2015 South Korean neo-noir action film
Gangnam Blues
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Theatrical release poster
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Hangul
| 江南 1970
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Hanja
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Revised Romanization
| Gangnam 1970
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Directed by
| Yoo Ha
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Written by
| Yoo Ha
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Produced by
| Yoo Ha
Yu Jeong-hun
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Starring
| Lee Min-ho
Kim Rae-won
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Cinematography
| Kim Tae-seong
Hong Seong-hyuk
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Edited by
| Park Gok-ji
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Music by
| Jo Yeong-wook
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Production
company
| m.o.vera Pictures
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Distributed by
| Showbox
/Mediaplex
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Release date
|
- January 21, 2015
(
2015-01-21
)
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Running time
| 135 minutes
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Country
| South Korea
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Language
| Korean
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Budget
| US$9 million
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Box office
| US$20 million
[1]
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Gangnam Blues
(
Korean
:
江南 1970
; lit.
Gangnam 1970
) is a 2015 South Korean
neo-noir
action film
[2]
[3]
written and directed by
Yoo Ha
, and starring
Lee Min-ho
and
Kim Rae-won
.
[4]
[5]
The film is set in the 1970s against the backdrop of the real estate development of the
Gangnam region
of Seoul amidst socio-political turmoil and terrorism. The friendship of two childhood friends is tested as they find themselves entangled in the collusion and battles between political powers and criminal organizations.
[6]
[7]
[8]
Synopsis
[
edit
]
In the 1970s, during the height of political corruption,
Gangnam
, the southern part of
Seoul
, is starting to transform into a developed area. Childhood friends, Jong-dae (
Lee Min-ho
) and Yong-ki (
Kim Rae-won
) struggle to get by, until their shanty homes are demolished by
local thugs
. Desperate for cash, they get involved in violent political clashes, and are separated during one of the skirmishes.
Three years later, Jong-dae lives as an adopted son of a former gang leader, Gil-soo (
Jung Jin-young
) and unknown to him, as a small-time gangster. Meanwhile, Yong-ki has risen as a
made man
inside Seoul's most powerful criminal organization, the Myeongdong-pa, under Yang Ki-taek (Jung Ho-bin). Jong-dae acquaints Min Seong-hee (
Kim Ji-soo
) and is entangled in real estate business through the tips Min Seong-hee gets from Park Seung-gu (Choi Jin-ho). Together, they enter into a bigger business of land-dealing. Jong-dae finally crosses paths with Yong-ki and they decide to co-operate and plan to eventually come into possession of what they desire; Jong-dae desires land while Yong-ki wants money. Min Seong-hee introduces Jong-dae to a disgraced politician, Seo Tae-gon (Yoo Seung-mok), who still has political connections and they agree to raise him up in the ladder of the political arena. They enter high-stake battles going on between various political parties over land in Gangnam, to acquire land before its value shoots up, after being tipped on intel from the inside about the government's plan to include Gangnam as an extended part of the capital.
While the gangs fight over the rights to various plots and to maintain dominance in the power structure, Yong-ki betrays his people and eliminates opposition with Jong-dae. After falling under suspicion, Yong-ki kills Gil-soo to regain his gang's trust and keeps the truth from Jong-dae. Jong-dae finds out the truth on his own and keeps an eye on him. Meanwhile, Yong-ki's gang motivates him to overthrow Jong-dae when the mission is over and take over the entire gang and operation. After Seo Tae-gon's final mission, Yong-ki sets an ambush to kill Jong-dae, but Jong-dae, who is one step ahead, eliminates Yong-ki's gang members and spares Yong-ki after telling him to disappear.
Seo Tae-gon, to turn a new leaf in his career, recruits two new goons as his henchmen and assigns them to assassinate both Jong-dae and Yong-ki and they do so, while Seo Tae-gon announces his nomination for election. The ruling government then declares its intent to adjoin Gangnam to its capital. After years, an aged Seo Tae-gon addresses the developed city of Gangnam about his commitment to the city.
Cast
[
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]
Production
[
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]
This was the final film in director-screenwriter
Yoo Ha
's "street series" trilogy, after
Once Upon a Time in High School
(2004) and
A Dirty Carnival
(2006). He called it "a story about people who are used, then discarded, about lives that are, like the buildings they live in, unauthorized. [...] represents the obsession over land ― land from which we are born, to which we return when we die. It is a feast of all things wretched."
[13]
Yoo originally didn't want to cast
Lee Min-ho
in the leading role, finding Lee's breakout performance in TV series
Boys Over Flowers
"a bit cheesy" and that the actor was "so handsome he was like a
manhwa
character". But after being convinced by his wife, Yoo realized the potentially huge impact of "flower boy"
[14]
actors completely transforming their image, and together they collaborated to "burn to the ground" Lee's previous screen persona as a
chaebol
's son.
[15]
Yoo also asked actor
Kim Rae-won
to shed 15 kilograms since his character works as a rag man in the beginning of the film; Kim lost the weight in one month, which he said also made his fist-fighting scenes as a gangster more realistic.
[16]
Filming began on April 16, 2014 and wrapped on August 31, 2014.
[17]
[18]
[19]
The early Korean
working title
was
Gangnam Blues
(
Korean
:
江南 블루스
), which was changed to
Gangnam 1970
in October 2014.
[20]
[21]
Gangnam Blues
was retained as the international English title.
[13]
Release
[
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]
South Korea
[
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]
Gangnam Blues
was released in 684 theaters in South Korea on January 21, 2015. Despite its
"restricted" rating
, it topped the box office on its opening day, with 152,500 tickets sold.
[22]
[23]
Within 5 days, it had reached the 1 million admission mark (1,097,103).
[24]
After 35 days of release, the film recorded 2.19 million admissions.
[1]
An uncensored version (running time: 141 minutes) became available for streaming on
VOD
service IPTV on March 19, 2015.
[25]
China
[
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]
The film was released with a different cut for the Chinese market in March 2015, in order to capitalize on Lee Min-ho's big fan base in the region. The new cut included more scenes of Lee, including those further developing the relationship between Lee's character and his love interest (played by Kim Seol-hyun), as well as an alternate ending.
[26]
[27]
[28]
Critical reception
[
edit
]
Modern Korean Cinema'
s Pierce Conran called the film "an evocative and immensely entertaining saga that pits a common tale of brotherhood and betrayal against a thrilling period setting mired in violence and corruption" and praised it as "one of the most beautifully designed and lushly filmed Korean productions ever made". He found Lee Min-ho "thoroughly convincing as a rising gangster with a cool exterior and emotional core", but that Kim Rae-won's performance had "a little less depth", yet nevertheless was Kim's best performance since 2006's
Sunflower
, in which he also played a gangster.
[29]
Soundtrack
[
edit
]
"
Anak"
by
Freddie Aguilar
was used in both Filipino and Korean version of the 2015 for its trailer and actual feature.
[30]
Awards and nominations
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"
Gangnam Blues
"
.
Korean Film Biz Zone
.
Archived
from the original on 19 February 2016
. Retrieved
9 March
2015
.
- ^
"Gangnam Blues (2015)"
.
Box Office Mojo
.
Archived
from the original on 2018-07-03
. Retrieved
2019-04-06
.
- ^
"Gangnam Blues (2015) - Ha Yoo"
.
AllMovie
.
Archived
from the original on 2019-04-06
. Retrieved
2019-04-06
.
- ^
Tae, Sang-joon (16 December 2013).
"LEE Min-ho Cast in YOO Ha's Action Noir"
.
Korean Film Biz Zone
.
Archived
from the original on 22 December 2015
. Retrieved
8 September
2014
.
- ^
Kim, Hee-eun (21 March 2014).
"Kim Rae-won cast in
Gangnam Blues
"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
.
Archived
from the original on 28 May 2016
. Retrieved
8 September
2014
.
- ^
Frater, Patrick (14 March 2014).
"FilMart: Showbox Styles Yoo Ha's
Gangnam Blues
for Pre-Sales Debut"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on 18 February 2018
. Retrieved
30 June
2014
.
- ^
Noh, Jean (14 March 2014).
"Showbox gets Yoo Ha's Gangnam Blues"
.
Screen Daily
.
Archived
from the original on 23 June 2018
. Retrieved
30 June
2014
.
- ^
Kim, Su-yeon (14 November 2014).
"GANGNAM BLUES, Sold Well in Asia: China, Japan, Myanmar, Singapore and More"
.
Korean Film Biz Zone
.
Archived
from the original on 12 March 2016
. Retrieved
12 December
2014
.
- ^
"Lee Min-ho Takes on Tough Role in Latest Film"
.
The Chosun Ilbo
. 14 February 2015.
Archived
from the original on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
15 February
2015
.
- ^
Ha, Soo-jung (12 December 2014).
"Lee Min Ho Smiled the Brightest When Filming with AOA's Seolhyun"
.
enewsWorld
. Archived from
the original
on 13 December 2014
. Retrieved
12 December
2014
.
- ^
Hong, Hye-jin (13 January 2015).
"Filmmaker Yoo Ha praises actors in
Gangnam 1970
"
.
K-Pop Herald
.
Archived
from the original on 3 March 2016
. Retrieved
27 January
2015
.
- ^
Yoon, Sarah (26 January 2015).
"Seolhyun talks about
Gangnam 1970
role with GQ"
.
K-Pop Herald
.
Archived
from the original on 2 October 2020
. Retrieved
27 January
2015
.
- ^
a
b
"Herald Review: A darker past in
Gangnam 1970
"
.
The Korea Herald
. 21 January 2015.
Archived
from the original on 17 February 2018
. Retrieved
23 January
2015
.
- ^
A South Korean colloquial term for "pretty boy"
- ^
Ha, Soo-jung (12 December 2014).
"Director Cast Lee Min Ho in
Gangnam 1970
After Being Brainwashed By His Wife"
.
enewsWorld
. Archived from
the original
on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
12 December
2014
.
- ^
"Kim Rae-won sheds 15kg for
Gangnam 1970
"
.
K-Pop Herald
. 3 December 2014.
Archived
from the original on 3 August 2017
. Retrieved
16 December
2014
.
- ^
Choi, Eun-hwa (4 September 2014).
"Lee Min Ho and Kim Rae Won Share on Wrapping Up Filming
Gangnam Blues
"
.
enewsWorld
.
Archived
from the original on 4 September 2014
. Retrieved
8 September
2014
.
- ^
이민호-김래원 主演 '江南 1970', 來年 1月로 開封 延期
.
Sports Chosun
(in Korean).
Archived
from the original on 18 February 2018
. Retrieved
24 October
2014
.
- ^
이민호 김래원 '江南 1970', 來年 1月 開封 變更…盛需期 市場 노린다
.
TenAsia
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on 17 February 2018
. Retrieved
24 October
2014
.
- ^
Jung, Si-woo (8 October 2014).
이민호 '江南블루스'→'江南 1970'으로 題目 變更…11月 開封確定
.
TenAsia
(in Korean). Archived from
the original
on 17 February 2018
. Retrieved
9 October
2014
.
- ^
이민호-김래원 主演 액션映畫 '江南 1970' 題目 確定 11月 開封 (出處) 본 記事는 조선닷컴에서 作成된 記事 입니다
.
The Chosun Ilbo
(in Korean). 9 October 2014.
Archived
from the original on 4 March 2016
. Retrieved
9 October
2014
.
- ^
"Lee Min-ho's
Gangnam 1970
tops box office"
.
K-Pop Herald
. 22 January 2015.
Archived
from the original on 9 December 2017
. Retrieved
27 January
2015
.
- ^
Sung, So-young (23 January 2015).
"
Gangnam Blues
tops daily box office"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
.
Archived
from the original on 2 January 2018
. Retrieved
23 January
2015
.
- ^
Kil, Sonia (25 January 2015).
"Korea Box Office:
Gangnam Blues
,
Big Hero 6
Finally Topple
Ode
"
.
Variety
.
Archived
from the original on 27 January 2015
. Retrieved
27 January
2015
.
- ^
"
Gangnam Blues
unedited version to release on IPTV"
.
Hancinema
. 19 March 2015.
Archived
from the original on 2 April 2015
. Retrieved
2 April
2015
.
- ^
Conran, Pierce (8 February 2015).
"News: GANGNAM BLUES Targets Lee Min-ho Fans with New Edit for China"
.
Modern Korean Cinema
.
Archived
from the original on 29 March 2018
. Retrieved
9 February
2015
.
- ^
Sung, So-young (7 February 2015).
"Different end for
Gangnam
"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
.
Archived
from the original on 1 January 2018
. Retrieved
9 February
2015
.
- ^
Kim, June (6 February 2015).
"GANGNAM BLUES Sets March as Chinese Release Date"
.
Korean Film Biz Zone
.
Archived
from the original on 9 December 2017
. Retrieved
10 February
2015
.
- ^
Conran, Pierce (27 January 2015).
"Review: GANGNAM BLUES, a Gorgeously Overwrought Gangster Classic in the Making"
.
Modern Korean Cinema
.
Archived
from the original on 2 April 2018
. Retrieved
31 January
2015
.
- ^
"Gangnam Blues - Tagalized Trailer"
.
YouTube
. 11 June 2015.
Archived
from the original on 6 May 2016
. Retrieved
29 November
2016
.
- ^
Yoon, Sarah (27 May 2015).
"Lee Min-ho, Park Shin-hye win Paeksang awards"
.
The Korea Herald
.
Archived
from the original on 12 February 2019
. Retrieved
28 May
2015
.
- ^
Conran, Pierce (10 July 2015).
"LEE Min-ho and MOON Chae-won to Receive BiFan Awards"
.
Korean Film Biz Zone
.
Archived
from the original on 11 July 2015
. Retrieved
10 July
2015
.
- ^
Jin, Min-ji (9 July 2015).
"Producers' Choice honorees selected"
.
Korea JoongAng Daily
.
Archived
from the original on 2 January 2018
. Retrieved
10 July
2015
.
External links
[
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]