Moby Dick (Korean: 모비딕; RR: Mobidik) is a 2011 South Korean thriller film written by Park In-je and Park Shin-kyu, directed by Park In-je, and starring Hwang Jung-min, Jin Goo, Kim Min-hee and Kim Sang-ho.
| Moby Dick | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Park In-je |
| Screenplay by | Park In-je Park Shin-kyu |
| Produced by | Oh Young-suk |
| Starring | Hwang Jung-min Jin Goo Kim Min-hee Kim Sang-ho |
Production company | Palette Pictures |
| Distributed by | Showbox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 112 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
Plot
editIn winter 1994, an explosion occurs at the fictional Balam Bridge on the outskirts of Seoul and is attributed to terrorists. Social affairs reporter Lee Bang-woo (Hwang) begins to investigate the case when an old friend, Yoon-hyuk (Jin), hands him some secret documents and claims that the explosion was committed intentionally by the government. Lee teams up with fellow journalists Sung Hyo-kwan (Kim Min-hee) and Son Jin-ki (Kim Sang-ho) to pursue the truth. Their investigation reveals what seems to be a secret group that operates the government, and they begin to unravel a string of conspiracies that become far deadlier than they anticipated.[1][2]
Cast
edit- Hwang Jung-min as Lee Bang-woo
- Jin Goo as Yoon-hyuk
- Kim Min-hee as Sung Hyo-kwan
- Kim Sang-ho as Son Jin-ki
- Han Soo-yeon as Seo Eun-sook
- Kim Min-Jae as Kim Yong-sung
- Lee Geung-young as Professor Jang
- Jung Man-sik as Nam Seon-soo
- Jo Hee-bong as Im Jik-sa
- Bae Seong-woo as President Maeng
- Ahn Gil-kang as Detective Ma
- Kim Bo-yeon as Director Jo
Production
editThe film is the feature directing debut of Park In-je, grand prizewinner of the 2003 Mise-en-Scene Genre Film Festival.[3] Park was working on a screenplay about a reporter when he came across an account of Private Yun Seok-yang, a soldier at the Defense Security Command of Korea’s Armed Forces. In 1990 Yun deserted his camp, carrying a floppy disk that contained a list of national leaders, including former presidents, religious leaders, politicians, and social activists, that the DSC had been illegally investigating; he made a declaration of conscience and revealed the contents of the disk at a press conference.[4] Moby Dick, loosely based on Yun’s story, follows a journalist’s attempts to investigate a secret organization that controls the government.[5] The title Moby Dick alludes to Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick by conjuring up an overwhelming entity whose size makes it impossible to see all at once; Moby Dick was also the name of a café near Seoul University that was used by the DSC to investigate ordinary citizens.[6] Starring actor Hwang Jung-min interviewed bureau-level reporters to help prepare for his role.[7]
The film was shot during the coldest winter in South Korea in 30 years. Shooting began in mid-October 2010 and ended in February 2011, with the cast and crew enduring the cold for five months.[8]
Reception
editThe film was released on June 9, 2011, to generally positive reviews for its 90s-era settings, moody cinematography, and cast performances.[9][10][11] It grossed around $3 million at the South Korean box office.[12][13]
Accolades
edit| Award | Year | Category | Nominee(s) / work(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cine21 Movie Award | 2011 | Best Screenplay of the Year | Park In-je and Park Shin-kyu | Won | [14] |
| Baeksang Arts Awards | 2011 | Best New Director — Film | Park In-je | Nominated | |
| Best Screenplay — Film | Park In-je and Park Shin-kyu | Nominated | |||
| Grand Bell Awards | 2011 | Best New Director | Park In-je | Nominated | [15] |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Sang-ho | Nominated | |||
| Best Planning | You Jeong-hun | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ "Moby Dick, 2011". Modern Korean Cinema. 22 April 2012.
- ^ "Moby Dick". Daum Movies. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ Lee, Hyo-won (5 May 2011). "Hwang Jung-min returns as reporter". The Korea Times.
- ^ Lee, Claire (6 June 2011). "'Moby Dick,' a well-made conspiracy flick". The Korea Herald.
- ^ Lee, Ye-eun (31 May 2011). "'Moby Dick' Director Park In-je 'The actual incident serves as the motif, but…". The Chosun Ilbo/Sports Chosun.
- ^ Kim, Do-hyung (14 June 2011). "A movie depicting the Yun Seok-yang incident. The reason why Yun Seok-yang won't watch it". Han Kyeol/One People.
- ^ Lee, Ye-eun (26 April 2011). "'Moby Dick' Hwang Jung-min became a reporter and slimmed down!". The Chosun Ilbo/Sports Chosun.
- ^ Park, Seon-hye (5 June 2011). "(Review) Movie 'Moby Dick' "I will reveal Korea's conspiracy theories"". CheonJi Ilbo.
- ^ Lee, Hwa-jeong (1 June 2021). "Thriller 'Moby Dick' starring Hwang Jung-min released for the first time". Cine21.
- ^ Lee, Seon-pil (1 December 2016). "Hwang Jung-min Why is 'Moby Dick' just okay?". OhmyNews.
- ^ Lee, Claire (6 June 2011). "'Moby Dick,' a well-made conspiracy flick". The Korea Herald.
- ^ "Moby Dick, 2011". KoBiz. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "South Korean Box Office for 2011". IMDb Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
- ^ "In-je Park - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
- ^ "Moby Dick - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-09.