Choi Donghoon, born in 1971, is one of the most successful directors of Korean blockbusters. He studied filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts and served as first assistant director on Im Sangsoo’s <Tears> (2000), before his debut film, <The Big Swindle> (2004), redrew the map of Korean-style crime thriller flicks and brought the director instant fame. A movie that depicts how a group of professional swindlers cheat money out of the Bank of Korea, it was...More

Choi Donghoon, born in 1971, is one of the most successful directors of Korean blockbusters. He studied filmmaking at the Korean Academy of Film Arts and served as first assistant director on Im Sangsoo’s <Tears> (2000), before his debut film, <The Big Swindle> (2004), redrew the map of Korean-style crime thriller flicks and brought the director instant fame. A movie that depicts how a group of professional swindlers cheat money out of the Bank of Korea, it was considered to have updated Korean-style crime thrillers with its unprecedentedly plausible and airtight storytelling. Choi’s talent as an exceptional storyteller went beyond making a movie based on his own story; it absolutely shined in <Tazza: The High Rollers> (2006), a big screen adaptation of the well-known comic of the same name by Huh Youngman, and <Woochi> (2010), which is a fresh new take on an old fable. His next film <Thieves> became at the time the highest-grossing Korean film ever following its summer 2012 release with more than 13 million admissions. The caper movie, a genre that Choi is adept in, stars such Korean mega-stars as Kim Yunseok, Kim Hyesoo, Lee Jungjae and Gianna Jun, along with Chinese stars like Simon Yam. Choosing a Colonial Era setting for his next project, Choi set to work once again with Lee Jungjae and Gianna Jun, joined this time by Ha Jungwoo, for action-thriller <Assassination>. Released in the summer of 2015, the film was another smash for the director, accruing well over 12 million admissions. He then intended for a remake of the Hong Kong thriller <Overheard> to be his next project, but production has been delayed indefinitely. Instead, he eventually came back to the big screen with a high concept blend of SF, fantasy, kung fu and period drama, the two-part film <Alienoid> (2022), starring Ryu Junyeol, Kim Woobin and Kim Taeri, of which the first installment was released in Summer 2022. With their ensemble casts and intricate plots that leave no downtime, Choi’s films have almost all been huge box office hits. Less