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Hwayi: A Monster Boy

Original title: Hwai: Goimooleul samkin ai
  • 2013
  • Not Rated
  • 2h 6m
IMDb RATING
7.0/10
5.8K
YOUR RATING
Hwayi: A Monster Boy (2013)
ActionThriller

A boy with five fathers who is attached to the criminal underworld. A sinister past is about to be revealed as he is forced to join the killing spree.A boy with five fathers who is attached to the criminal underworld. A sinister past is about to be revealed as he is forced to join the killing spree.A boy with five fathers who is attached to the criminal underworld. A sinister past is about to be revealed as he is forced to join the killing spree.

  • Director
    • Jang Joon-hwan
  • Writers
    • Park Joo-suk
    • Jang Joon-hwan
  • Stars
    • Kim Yoon-seok
    • Yeo Jin-goo
    • Cho Jin-woong
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.0/10
    5.8K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jang Joon-hwan
    • Writers
      • Park Joo-suk
      • Jang Joon-hwan
    • Stars
      • Kim Yoon-seok
      • Yeo Jin-goo
      • Cho Jin-woong
    • 27User reviews
    • 19Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 9 wins & 6 nominations total

    Photos31

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    Top cast30

    Edit
    Kim Yoon-seok
    Kim Yoon-seok
    • Seok Tae
    Yeo Jin-goo
    Yeo Jin-goo
    • Hwayi
    Cho Jin-woong
    Cho Jin-woong
    • Gi-tae
    Jang Hyun-sung
    Jang Hyun-sung
    • Jin Seong
    Kim Sung Kyun
    Kim Sung Kyun
    • Dong-beom
    Park Hae-joon
    Park Hae-joon
    • Beom Soo
    Nam Ji-hyun
    Nam Ji-hyun
    • Yoo-kyung
    Lim Ji-eun
    • Yeong-joo
    Yoo Yeon-seok
    Yoo Yeon-seok
    • Park Ji Won
    Moon Sung-keun
    Moon Sung-keun
    • CEO Jin
    Lee Kyoung-young
    Lee Kyoung-young
    • Im Hyung Taek
    Min Bok-gi
    Min Bok-gi
    • Middle Aged Ex-Prosecutor
    Han Cheol-woo
    • Detective Kim
    Sung Do-hyun
    • Lime factory supporter
    Eom Ji-man
    • Detective
    Jang In-sub
    Jang In-sub
    • Detective Chang-ho
    Han Joo-wan
    • President Jeon's Attendant
    Woo Jung-kook
    • Blind Masseur
    • (as Jung-kook Woo)
    • Director
      • Jang Joon-hwan
    • Writers
      • Park Joo-suk
      • Jang Joon-hwan
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews27

    7.05.7K
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    Featured reviews

    9azerjaban

    Great Acting, Great Movie

    I'm so glad I finally watched this. This movie was F****** AWESOME. Yes the language is warranted. The acting was spectacular from every character- especially Yeo Jin Goo,I was already impressed with this child actor since The Moon Embraces the Sun and I Miss You, but he literally BLEW ME AWAY here. He covered every single emotional beat, every scene with the veteran actors (who themselves were freaking amazing) perfectly. I can't rave enough about the acting here.

    The story was a lot more than I expected. I thought this would be like Coin Locker Girl when it turned vengeful and just become a bloodbath but damn- Hwayi was way smarter than I thought. Some twists I saw coming, others made me pause and rewind.

    The monster analogy was very well done, the part where he just stared it down gave me chills.

    The cops really got the short end of the stick here but aside from that I loved the ending. Amazing movie all around. Seriously in my top 10 K thrillers.
    8killahdelfin

    Unique thriller that really moves

    Director Joon-Hwan Jang (''Save the Green Planet '') is characterized by two things: Excellent filmmaking and graphic violence. Hway is a drama/thriller , revolving about a boy raised by a gang of kidnappers/thieves/killers-in short: Not the most moral people of society. But it's not so simple- there is no black/white -only shades of grey. This is the cornerstone and what carries the film -complex characters and their relationship between each other. Brutality ,compassion , hate ,love , avengement, an so on. I won't go into detail here-see for yourself. All I can say is that this is korean filmmaking at its best- I almost shed a manly tear-isn't that proof enough-And I remind you: This is not some stereotypical sissy drama. Cinematography , acting , sound , action , plot- no shortcomings at all. Looking forward to more works of such an talented director 8/10 Would watch again
    8searchanddestroy-1

    Ambitious and clever

    Complex and fascinating too. Typical Asian, it could have been from China or even Japan, not Hollywood anyway. Pretty hard to follow or summarize, or even totally understand. It is gruesome as a script an directing and remains an excellent crime drama. Not for all western audiences. Not in the spirit. The fault of its quality.
    8Reno-Rangan

    A boy is about to find out who he is.

    From the director who gave 'Save the Green Planet' was carved this action-thriller. It was a good comeback for the director to give such a great movie after a decade of the gap. Also worth waiting for us all these years to get a movie like this. It was the story of a teenager who begin to look for his true identity from what he was known as.

    I was so curious after reading synopsis which denoted a boy with the five fathers. Yeah, it is something I did not get at that point, once I began to watch it was convinced me. A boy was raised by the five criminals, later goes in search for the truth after he's forced to step into a killing spree. The more he goes deeper to find the truth the more he risks himself with the dangers ahead. One after another the truth come into the lights which shocks him as well as the audience.

    I thought it was another Korean gore movie with gangsters in it. I thought that way all the first half till the twist come into the play. But the real twist was in the last portion which totally blew me. It was attached to a flashback scene, that scene was the best turning point which flipped the movie from its originality into the new perspective.

    I am seeing possibly Hollywood remake here. Definitely other industries around the world will show interest in this. Because the story was very nice with excellent characters and twists. One of the best Korean action movie of the year. The cast was good and so the direction with strong scenes everywhere. A sequel could be possible, which may concentrate more on the romance side. You should have this if you love the Korean movies where men are seen with the guns.
    komatanii

    How did I feel about this movie !

    Well last night I finally watched this movie ..I was so excited for it really . well first of all , I RECOMMEND this movie to everyone who wants to have a thriller filled ,dramatic,emotional movie ..so try this great movie . well in order for me not to spoil the movie for you ..I will just say little !! everything was epic and specially the fight scenes and cars races ..the Directer was a real GENIUS in drawing the best in the actors and specially "Yeo Jin gu" ,despite his young age but he was like possessed by the character to the point that you will not be able to tell if he is acting or he is the real Hwayi ,SERIOUSLY . well for me just few things stood out and remained mysterious even when the movie was finished ..I needed more answers for few things but they never made them clear ,specially some past events , but i think the need of the movie directer or even maybe the writer to show us things more than the others was the reason ! all the 5 "fathers" presented a unique character for each one of them ..with "Kim Yun seok" character I got the most chills cuz he was like super scary .. anyways ! If You are OK with BLOOD in movies ..cuz seriously you will see a great deal of blood and scary scenes but it all worth watching really ..so enjoy ^^

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    Thriller

    Storyline

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    Did you know

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    • Trivia
      Joon-Hwan Jang's first feature directorial movie since 2003 film Jigureul Jikyeora.

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    FAQ18

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    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 9, 2013 (South Korea)
    • Country of origin
      • South Korea
    • Official sites
      • Official site
      • Official site (Japan)
    • Language
      • Korean
    • Also known as
      • Hwayi: Cậu Bé Quái Vật
    • Production companies
      • Now Films
      • Pine House Film
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $16,437,802
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 2h 6m(126 min)
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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