The City of Violence

Plot

Wang-jae, an ex-gangster, chases a gang of punks into an alley and gets fatally stabbed to death. His four childhood friends reunite in nearly 20 years at Wang-jae's funeral. Up to then, each person has gone their own way: Tae-su became a Seoul police detective. Pil-ho has taken over his brother-in-law Wang-jae's business. Seok-hwan works as a debt collector while his older brother Dong-hwan struggles as a maths professor. After the funeral, Tae-su decides to investigate the murder within a week before he would return to his job in Seoul.

Meanwhile, Seok-hwan decides to find and kill Wang-jae's murderers. While investigating, Tae-su is attacked by youth gangs, where he barely escapes with his life after Seok-hwan's unexpected arrival. They decide to work together. After hunting the gangs, they discover Wang-jae's death was not a random mindless attack, but a planned murder. The revelation leads them to Dong-hwan, who confesses that Pil-ho was behind the plan after Wang-jae disapproved Pil-ho's plans to turn their city into a tourist district. After strangers tried to kill him as part of tying up Pil-ho's loose ends, Wang-jae's young murderer agrees to testify against Pil-ho.

A killer douses the young murderer in gasoline and sets him on fire. Later, Pil-ho badly thrashes Tae-su and also targets to finish Seok-hwan, Dong-hwan and their mother in an accident, but Seok-wan survives. After Dong-hwan and his mother's funeral, Seok-hwan and Wang-jae's widow leave the funeral house and sees Tae-su waiting outside. Tae-su persuades Wang-jae's widow into revealing information on her brother Pil-ho's whereabouts. Tae-su and Seok-hwan storm Pil-ho's fortress, where they fight their way through swarms of armed cooks until the banquet room.

Meanwhile, Pil-ho kills the Seoul president, which prompts all guests to leave. Tae-su and Seok-hwan confronts Pil-ho, who is along with his four elite guards in the room. A fight ensues where Tae-su and Seok-hwan manages to defeat Pil-ho's elite guards and sets to take on Pil-ho, who takes them by surprise by attacking Seok-hwan. Pil-ho turns and stabs Tae-su, but Seok-hwan later finishes Pil-ho with a katana. As Tae-su bleeds to death, an exhausted Seok-hwan notices the carnage that he and Tae-su had created and sighs heavily.

Cast

• Ryoo Seung-wan – Yoo Suk-hwan
  • Kim Si-hoo – Yoo Suk-hwan (young)
• Jung Doo-hong – Jung Tae-soo
  • On Joo-wan – Jung Tae-soo (young)
• Lee Beom-soo – Jang Pil-ho
  • Kim Dong-young – Jang Pil-ho (young)
• Jung Suk-yong – Yoo Dong-hwan
  • Park Young-seo – Yoo Dong-hwan (young)
• Lee Joo-sil – Yoo Suk-hwan's mother
• Ahn Gil-kang – Oh Wang-jae
  • Jung Woo – Oh Wang-jae (young)
• Kim Byeong-ok – Youth president
• Kim Seo-hyung – Jang Mi-ran
• Jo Deok-hyun – Boss Jo
• Kim Gi-cheon – Sal-soo
• Kim Kkot-bi – high school girl with razor blade
• Kim Su-hyeon – Seoul detective
• Im Jun-il – Team leader Im
• Lee Na-ri – Miss Bae
• Park Ji-hwan – teen gang boss
• Lee Hong-pyo – Onsung area cop
• Oh Joo-hee – hanbok-wearing woman in special room 2
• Kim Hyo-sun – secretary

Awards and nominations

2006 Chunsa Film Art Awards

• Best Supporting Actor - Lee Beom-soo

2006 Busan Film Critics Awards

• Best Cinematography - Kim Yeong-cheol

2006 Blue Dragon Film Awards

• Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - Lee Beom-soo

2006 Korean Film Awards

• Best Supporting Actor - Lee Beom-soo
• Nomination - Best Editing - Nam Na-yeong
• Nomination - Best Music - Bang Jun-seok
• Nomination - Best Sound - Seo Yeong-jun, Jo Min-ho

2007 Grand Bell Awards

• Nomination - Best Director - Ryoo Seung-wan
• Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - Lee Beom-soo
• Nomination - Best Cinematography - Kim Yeong-cheol
• Nomination - Best Editing - Nam Na-yeong

References

References

1. "The City of Violence".
2. link. [[Twitch Film]]. (10 May 2006)
3. (15 May 2006). "Film noir showcases duo's martial arts skills". [[Korea JoongAng Daily]].
4. (27 May 2006). "A Trip Inside The City of Violence: Ryu Seung-Wan and Jung Doo-Hong Talk 짝패". [[Twitch Film]].
5. Kim, Kyu Hyun. (5 February 2008). "''City of Violence'': Lean and Mean". [[OhmyNews International]].
6. "The City of Violence - Awards".