor of about 33 buildings was realized in CG, and the work was carried out by overlaying the filmed images. In order to present the perfect scene that harmonizes art, set, and CG to the audience, it has undergone complementary work to reproduce realistically with CG. Based on the historical data at the time, it was necessary to reproduce the spaces in the 1930s, such as the street in front of Mitsukoshi and the central post office, to match the actual sense of distance and direction, so a broadband scan was carried out. In <Assassination>, through CG work that captures Gyeongseong, Shanghai, and the entire city, the most natural and magnificent spaces of that era were realized.

#4
A realistic action that catches the eyes of the audience!
Completed with 51 guns and a 1930s classic car!

Martial Arts Sang-seop Yoo <The Chaser> <The Yellow Sea> <The Thieves>
The scene at the Mitsukoshi Department Store, which decorates the end of the movie, has a lot of movement, characters, and situations. Many characters are entangled in the action, but because they use an old real gun, it was difficult to match the timing as they failed to shoot even after thorough testing. The scene of running on the roof while sniping was done in one take, and Jeon Ji-hyun did the wire action perfectly.” Director Choi Dong-hoon said, “If the action in <The Thieves> was imagination, then the action in <Assassination> is a daily reality itself. it was We wanted to get rid of the exaggeration and create a vivid feeling as if you were watching the scene.”

Gun Lee Joo-hwan <The Taegeukgi Waving> <The Good Guy, the Bad Guy, the Weird Guy> <The Thieves>
From pistols, submachine guns, rifles, and heavy machine guns for combat, 16 types of 51 guns that were actually used in the 1930s were selected according to the characteristics of the character. In particular, Ahn Ok-yun's gun, the best sniper in the independence army, was a British-made Mosin Nagang used by the independence forces at the time, and it is 1m 27cm long and weighs 5kg. Here, he showed his personality with a design that added camouflage to fit the character of Ahn Ok-yun, a sniper belonging to the Independence Army. The symbolism of a gun to assassinate a pro-Japanese faction alone will strongly convey the theme of the film.

Classic car expert Namjin Kim (former curator of Samsung Fire and Transportation Museum)
Before filming began, the exact car model was selected through thorough historical research. In order to airlift classic cars such as Ford A, Ford T, and Lincoln K that were actually produced in the 1930s, it took six months to meet collectors scattered across the United States, inspect the condition of the vehicle, and bring it back to Korea. . The Ford A and Ford T are close to the cars used by ordinary people in their daily lives, and the Lincoln K was used by high officials as a symbol of splendor and status at the time. The old engine was used as it is, but with the help of professional car chasing engineers, the speed was utilized to complete the fast-paced chase action scene and the detonation scene.

The <Assassination> project that the world paid attention to!
Pre-sale in 15 major countries, including North America, China, and Germany!
<Assassination> achieved a splendid pre-sale in 10 major countries, including North America, China, and Hong Kong, only by releasing the overseas poster at the 39th Hong Kong International Film Festival Film Market, which opened on March 23 (Mon), making it the most talked-about film this summer. showed off Overseas buyers paid attention to the meeting of actors who are in the spotlight overseas, such as Jeon Ji-hyun, Jung-jae Lee, and Jung-woo Ha, based on their trust in the excellent directing that director Choi Dong-hoon of <The Thieves> will show, and their unique acting transformation. In addition, high expectations for the historical background of 1930 and the abundant sights that vividly reproduce him were revealed.

Among the countries that were pre-sold this time, <Color, System>, etc. were distributed and <Cold War> and <Cold War> were produced and distributed through Hong Kong-based Edko Films, which has a strong record of 60 years, and distinctive films such as <The Attorney> and <New World>. North America's Well Go USA Entertainment, which has grown , distributed <The Thieves> in their country, and built trust in director Choi Dong-hoon and actors. In addition, Indonesia's PT PRIMA Cinema Multimedia, which distributed <Kundo: Age of Rebellion> and <Gangnam 1970>, including Bona Film, one of China's top five film companies; Thailand's Coral Culture Content, which distributed <Gangnam 1970>, and Viva Communications from the Philippines It has achieved a splendid pre-sale in 10 major countries around the world, including Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam. In addition, through the film market of the 68th Cannes International Film Festival, the film was additionally sold to Germany, Myanmar, India, Australia, and New Zealand, solidifying its status as a film attracting global attention.

Six characters surrounding the assassination operation
This is how it was born!

“Ahn Ok-yun is a character for Jun Ji-hyun!”
Jeon Ji-hyun, show off her 'passion' that doesn't spare her body!
Jeon Ji-hyun started filming while carrying a heavy gun weighing 5 kg, as well as a wire action that jumped between buildings and roofs. Although he suffered major and minor injuries, he became 'Ahn Ok-yun' without showing any difficulty and poured out his passion, and received applause from the field staff who watched it. Director Choi Dong-hoon said, "I could feel the warmth of Jeon Ji-hyun, who passionately works with every filming. He showed his deep affection for Jeon Ji-hyun, who showed a passionate performance that did not spare his body, saying, "If it weren't for Jun Ji-hyun, I wondered who could play the role of 'Ahn Ok-yoon'."

“Yeom Seok-jin, she lived by herself!”
Jung-jae Lee completes the character with intense 'immersion'!
Lee Jung-jae lived as 'Yeom Seok-jin' for 5 months for <Assassination>. The character 'Yeom Seok-jin' was completed with Lee Jung-jae's bloody effort, not only losing 15 kg in two months for an important scene that had to reveal unstable and double psychology, but also waking up for 48 hours before filming. Lee Jung-jae said, “‘Yeom Seok-jin’ is a person who is psychologically on the edge of a cliff. I wanted to push myself as much as possible and experience the experience of pulling something out of a dry branch. That’s why I think I was able to digest the lines better.” He will give a deep impression through the thick acting of the pathos completed with intense immersion.

“Joyful yet heavy, romantic and mysterious!”
Ha Jung-woo, showing off his unique 'charm' that goes back and forth!
Ha Jung-woo constantly studied the character to become a 'Hawaiian Pistol', a cool man with a flexible yet charisma. Ha Jung-woo, who said, "I thought that 'Hawaii Pistol' had a slightly different mission in the ensemble of characters that became entangled around the assassination operation," he shared many stories with director Choi Dong-hoon and created a pleasant yet heavy, romantic and mysterious character. made He said, “I completed the character by melting the aspects that I prepared and analyzed on the set and the new points found on the spot.” am.

"The unique affinity that embraces people"
Oh Dal-soo plays an active role as a fantastic 'combi player'!
Ha Jung-woo and Oh Dal-su, who worked together for the first time as the contract killer 'Hawaiian Pistol' and his shadowy partner 'Inspiration' through <Assassination>. Ha Jung-woo showed special affection for Oh Dal-soo, who spent a lot of time together and filmed, saying, "It's our first breath, but it gave us a comfortable feeling like a family that always sticks together." Director Choi Dong-hoon expressed satisfaction with Oh Dal-soo's fantastic chemistry, saying, "The chemistry between the two was really good, as if they had known each other for decades." Oh Dal-soo will captivate the audience with his unique affinity to embrace people through his 'inspiration' character.

"The charm of a friend you always want to meet"
Jo Jin-woong disarms the audience with warm humor!
Jo Jin-woong, who said, “I tried to give comedy to the character with a serious yet relaxed breathing in the part where the tension in the play is heightened,” is a friend full of humanity to the audience through the character ‘Rapid Fire’, a livelihood-type independence force whose life is more important than belief. exudes the same charm. He completed the ever-changing appearance of the 'rapid-fire' that goes back and forth between pride and reality with his unique warm sense of humor. Director Choi Dong-hoon expressed his impressions of his first collaboration with him, saying, "For Jo Jin-woong, the amount of 'Rapid Fire' in the script should have been increased.

"An actor with deep knowledge who balances the character"
Deok-Moon Choi, radiating presence with 'innocence' that accumulates one after another!
The character, ‘Hwang Deok-sam’, an activist independence fighter, introduced as “an honest, naive, and rustic character who carries out the operation as soon as possible” by director Choi Dong-hoon is the character of the Macau casino manager, who showed an impressive kiss scene with Kim Soo-hyun in “The Thieves”. [Reply 1994] As the father of Samcheonpo, actor Choi Deok-moon, who made the audience's eyes, took on the role. He said, “I didn’t want to approach the character ‘Hwang Deok-sam’ or the movie ‘Assassination’ lightly. He added a sense of honesty while analyzing the character,” he said, adding a sense of stability to the play based on the solid skills he had built through numerous theater stages and completely completed his character.