[Sportschosun Reporter Ahn So-yoon] The film ‘Assassin(s)’ is taking on the Chuseok holiday box office with a well-crafted investigative thriller.
The press and distribution screening for ‘Assassin(s)’ took place on the 8th at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Actors Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il and Minho, along with director Hur Jin-ho, attended the event.
Set for release on the 23rd, ‘Assassin(s)’ follows an investigation into the suspicions surrounding and forces behind the assassination attempt on the first lady that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. The film was directed by Hur Jin-ho, whose previous works include ‘Forbidden Dream’ and ‘A Normal Family.’
Director Hur said, "I found it difficult to concentrate during the screening. Since I was watching the film with reporters, I kept wondering how they would see it. Our film adopts the genre format of a mystery investigation, but I wanted to capture the character of an entire era within it. I felt we needed to raise questions about the social issues that naturally emerge through the profession of journalism, why this incident occurred in that particular era, and what it meant, rather than simply following the case. That led us to include many stories about reporters in the film."
‘Assassin(s)’ has drawn attention with a diverse cast, including Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-il, Minho, Park Jeong-min, Jung Woo-sung, Shim Eun-kyung and Shin Hyun-been. Explaining the decision to use a large ensemble cast, Hur said, "It was not something we had planned from the beginning. I was cautious because when actors with greater star power than their roles appear in a film, it can create a sense of incongruity, or audiences may think of the actors themselves before the characters, which could make them uncomfortable. I thought Jung Woo-sung’s symbolic presence suited the role of Young-il’s older brother, played by Minho. I wanted audiences to naturally feel the weight of that character." He added, "The actors also seemed to enjoy reading the script. Many actors took on only one or two scenes, but I felt each character needed to have a sense of truth so they would not simply be consumed by the film. Even if an actor appeared in only one scene, we met several times and talked before filming began. I was curious how the actors would come across to audiences. Personally, while watching the film, I thought, ‘There is real pleasure in watching these actors.’"
Yoo Hae-jin received the affection of 16 million moviegoers for his role as Eom Heung-do in ‘The King’s Warden,’ released in February. He then played Cheol-gu, a detective investigating the case, in ‘Assassin(s).’ He said, "This is a special year for me. I received so much love around Lunar New Year for ‘The King’s Warden.’ Now that another holiday has arrived and ‘Assassin(s)’ is about to be released, I feel it is time to keep ‘The King’s Warden’ in my heart as a work I cherish. I hope ‘Assassin(s)’ will also survive and thrive as a living, healthy presence in theaters, just like ‘The King’s Warden.’"
Park Hae-il gave a powerful performance as Jae-hwan, the head of the newspaper’s city desk. He said, "At the center of a tragic and shocking incident, we see people from various professions. Cheol-gu the detective, Mr. Minho’s character and the reporter I played all carry the story through to the end with their own rhythm. As far as I remember, in Korean films, reporters have often been used only briefly, and there have not been many films in which the role formed a central theme and was explored at length. Even when such films existed, characters approached seriously were rare."
He continued, "I was curious from the moment the director first showed me the script and offered me the role of a reporter. In that sense, the biggest challenge was showing whether the role of a reporter could capture the spirit of an entire era. I tried to perform in close harmony with the director and the other actors."
Minho, who plays Young-il, a passionate rookie reporter, said, "I felt that we live in an era when provocative headlines are sometimes considered more important than the truth. As content that can be called ‘media’ has diversified, including journalism and individual YouTube channels, I feel it has become increasingly difficult to distinguish truth from falsehood. In that respect, I missed the convictions of people who pursued the truth in an era I never experienced, and my personal aspiration was to become someone like that as well."
Regarding his approach to the role, he explained, "If Jae-hwan, played by senior actor Park Hae-il, is outwardly static but expresses a dynamic inner life, I wanted Young-il to be like a live fish—full of movement. I had many conversations with the director from the beginning, and even during rehearsals on set, I thought about blocking that would allow me to use my body as much as possible. As for his style, Young-il comes from a wealthy family, so rather than trying to hide that, I wanted to portray it without excess and make use of the advantage that, even as a reporter, he has good-quality clothes and accessories."
Finally, ‘Assassin(s)’ will compete at the Chuseok holiday box office alongside ‘The Intern,’ ‘Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub’ and ‘Bu-hwal-nam: The Red.’ Yoo Hae-jin expressed his candid hope, saying, "I am happy that a variety of Korean films are being released and entering the competition during Chuseok for the first time in a while. I hope people will show the most love to ‘Assassin(s)’ among them."
Reporter Ahn So-yoon antahn22@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
