[Sportschosun, Reporter Ahn So-yoon] Director Hur Jin-ho, 63, known as a master of melodrama, has taken on directing a mystery investigation thriller with the film 'Assassin(s).'
Opening on the 23rd, 'Assassin(s)' follows an investigation into the suspicions surrounding and people behind the shooting of the first lady that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. Hur Jin-ho, who directed 'Forbidden Dream' and 'A Normal Family,' is at the helm.
Ahead of the film's release, Hur Jin-ho met with Sportschosun and said, "'Assassin(s)' was a script I first encountered through a screenplay competition. It was an incident that happened when I was in fifth grade, and I remember the entire nation mourning it. As I read the story again in script form, I wondered, 'Could this be made into a film?'" He explained that this was what led him to direct the movie.
He also explained why it took so long to complete the film. Hur Jin-ho said, "I may have been sensitive about certain aspects, but I struggled with how to unfold the story and where to begin. In a way, we couldn't approach the film by solving the case or reaching a definitive conclusion. It was based on a real incident, and there were victims involved, so we had to be even more careful."
Hur Jin-ho has demonstrated a particular strength in melodrama through films such as 'One Fine Spring Day' and 'Christmas in August.' Taking on a new genre with 'Assassin(s),' he said, "This is the first time I've made a film on such a large scale. In almost every scene, there are 30 to 40 actors. Since the film had to take the form of a mystery investigation thriller, I thought it needed to create tension for the audience. Cinematographer Lee Mo-gae also worked on '12.12: The Day,' so I sought his advice on the genre-related aspects."
Yoo Hae-jin plays a detective, while Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho appear as newspaper reporters. Hur Jin-ho said, "I worked with Park Hae-il on 'The Last Princess,' and he played a department head then as well (laughs). I thought he would capture the feel of a journalist well, and I wanted him for the role. As everyone will probably notice, Yoo Hae-jin's acting didn't feel confined to any particular mold; it felt alive and moving. I had seen Lee Min-ho in dramas, and I thought he might be even more appealing in a more realistic role."
He also praised the chemistry between Park Hae-il and Lee Min-ho as senior and junior reporters. Hur Jin-ho said, "Park Hae-il was a great senior colleague and older-brother figure on set. He wasn't authoritarian and listened to the younger actors' opinions, which made the atmosphere more comfortable. We filmed the scene in which Lee Min-ho reports the incident from a public phone as the first scene, and the weather was extremely hot that day. There wasn't even air conditioning indoors, but Park Hae-il squatted down and delivered all of Lee Min-ho's lines with him. I was surprised, and Lee Min-ho was surprised too."
Hur Jin-ho was also pleased with Lee Min-ho's spontaneous ad-libs. He said, "Lee Min-ho held nothing back. He acted freely on set. In the scene where he says, 'Do you like ssanghwa tea?' he was originally supposed to bring a fruit basket. Lee Min-ho said, 'Director, it looks like a bribe and doesn't seem very good. Is there anything else we could use?' So I said we should go without anything, but then Lee Min-ho suddenly brought up ssanghwa tea. Whenever something unexpected happened, I felt happy because it made the character seem alive. The staff who saw it on set said it was the first time they had seen me look that pleased."
In particular, 'Assassin(s)' features special appearances by a diverse cast, including Park Jeong-min, Jung Woo-sung, Shim Eun-kyung and Park Hae-joon. Hur Jin-ho said with satisfaction, "As I mentioned at the press conference, I don't like having too many characters appear. I was worried that the audience might see the actors themselves rather than the characters. Jung Woo-sung played Chairman Han with tears welling in his eyes. I didn't know he would approach it with that much sincerity. The characters each appear only briefly in the film, but I hoped they would stay in the audience's memory. At the first screening for the staff, I told them, 'There's something enjoyable about seeing all these actors, isn't there?' Some viewers may wonder, 'Why are so many actors appearing?' but I thought it worked better than expected."
Shim Eun-kyung and Park Hae-joon play Korean residents in Japan and speak Korean mixed with Japanese. Hur Jin-ho said, "The role Shim Eun-kyung played was originally written as a male character. But since both the detective and reporter characters were men, I wanted a female character to appear. Shim Eun-kyung is also good at Japanese, and I was amazed by her acting in 'The Journalist.' I jokingly thought, 'Wouldn't it be nice if Shim Eun-kyung did it?' Thankfully, she agreed to join us. Shim Eun-kyung delivered the lines with varying amounts of Japanese mixed in, but when she did that, it became difficult to understand. The boundary was unclear, so it was difficult to use as a reference."
He also discussed the casting process for the president and first lady, saying, "I thought it would be uncomfortable if actors who were too famous played the roles. Kim Seung Hoon played former President Park Chung-hee, and he also played Park Chung-hee in 'The Last Princess' 12 years ago."
Finally, Hur Jin-ho shared his thoughts on releasing 'Assassin(s)' during the Chuseok holiday movie season. "I'm excited and looking forward to it. This is a film I spent more than 10 years thinking about and preparing, so I'm happy that it will be released during the Chuseok season. I hope audiences will show it lots of love," he said. "I think our film will be suitable for audiences of all ages."
Ahn So-yoon antahn22@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
