The City of Violence

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The City of Violence
Film poster
Hangul
짝패
Revised RomanizationJjakpae
McCune–ReischauerTchakp‘ae
Directed byRyoo Seung-wan
Written byKim Jung-min
Lee Won-jae
Ryoo Seung-wan
Produced byKim Jung-min
Ryoo Seung-wan
StarringRyoo Seung-wan
Jung Doo-hong
Lee Beom-soo
CinematographyKim Yeong-cheol
Edited byNam Na-yeong
Music byBang Jun-seok
Production
company
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • May 25, 2006 (2006-05-25)
Running time
92 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$2.7 million
Box officeUS$6.2 million[1]

The City of Violence (Korean짝패; RRJjakpae; lit. "Partner" or "Pal") is a 2006 South Korean action thriller film co-written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan, who stars in the film opposite action director and longtime collaborator Jung Doo-hong.[2][3][4][5]

Plot[edit]

Wang-jae is an ex-gangster who chases a gang of punks into an alley where he is fatally stabbed to death. His four childhood friends reunite in nearly 20 years at Wang-jae's funeral. Up to then, each person has gone their own way: Tae-su became a Seoul police detective. Pil-ho has taken over his brother-in-law Wang-jae's business. Seok-hwan works as a debt collector while his older brother Dong-hwan struggles as a mathematics professor. After the funeral, Tae-su decides to investigate the murder within a week before he would return to his job in Seoul.

Meanwhile, Seok-hwan decides to find and kill Wang-jae's murderers. While investigating, Tae-su is attacked by youth gangs, where he barely escapes with his life after Seok-hwan's unexpected arrival. They decide to work together. After hunting the gangs, they discover Wang-jae's death is not a random mindless attack, but was a planned murder. The revelation leads them to Dong-hwan, who confesses that Pil-ho was behind the plan after Wang-jae disapproved Pil-ho's plans to turn their city into a tourist district. After strangers tried to kill him as part of tying up Pil-ho's loose ends, Wang-jae's young murderer agrees to testify against Pil-ho.

A killer douses the young murderer in gasoline and sets him on fire. Later, Pil-ho badly thrashes Tae-su and also targets to finish Seok-hwan, Dong-hwan and their mother in an accident, but Seok-wan survives. After Dong-hwan and his mother's funeral, Seok-hwan and Wang-jae's widow leave the funeral house and sees Tae-su waiting outside. Tae-su persuades Wang-jae's widow into revealing information on her brother Pil-ho's whereabouts. Tae-su and Seok-hwan storm Pil-ho's fortress where they fight their way through swarms of armed cooks and bodyguards until the banquet room.

Meanwhile, Pil-ho kills the Seoul president, which prompts all guests to leave. Tae-su and Seok-hwan confronts Pil-ho, who is along with his four elite guards in the room. A fight ensues where Tae-su and Seok-hwan manages to defeat Pil-ho's elite guards and sets to take on Pil-ho, who takes them by surprise by attacking Seok-hwan. Pil-ho turns and stabs Tae-su, but Seok-hwan later finishes Pil-ho with a katana. As Tae-su bleeds to death, an exhausted Seok-hwan notices the carnage that he and Tae-su had created and sighs heavily.

Cast[edit]

Awards and nominations[edit]

2006 Chunsa Film Art Awards

2006 Busan Film Critics Awards[6]

  • Best Cinematography - Kim Yeong-cheol

2006 Blue Dragon Film Awards

2006 Korean Film Awards

2007 Grand Bell Awards

References[edit]

  1. ^ "The City of Violence". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  2. ^ "시사회 - PRESS SCREENING: 짝패 (The City of Violence)". Twitch Film. 10 May 2006. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
  3. ^ Lee, Hoo-nam; Lee, Min-a (15 May 2006). "Film noir showcases duo's martial arts skills". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
  4. ^ "A Trip Inside The City of Violence: Ryu Seung-Wan and Jung Doo-Hong Talk 짝패". Twitch Film. 27 May 2006. Archived from the original on 17 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-03-17.
  5. ^ Kim, Kyu Hyun (5 February 2008). "City of Violence: Lean and Mean". OhmyNews International. Archived from the original on 2016-09-16. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  6. ^ "The City of Violence - Awards". Cinemasie. Retrieved 2022-11-29.

External links[edit]