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Many films have told the story of the hitman who wants out after “one last job”, a plan that never quite seems to work out for him. But what happens when one is successfully able to leave such a life behind and actually settle down? This premise is explored in director Choi Won-sub’s new film “Hitman”.

Synopsis

Joon was once a legendary hitman agent for the Nis. His true passion was writing webcomics. To pursue his dream, Joon quit his work with the Nis. Now, Joon writes webcomics, but they are not very popular. He has difficulty writing new material. One night after drinking, Joon writes about his past as an Nis agent. He posts the story online, but his story contains classified material for the Nis. Joon is in a whole lot of trouble.

The film stars Kwon Sang-woo, who seems to have found a liking for action films,...

Box office hit director Lee Byeong-heon graced this year’s London Korean Film Festival in-person. Since his award-winning film “Twenty,” Lee has a standout filmography in the history of Korean comedy; he has written classics like Scandal Makers and Sunny, and has previously earned the title “Best New Director Award” from Korean Film Actors Association Awards in 2015. Now, with his most recent release — an off-the-rails gangster-cop comedy delivered in a fried chicken pyramid scheme — “Extreme Job” has made its mark on Korean film history. Since its initial January release, “Extreme Job” has now risen to become the highest grossing comedy film ever in the South Korean box office and second most successful film of all time in Korean cinema, only following “Admiral” in theatrical success.

Months later in London, we have had the opportunity to talk to Lee up close. After all the heart-pounding adrenaline “Extreme Job” has to offer,...

At the end of the Korean War, a newly assigned general to Pow camp in Geoje Island, southern coast of the Korean peninsula, orders GI Jackson (Jared Grimes) to teach several Korean War Prisoners to dance, in order to appear on Christmas party stage to impress the news and elevate publicity image of the Us. Despite his talent and previous career in Broadway theatre, Jackson barely finds himself in the Us Army due to his skin colour.

“Swing Kids” is screening at Florence Korea Film Fest

His ‘dance operation’ at the beginning seems a hopeless ragtag bunch: Byung-sam (Oh Jung-se), a Korean prisoner who believes that media exposure will help him reunite with his missing wife during the war; Xiao Fang (Kim Min-ho), a shy beefy dancer from the Communist Chinese Army, and Pan-rae (Park Hye-soo), opportunity seeker in the ravage of the war refugee town. His expectation over this...

Police procedural comedies are more often than not a fun ride. The latest to tackle the genre is director Lee Byung-heon with his new film “Extreme Job”.

Synopsis

A drug squad consists of 5 detectives: Detective Squad Chief Go, Detective Jang, Detective Ma, Detective Young-Ho and Detective Jae-Hoon. The team attempts to take down a criminal organization and they must go undercover to do so. The detectives begin work as employees at a chicken restaurant across the road, but the chicken restaurant becomes famous for its delicious chicken. Due to the restaurant’s unexpected popularity, the detectives find themselves in a situation they never expected.

Director Lee Byung-heon is no stranger to comedy, with his previous two films “Twenty” and this year’s sleeper hit “What A Man Wants” both being well-received, as well as having written the screenplays for “Scandal Makers” and “Love Forecast”.

Starring as Chief Go a leaner,...

The Korean War tap dancing musical drama you never knew you needed, Swing Kids is a Christmas miracle from one of Korean cinema's most vibrant directors. After works such as Scandal Makers and Sunny, Kang Hyoung-chul has outdone himself with a film that is bursting with adulation for classic big screen musicals yet also manages to be the freshest thing to hit theaters in who knows how long. Based on the Korean musical Roh Ki-soo, Swing Kids stars the massively popular Exo band member Doh Kyung-so (aka D.O.) as Ki-soo, a North Korean soldier interned at the Goeje Prison Camp on the southern coast of the peninsula in 1951. The camp is run by an ambitious U.S. Army general who pressures Sergeant Jackson (Jared Grimes),...

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