(Korean Movies) The Gangster, The Cop, The Devil, 2019

Crew boss and gangster mad dog,
Two people who can't compromise hold hands!
The movie <Battle of the Villains> starts with an interesting setting in which a gang boss, a gangster detective, and someone who can never compromise work hand in hand for a common goal. The boss of the organization that took control of the central region is attacked by a man who pretended to be a contact accident. The man who attacked the opponent who should not be touched disappears, and the gang boss, who suddenly became a victim, boils with anger. A homicide detective, who is convinced of the serial killings and pursues the case alone, joins hands with the gang boss, another target of arrest. Because he was the only survivor, eyewitness and evidence of the serial killings.

This is the most interesting part of <The Villain>. The boss of the organization, symbolized by the villain, becomes a victim in an instant, and the detective, symbolized by the good, does not mind even working with the villain to catch the biggest villain. The boss who mobilizes the organization to solve the case with the detective, the detective who quickly and effectively collects information about the serial murder with the help of the organization. With the condition that whoever catches it first gets it. Two people who use each other but do not let their guard down on each other, will they be able to achieve their respective goals? The tension of the contradictory situation in which two people who can't be together must hold hands to catch the absolute evil and the unpredictable drama make it impossible to take their eyes off the audience for even a moment. The only crime action movie in May, <Battle of the Villains>, which will present a fresh setting, intense characters, and thrilling action, is fully prepared to meet the audience.

Ma Dong-seok, who became a target, was attacked by a serial killer
The MCU (Dongseok Ma Cinematic Universe) is expanding!
Actor Ma Dong-seok, who has become a genre, has solidified his own worldview, so-called MCU, through <War Against Crime>, <Train to Busan>, <Crime City>, and <Along with the Gods – Cause and Kite>. Characters that instantly subdue those who threaten themselves or those around them with their overwhelming appearance and charisma were Ma Dong-seok's exclusive patents and unique domains that only he could do. Also, although he was a tsundere, he was a good person who always protected the weak. The worldview of the character Ma Dong-seok, who showed his presence regardless of genre, from crime, drama, to action, is expanded into a new realm through <The Villain>.

Jang Dong-soo, the leader of the Zeus sect, who dominates the central region, is a ruthless figure who swings his fists without mercy if he is offended. He leads the organization with unparalleled charisma, and his business is expanding day by day with excellent resourcefulness. A bold, rational, cold and tenacious boss, Jang Dong-soo becomes the target of serial killer K, who randomly selects victims. At the end of the fight, his life is saved, but his pride is shattered. Enraged at the fact that he had been attacked by the ridicule and helplessness of those around him, he begins to pursue K. Unlike the previous character who was arrogant, in <Battle of the Villains>, he does not run alone. The film begins to build up a different texture with the choice of homicide detective Jeong Tae-seok and Jang Dong-soo, who is on the same boat. In addition to cool action, brain action with Jeong Tae-seok, who is engaged in a nerve battle, provides fresh fun to the audience. The meticulous hand fight that uses each other but tries to catch K first, and the situation where they set traps while anticipating the next move make the viewer nervous. Ma Dong-seok said, "It shows another side of the boss of the organization, such as chasing a murderer, reasoning, and collecting data like a detective. He is the strongest among the roles I have played,” explaining Jang Dong-soo, who he played. From the president of Artbox to Sanghwa who defeated zombies, through the monster detective Maseokdo and Seongshin who helped the weak, he became a villain and a victim. In addition, the appearance of him collaborating and fighting with someone has expanded the MCU worldview of the genre to a wider field of story. “Ma Dong-seok is the beginning of this film. I wanted to portray him as a bad guy so I got tired of him in <The Villain>, and he did it really well.”

Actors Kim Moo-yeol and Kim Seong-gyu with distinct colors
Because of them, <Battle of the Villains> shines more
In the movie <The Evil Man>, there are two actors who completed a triangle composition with Ma Dong-seok. Kim Moo-yeol, who is adding his own color and scent, and Kim Seong-gyu, who is rising rapidly with his impressive acting. There are two people who perfectly filled the character with a strong personality with a presence and acting that is not inferior to Ma Dong-seok, making <The Villain> shine even more.

Kim Moo-yeol, who showed his strong charm in <Battle of Yeonpyeong> and <Night of Memory>, returns as Jeong Tae-seok, a detective in the homicide squad, who is obsessed with catching the criminal. Jeong Tae-seok is a person who creates tension with Jang Dong-soo, and Kim Mu-yeol is friendly with Ma Dong-seok, sometimes growling, and creates an interesting chemistry. Kim Moo-yeol gained a whopping 15 kg for Jeong Tae-seok in about a month, and throughout the filming, he exercised and adjusted his diet to maintain his bulging body. Thanks to this, Moo-Yeol Kim and Dong-Seok Ma are not behind in terms of acting as well as physique, creating a tight two-shot. Not only that, I became one with the character by meeting real detectives and searching for related materials. Although he digested the most scenes, he breathed life into Jeong Tae-seok's character without showing any hard feelings on the set. As director Lee Won-tae said, “I wanted to create a new Kim Mu-yeol through the character of Jung Tae-seok,” you will be able to meet Kim Mu-yeol, which you have never seen before on the screen.

Kim Seong-gyu, who is marching high, showing his presence in each work from the movie <Crime City> to the Netflix original series [Kingdom], returns as serial killer K who dared to touch the gang boss. K, who commits indiscriminate murder, is a person with a cool atmosphere that makes your spine shiver. Kim Seong-gyu intentionally lost weight to create a sharp image, and analyzed the characteristics of serial killers by looking for various works and documentaries to solidify the character of K. From his cold but empty eyes to the creepy aura of a killer swimming in his own world, Kim Seong-gyu has worked hard for a long time to create his own serial killer character. Following Kyung-cheol Jang in <I Saw the Devil> and Young-min Ji in <The Chaser>, Kim Seong-gyu will continue the lineage of a new serial killer. Director Lee Won-tae said, “He is an actor who shows up like an awl in his pocket. After seeing Kim Seong-gyu, I was convinced that it was K. A strange light shone from his eyes, and he felt strong, delicate and fragile, yet evil. It is fortunate that I cast him.”

A crime action restaurant you can trust
The production team of <Crime City> and <Going to the End>
For the movie <Battle of the Villains>, veterans of Chungmuro gathered together. BI Entertainment, which produced <Crime City>, <Chronicles of Evil>, and <Going to the End>, is a production company with a reputation for the crime genre. <Going to the End>, which drove the audience to a score of 3.45 million while driving the audience with tight tension, <Chronicles of Evil> with an unconventional setting in which the corpse I killed reappeared in front of me, and the gangster detective's hot gangster extermination operation, which gathered 6.88 million viewers and produced various syndromes. Even <Crime City>, which evoked 'Crime City', has left a strong footprint on the screen as a work with personality and fun.

The new story <Battle of the Villains>, a new story from the production team that achieved remarkable results in the crime action genre, has a variety of fun from dramatic settings, strong characters, and thrilling stories. As an interesting point of the movie <Battle of the Villains>, which fascinated me, B.A Entertainment CEO Jang Won-seok said, "I was drawn to the fresh story of a gang boss and a detective working together to catch a serial killer. I don't think it ever came out. The unpredictable story created by characters who have never been united in one place was also new. Of course, the synergy of the actors was also amazing.” CEO Jang Won-seok also picked Ma Dong-seok, who has transformed into a villain, as an attractive point of the movie. The production team who cast Ma Dong-seok as the villain said, “You can see his new acting and character beyond himself. From the right-hand fight between Jang Dong-soo and K, the beginning of all cases, to the car chasing where Jang Dong-soo and Jeong Tae-seok chase K at the same time in the second half, the action scenes are also a reason to look forward to <Battle of the Villains>. The exhilarating pleasure and exhilaration presented by the production team, who show excellent talent in the crime action genre, can only be found in <The Villain>.

Invitation to Midnight Screening at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival
Overseas pre-sale in 104 countries
Hot love calls around the world
<The Villain> was officially invited to the midnight screening of the 72nd Cannes International Film Festival. The Midnight Screening section of the Cannes International Film Festival invites genre films that have both workability and popularity, such as action, thriller, noir, horror, and fantasy. In the meantime, <Train to Busan>, <The Villainess>, <The Rogue: The World of the Bad Guys>, and <The Duke> have been invited to heat up the night of the Cannes International Film Festival. Ma Dong-seok, who entered the Cannes International Film Festival for the second time following <Train to Busan>, is fully prepared to go to the world through Cannes after Asia.

The global interest in <The Villain> is also proven through overseas pre-sale. In addition to the United States, Canada, Germany, France, as well as China, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia and India, it has achieved pre-sales in 104 countries throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. <Battle of the Villain>, which immediately fascinated foreign buyers with a three-minute promo video, drew a lot of attention by posting a record of pre-selling to Taiwanese distributors at a much higher price than existing crime action genres. As a result of combining the interesting concept of a gang boss and a detective chasing a serial killer together with the true value of Ma Dong-seok, who enjoys great popularity overseas, everyone is interested in whether <The Villain> will be able to rise to the box office not only in Korea but also abroad. is being focused

[ PRODUCTION NOTE ]

Production Note 1. Action
Organizational boss VS detective VS serial killer, action full of personality of villains
The movie <Battle of the Villains> is a masterpiece of intense action. Organizational bosses, detectives, and serial killers each have a distinctive action that is a big attraction. Martial arts director Choi Bong-rok put a lot of effort into designing the action that approaches the character's emotions and situations. Jang Dong-soo presents heavy and powerful action like an organization boss, and his characteristic feature is that he swings his bare fists with a sense of striking and weight like a fighter. At the beginning of the movie, the scene where he puts a person in a punching bag and swings his fist reveals his rough personality and his fist-wielding skills. Jeong Tae-seok presents an action centered on defense rather than attack. However, when confronting a criminal or Jang Dong-soo, he rushes forward like a character who does not back and forth. Serial Killer K's action concept is an efficient raid. It contains the characteristics of a character who commits indiscriminate murder, aiming for fatal wounds quickly without emotion. The colorful action of the three characters gave birth to several famous scenes. In the fighting scene where Jang Dong-soo is attacked by K, he focused on capturing their emotional lines. From Dong-soo Jang's dignity to endure an unexpected attack and the embarrassment of K, who was counterattacked for the first time, the fight scene between the two was a battle of support and emotions to live and to kill. The car-chasing scene between Jang Dong-soo and Jeong Tae-seok, who are chasing K, is also not to be missed. This is the scene where two men who were conducting an unofficial joint investigation reveal their true colors for the first time. The tense fight between the two men trying to catch him first and K's earnestness to run away from them collide, creating a strong synergy. The large-scale action scene in the frozen warehouse is a scene in which the actors and staff poured their energy with one mind. It is also a scene where the efforts of Ma Dong-seok and Kim Mu-yeol, who have been building bodies for a long time and preparing for action, shined. Martial arts director Choi Bong-rok praised it, saying, "Thanks to the actors who had excellent motor skills and a high understanding of action, it was a job that could be attempted a lot."

Production Note 2. Shooting & Lighting
Capturing each character's emotions with bold angles and character-customized lighting!
The shooting and lighting of <The Villain> chose bold angles and lighting suitable for each character to capture the harsh and intense atmosphere unique to the crime action genre. In order to highlight the stories of men who cannot compromise, the filming took the Jeonggong method. Rather than flashy camera direction or technique, I insisted on an accurate and clear composition that shows the emotions of the characters well, and paid attention to capturing the emotional lines more precisely. In the right-hand fight scene where Jang Dong-soo and K meet for the first time, he had to show tension and excitement at the same time. Although it was filmed with a handheld, I tried to capture the expression of the person accurately with minimal shaking to follow Jang Dong-soo's determination and K's embarrassment. One of the scenes that the filming team worked hard on was the car-chasing action, which was shot on a narrow and complicated road, so drones were often used. In order to bring out the urgency along with the specificity of the shooting space, a small camera was used to create various screen compositions. The lighting was also designed to match the colors of each character. Organization boss Jang Dong-soo actively utilized the cool blue type, the hotly runaway Jeong Tae-seok was the red type, and the serial killer K, who always hides in the shadows, actively utilized the achromatic type of light. Colors designed for the character and bold contrast tailored to the situation added depth to the video. In particular, in the scene where K appears, the contrast between darkness and light and the three-dimensional effect were used to increase the life of the serial killer character and double the coolness.

Production Note 3. Costumes
Strong and cool, but emphasize the difference with different costumes for each character!
Costumes are another fun to watch <Battle of the Villains>. The costume team designed each character's clothes under the concept of strong and stylish clothes that fit the background of the 2005 era and the crime action genre. All costumes of Dong-seok Ma, who played the role of Dong-su Jang, were made in-house. The costume team tried to emphasize the splendid image of the organization boss by using fabrics and accessories that were popular in 2005. To this end, he went to the Busan International Market and directly airlifted strong stripes and glossy fabrics, and poured his passion into making costumes. Jung Tae-seok usually wears a leather jacket in consideration of the detective character's activeness and image. Also, as the frequency and amount of action is the most, the bottom is designed with comfortable cargo pants and denim. The overall color was toned down to contrast with the gorgeous Jang Dong-soo, and care was taken to make it appear as an image that did not look weak even when faced with it. Most of Kim Mu-yeol's costumes were also made, but there were funny episodes where he increased his size and re-produced it because he gained a whopping 15 kg in one month and became much bigger. There was also an amazing anecdote that while Ma Dong-seok grabbed Kim Mu-yeol by the neck while filming the action scene, Kim Mu-yeol's solid leather jacket was torn in the shape of Ma Dong-seok's hand. Serial killer K expressed a character that restrained all emotions with a semi-polar mokti and achromatic costumes. In the scene where he was always avoiding his gaze, he was actively matched with a hoodie that well expressed his instinct to hide his identity.

Production Note 4. Tattoos
This is the first Ma Dong-seok! Fill your upper body with tattoos!
In <The Evil Man>, you can see Ma Dong-seok, which you could not see anywhere else. In order to maximize the image of the boss who dominates the central region, the production team decided to fill Ma Dong-seok's whole body with tattoos after much deliberation. First, I made a total of 40 design proposals considering the balance between the actor's image and the character. Among them, I finally decided on a design centered on the Korean and oriental image of goblins and landscape paintings, and it took about a month for the design work alone. After that, he started working on computer graphic design to match Ma Dong-seok's body size. It took another week to adjust the spacing according to the size of the body with developed muscles and to complete the detailed sketch. The scene in which Ma Dong-seok's long-distance tattoo shines was a court scene in the second half. The moment the tattoo is revealed, the characters in the movie and the moviegoers will be amazed at the new charisma that Ma Dong-seok shows.

Invitation to Midnight Screening at the 72nd Cannes Film Festival
19th New Chatel International Fantastic Film Festival New Cinema From Asia Invitation
23rd Fantasia Film Festival Action! invitation
9th Transatlantic Film Festival Cinema By Night : One Invitation
11th New Zealand International Film Festival World Invitation
Hong Kong Summer International Film Festival Fantastic East Invitation
Special Screening invitation at the 47th Norwegian International Film Festival
Invitation to the 10th Australian Korean Film Festival
The 9th Sakhalin International Film Festival The Main Thing Invitation
52nd Fantasy Film Festival Invitation
13th Lisbon Horror Film Festival Room Service Invitation
17th Vladivostok Pacific Film Festival Opening Film Invitation
10th Slash Film Festival Asia Invitation
Invitation to the 20th Bergen International Film Festival
52nd Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival Orbita Invitation
15th Mayhem Film Fest Invitation
Invitation to the 10th Bucharest International Film Festival
Invitation to the 8th Frankfurt Korean Film Festival
Invitation to the 5th Warsaw Korean Film Festival
4th London Asian Film Festival K-CINEMA 100 Invitation
Invitation to the 4th Amsterdam Film Festival
12th Hungarian Korean Film Festival FRESH Invitation
32nd Tokyo International Film Festival Fantastic Section Invitation
Invitation to Closing Film at the 7th Belgian Korean Film Festival
14th Leiden International Film Festival Bonkers! invitation
Invitation to Twilight Zone at the 30th Stockholm International Film Festival
Invitation to the 33rd Leeds International Film Festival
Invitation to the 29th Films from the South Film Festival
Invitation to the 33rd Cineeuropa Film Festival
30th Arctic Light Film Festival Opening Film Invitation
Invitation to the 30th Ljubljana International Film Festival