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Gangnam Blues

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Gangnam Blues
Gangnam 1970 Poster
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
강남 1970
Hanja
江南 1970
Revised RomanizationGangnam 1970
Directed byYoo Ha
Written byYoo Ha
Produced byYoo Ha
Yu Jeong-hun
StarringLee Min-ho
Kim Rae-won
CinematographyKim Tae-seong
Hong Seong-hyuk
Edited byPark Gok-ji
Music byJo Yeong-wook
Production
company
m.o.vera Pictures
Distributed byShowbox/Mediaplex
Release date
  • January 21, 2015 (2015-01-21)
Running time
135 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
BudgetUS$9 million
Box officeUS$20 million[1]

Gangnam Blues (Korean: 강남 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

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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: 강남 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

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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

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"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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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2015
 51st Baeksang Arts Awards[31] Best New Actor
Lee Min-ho
 Nominated
Best New Actress
Kim Seol-hyun
 Nominated
Most Popular Actor
Lee Min-ho
 Won
19th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival[32][33] Producers' Choice Award Won
52nd Grand Bell Awards Best New Actor Won
Best New Actress
Kim Seol-hyun
 Nominated
36th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best New Actor
Lee Min-ho
 Nominated
Best New Actress
Kim Seol-hyun
 Nominated
Technical Award
Shin Jae-myung
 Nominated
Popular Star Award
Lee Min-ho
 Won
Kim Seol-hyun
 Won
Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best New Actor
Lee Min-ho
 Nominated
2016
 11th Max Movie Awards Nominated
Rising Star Award
Kim Seol-hyun
 Won
5th Marie Claire Film Festival Rookie Award Won

References

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  1. ^ a b "Gangnam Blues". Korean Film Biz Zone. Archived from the original on 19 February 2016. Retrieved 9 March 2015.
  2. ^ "Gangnam Blues (2015)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2018-07-03. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  3. ^ "Gangnam Blues (2015) - Ha Yoo". AllMovie. Archived from the original on 2019-04-06. Retrieved 2019-04-06.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ "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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ A South Korean colloquial term for "pretty boy"
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ "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.
  17. ^ 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.
  18. ^ 이민호-김래원 주연 '강남 1970', 내년 1월로 개봉 연기. Sports Chosun (in Korean). 24 October 2014. Archived from the original on 18 February 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  19. ^ 이민호 김래원 '강남 1970', 내년 1월 개봉 변경…성수기 시장 노린다. TenAsia (in Korean). Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2014.
  20. ^ Jung, Si-woo (8 October 2014). 이민호 '강남블루스'→'강남 1970'으로 제목 변경…11월 개봉확정. TenAsia (in Korean). Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  21. ^ 이민호-김래원 주연 액션영화 '강남 1970' 제목 확정 11월 개봉 (출처) 본 기사는 조선닷컴에서 작성된 기사 입니다. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). 9 October 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 October 2014.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ 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.
  25. ^ "Gangnam Blues unedited version to release on IPTV". Hancinema. 19 March 2015. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  26. ^ 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.
  27. ^ 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.
  28. ^ 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.
  29. ^ 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.
  30. ^ "Gangnam Blues - Tagalized Trailer". YouTube. 11 June 2015. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ 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.
  33. ^ 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.
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