Die Bad

Colour, 35mm
Korea, 2000, 95 min
Section: New Korean Cinema

Synopsis

After a chance brawl and an unintentional murder, Sung Bin spends seven years in prison. Outside its walls walk both the dead man’s spirit and the one actually responsible for the fatal incident, Suk Hwan – Sung Bin’s onetime schoolmate and best friend, today a policeman. Faced with the bloody spectre, mistrusted by those around him, and hassled by the police, Sung Bin has only one alternative left him after being released: to go to work for Tae Hoon and become a professional criminal. The circle of violence swallows up Suk Hwan’s younger brother and he, as a member of Sung Bin’s gang, finds himself tempting death. At this point a struggle between the two main protagonists is inevitable. The theme of guilt and fateful conflict between two friends, a clash between gang ethics and family ties – all is reminiscent of a John Woo film, while the director himself feels indebted to Quentin Tarantino. His movie, however, has a completely original composition created out of four parts, each with its own character: from horror through dramatic documentary to dazzling displays of street martial arts.

About the director

Ryoo Seung Wan (b. 1973) started in film as a self-taught director after finishing secondary school. Four short films brought recognition of his talent. Rumble (1998) and Our Contemporaries (1999), awarded at Korean festivals, were later incorporated into his feature film debut Die Bad (2000). In this film, screened at festivals including Pusan, Tokyo, Rotterdam, and Göteborg, the writer-director appears in one of the main roles. The breadth of his talent is reflected in the fact that he choreographed the action scenes and was behind the camera during the longest of these. In 2001 he finished his second film.