Forgot password

 

2015｜124 MIN | Thriller, Action
DIRECTOR RYOO Seung-wan
CAST HWANG Jung-min, YOO Ah-in, YOO Hae-jin, OH Dal-su
RELEASE DATE August 5, 2015
CONTACT CJ Entertainment
Tel +82-2-371-8147
Fax +82-2-371-6340
E-mail filmsales@cj.net

 

Scaling down from his most recent globe-trotting outing The Berlin File (2013) but maintaining his blockbuster status with a prime August release date, RYOO Seung-wan returns to theaters with his latest film Veteran, a crime-thriller heavy on action choreography and comedy that is poised to be a crowd-pleaser during the hottest (and busiest) theatergoing season of the year.

 

Reuniting with his The Unjust (2010) stars HWANG Jung-min and YOO Hae-jin and throwing YOO Ah-in into the mix as the antagonist, Veteran is another male-driven feature from RYOO that sees the action auteur in familiar territory, highlighting the kinetic choreography of long-time partner JUNG Doo-hong and the boisterous humor of star HWANG, not to mention his co-star OH Dal-su and supporting player BAE Sung-woo.

 

The story is a simple one, featuring Detective Do-cheol(HWANG) as the veteran cop of the title who takes an instant dislike to corporate heir Tae-oh (YOO) and will stop at nothing to take him down when a laborer ends up in a coma after a trip to his office.

 

Instead of inviting spectators into a complicated tale of deception and espionage, the way he has with his most recent pair of features, RYOO opts here to allow the characters to shine in situation-driven action and comedy sequences that easily glide from one to the next, much like he achieved with the similarly streamlined story of his 2006 feature The City of Violence. Yet he’s learnt a lot about pacing in the nine years since, and his action highlights are carefully woven into a tight narrative that sidesteps melodrama and superfluous side stories.

 

Coming off of the biggest hit in his 25-year career, Ode to My Father (now the second most successful Korean film of all time), star HWANG is playing at the top of his game and he’s never been busier, with no less than three more major films angling for release over the next 12 months (The Himalayas, Gokseong and A Violent Prosecutor). Veteran sees him play to his strengths, as he endows his brazen protagonist with a winning charisma and plays opposite friendly faces he’s already known to share chemistry with (YOO Hae-jin and OH Dal-su).

 

YOO Ah-in’s villain is easy-to-hate and YOO Hae-jin is suitably smarmy as his assistant but it’s the comedic co-stars that steal the show here, particularly an on-point OH Dal-su, currently gracing screens in box office behemoth Assassination, as HWANG’s embattled superior, who create the energy that keeps RYOO’s film gunning forward at all times.

 

Though all the ingredients for success are there, with a cool soundtrack and sharp cinematography and editing in addition to the aforementioned, Veteran is dropping into a crowded marketplace. RYOO’s latest goes to bat straight after fellow action films Assassination and Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation. We’ll find out soon enough if audiences can make some room for more.