Tazza: The High Rollers

Tazza: The High Rollers
Tazza: The High Rollers
	Theatrical release poster
Korean name
Hangul	타짜
Revised Romanization	Tajja
McCune–Reischauer	T'atcha
Directed by	Choi Dong-hoon
Written by	Choi Dong-hoon
Based on	Tajja; by Huh Young-man and Kim Se-yeong
Produced by	Cha Seung-jae; Kim Mi-hee
Starring	Cho Seung-woo; Kim Hye-soo; Yoo Hae-jin; Baek Yoon-sik
Cinematography	Choi Young-hwan
Edited by	Shin Min-kyung
Music by	Jang Young-gyu
Production; company	Sidus FNH
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment
Release date	September 28, 2006;
Running time	139 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Budget	US$5.5 million
Box office	US$39.2 million

Tazza: The High Rollers (Korean: 타짜) is a 2006 South Korean crime film directed by Choi Dong-hoon and based on Huh Young-man and Kim Se-yeong's manhwa of the same name. Produced by Sidus FNH and distributed by CJ Entertainment, the story revolves around a group of gambling drifters involved in the Korean card game Hwatu (Korean: 화투; Hanja: 花鬪; lit. War of Flowers). It was a huge commercial and critical success, becoming one of South Korea's highest-grossing films and winning numerous awards. It was the second best-selling film of 2006 in South Korea, with 6,847,777 admissions nationwide.

Plot

In 1994, Goni (original name Kim Gon), a recent university graduate, has lost his entire savings, and money stolen from his family (his older sister), after being swindled by professional cheating gamblers (Park Moo Sik and Kwak Cheol Yong). In order to regain the money, from 1994 to 1995, Goni begins training in the art of trickery under one of the best gamblers in the country, Mr. Pyeong (also translated as Officer Pyeong). He is the top three gamblers, along with Agui of Jeolla Province and JJakgwi (One ear of Gyeongsang Province). He becomes well-known, traveling to different gambling places throughout the country with Pyeong.

Madam Jeong, who runs an illegal gambling operation and plays the role of the architect of setting the plot in their gambling fraud schemes, begins to show interest in Goni. Over some philosophical differences in the art of gambling, Goni leaves Pyeong and begins working for Jeong, whom he also has a love tryst with. A concerned Pyeong tries to encourage Goni to leave the gambling scene by cutting his finger, but while Goni tries to cut fingers, he accidentally meets Agui, who is known to kill his opponents after a gambling match with him.

Goni receives a call that Mr. Pyeong was found dead with his wrist sliced off (initially implied to be a result of losing the match against Agui, as Agui murders his opponent). An angry Goni, seeking revenge, prepares to have a proper match with Agui. While he is playing another match that leads to the arrest of Madam Jeong, he meets another cardsharp, Ko Gwang Ryol, who joins the dream team to help Goni win his match with Agui. Goni meets JJakgwi, from whom he learns the art of lying. Goni also develops a relationship with Hwa-ran, and delivers money to his family. Before he meets Agui, he tries to beat Kwak Cheol-yong at his own game. He is later caught, but Goni murders Kwak Cheol-yong's squad in an impromptu car accident.

Meanwhile, Raccoon finds that Madam Jeong is the real murderer of Mr Pyeong; she had her bodyguard kill him. Ko Gwang Ryeol plays against Agui and gets hurt. Goni finally gets a match with Agui, with Madam Jeong helping Goni, and leads to Agui losing the bet. However, as the game progresses it is revealed Goni has suspected Madam Jeong, and makes Agui and Madam Jeong lose everything they have. After a fight on a train, Goni mysteriously disappears. Goni, hiding his previous life, becomes involving in another form of gambling.

Cast

Cho Seung-woo as Kim Goni
Kim Hye-soo as Madam Jeong
Yoo Hae-jin as Ko Gwang-ryeol
Baek Yoon-sik as Mr. Pyeong
Kim Yoon-seok as Agui
Kim Eung-soo as Kwak Cheol-yong
Kim Sang-ho as Park Moo-seok
Lee Soo-kyung as Hwa-ran
Park Soo-young as Go Ni's Uncle
Kim Jung-nan as Se-ran
Jo Sang-geon as Raccoon (detective)
Huh Young-man (cameo)

Home media

5 Points Pictures gave the film a two-disc DVD release in North America on September 18, 2012.^[4] The film is subtitled and includes nearly 3 hours of bonus features, including the making of the film, a comparison between the film and its source manhwa, and gambling tricks explained by a former professional gambler.

Box office

Tazza: The High Rollers was a huge critical success, becoming one of South Korea's highest-grossing films. It was the second best-selling film of 2006 in South Korea, with 6,847,777 admissions nationwide.^[5]

Critical reception

In a review for the San Francisco Chronicle, G. Allen Johnson described Tazza: The High Rollers as a "ton of fun, a totally irresistible tale of gambling, greed, love and violence. With gorgeous actors, designer clothes and thrilling action".^[6] Matt Zoller Seitz of The New York Times called it a "terrific film about the sensual energy and reckless optimism of youth" and compared the chemistry between Goni and Madam Jeong to that of characters in Jean-Luc Godard's early films.^[7]

Variety wrote that the film's long run time is hardly noticeable as "the gambling scenes, which in true Korean style often end in rough-and-tumbles, are restlessly shot in handheld closeup, while the non-gambling interludes, lensed more conventionally in good-looking widescreen, have a noir-ish flavor, with characters endlessly toying with each other." They noted that despite the complicated script "sounding tortuous on paper" and being difficult to grasp initially due to being told mostly in flashbacks, Tazza ties up all of its loose ends in the end. The magazine also praised the performances of Kim Hye-soo and Baek Yoon-sik.^[8]

Sequels

A sequel, Tazza: The Hidden Card, was directed by Kang Hyeong-cheol and starred Choi Seung-hyun, Shin Se-kyung, Kwak Do-won and Lee Hanee, with Yoo Hae-jin and Kim Yoon-seok reprising their roles. It began filming on January 2, 2014, and was released on September 3, 2014.^[9]

A second sequel, Tazza: One Eyed Jack, was released in 2019. It was directed by Kwon Oh-kwang and stars Park Jung-min and Ryoo Seung-bum.^[10]

Accolades

Year	Award	Category	Recipients	Result
2006	2nd University Film Festival of Korea^[11]	Best Actor	Cho Seung-woo	Won
	2nd University Film Festival of Korea^[11]	Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Won
	14th Chunsa Film Art Awards	Best Film	Tazza: The High Rollers	Nominated
		Best Director	Choi Dong-hoon	Nominated
		Best Actor	Cho Seung-woo	Nominated
		Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Baek Yoon-sik	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Yoo Hae-jin	Nominated
		Best Editing	Shin Min-kyung	Won
	27th Blue Dragon Film Awards^[12]	Best Film	Tazza: The High Rollers	Nominated
		Best Director	Choi Dong-hoon	Nominated
		Best Actor	Cho Seung-woo	Nominated
		Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Choi Young-hwan	Won
		Best Lighting	Kim Sung-kwan	Nominated
		Technical Award (Editing)	Shin Min-kyung	Nominated
		Popular Star Award	Kim Hye-soo	Won
2007	1st Asian Film Awards	Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Nominated
	43rd Baeksang Arts Awards	Grand Prize (Daesang)	Tazza: The High Rollers	Won
		Best Film	Tazza: The High Rollers	Nominated
		Best Director	Choi Dong-hoon	Won
		Best Actor	Cho Seung-woo	Nominated
		Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Nominated
	8th Newport Beach Film Festival^[13]	Best Feature	The High Rollers	Won
		Best Director	Choi Dong-hoon	Won
		Best Actor	Cho Seung-woo	Won
		Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Won
	44th Grand Bell Awards	Best Director	Choi Dong-hoon	Nominated
		Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Nominated
		Best Supporting Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
		Best Cinematography	Choi Young-hwan	Nominated
		Best Editing	Shin Min-kyung	Nominated
		Best Lighting	Kim Sung-kwan	Nominated
		Best Costumes	Jo Sang-gyeong	Won
	8th Busan Film Critics Awards	Best Screenplay	Choi Dong-hoon	Won
	8th Busan Film Critics Awards	Best Supporting Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
	6th Korean Film Awards	Best Film	Tazza: The High Rollers	Nominated
		Best Director	Choi Dong-hoon	Nominated
		Best Actor	Cho Seung-woo	Nominated
		Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Choi Young-hwan	Nominated
		Best Editing	Shin Min-kyung	Won
		Best Screenplay	Choi Dong-hoon	Won
	1st Korea Movie Star Awards	Best Actor	Cho Seung-woo	Won
		Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Won
		Best Supporting Actor	Kim Yoon-seok	Won
	4th Max Movie Awards	Best Actress	Kim Hye-soo	Nominated

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Tazza: The High Rollers". Variety. 2012-10-08. Archived from the original on 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
^ "Tazza: The High Rollers". Screened.com. 2012-10-08. Archived from the original on 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
^ "Tajja (Tazza: The High Rollers)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
^ "Tazza: The High Rollers". Amazon.com. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
^ "Commercial Releases in 2006: Box-Office Admission Results". Koreanfilm.org. Archived from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
^ Stein, Ruthe; Johnson, G. Allen (2007-02-23). "FILM CLIPS". SFGate. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
^ Zoller Seitz, Matt (2007-02-01). "A Gambling, Scrambling Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
^ Variety Staff (2006-10-17). "Tazza: The High Rollers". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
^ Sunwoo, Carla; Jang, Seo-young (1 August 2014). "Stakes are set high for Tazza sequel". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2014-09-20.
^ "PARK Jung-min and RYOO Seung-bum Get Head-to-Head for TAZZA 3". Korean Film. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2018.
^ "네이버 '타짜' 영화 페이지". Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
^ "The War of Flower - Awards". Cinemasie.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2012-10-02.
^ "Newport Beach Film Festival Newport Beach, USA 2007 Awards". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2018-05-07.

External links

Tazza: The High Rollers at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
Tazza: The High Rollers at IMDb
Tazza: The High Rollers at HanCinema

[credits-1] "Tazza: The High Rollers". Variety. 2012-10-08. Archived from the original on 2012-12-20. Retrieved 2013-02-09.

[2] "Tazza: The High Rollers". Screened.com. 2012-10-08. Archived from the original on 2011-11-18. Retrieved 2012-11-18.

[3] "Tajja (Tazza: The High Rollers)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 2014-08-08. Retrieved 2012-10-02.

[4] "Tazza: The High Rollers". Amazon.com. 18 September 2012. Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2013-02-09.

[5] "Commercial Releases in 2006: Box-Office Admission Results". Koreanfilm.org. Archived from the original on 25 November 2007. Retrieved 21 May 2015.

[6] Stein, Ruthe; Johnson, G. Allen (2007-02-23). "FILM CLIPS". SFGate. Retrieved 2023-11-19.

[7] Zoller Seitz, Matt (2007-02-01). "A Gambling, Scrambling Life". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-11-19.

[8] Variety Staff (2006-10-17). "Tazza: The High Rollers". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-19.

[9] Sunwoo, Carla; Jang, Seo-young (1 August 2014). "Stakes are set high for Tazza sequel". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2014-11-17. Retrieved 2014-09-20.

[10] "PARK Jung-min and RYOO Seung-bum Get Head-to-Head for TAZZA 3". Korean Film. 10 July 2018. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2018.

[11] "네이버 '타짜' 영화 페이지". Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2018-05-07.

[12] "The War of Flower - Awards". Cinemasie.com. Archived from the original on 2011-05-25. Retrieved 2012-10-02.

[13] "Newport Beach Film Festival Newport Beach, USA 2007 Awards". IMDb. Archived from the original on 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2018-05-07.

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v t e Choi Dong-hoon
Films written and directed	The Big Swindle (2004) Tazza: The High Rollers (2006) Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009) The Thieves (2012) Assassination (2015) Alienoid (2022) Alienoid: Return to the Future (2024)
Films written	Boy Goes to Heaven (2005) The Restless (2006)

v t e Baeksang Arts Award Grand Prize – Film
1960s	Kim Jin-kyu (Deaf Sam-yong) (1965) - (1966)^* Late Autumn (1967) Choi Nam-hyun (Legend of Ssarigol) (1968) - (1969)^*
1970s	- (1970)^* - (1971)^* - (1972)^* Gate of Women (1973) - (1974)^* - (1975)^* - (1976)^* Concentration Of Attention (1977) A Splendid Outing (1978) The Last Words from a Comrade in Arms (1979)
1980s	Man-suk, Run! (1980) A Fine, Windy Day (1981) - (1982)^** Village of Haze (1983) Whale Hunting (1984) Deep Blue Night (1985) Gilsoddeum (1986) Moonlight Hunter (1987) Adada (1988) Seoul Rainbow (1989)
1990s	The Lovers of Woomook-baemi (1990) - (1991)^** Stairways of Heaven (1992) Our Twisted Hero (1993) Ahn Sung-ki (Two Cops) (1994) Life and Death of the Hollywood Kid (1995) Park Chul-soo (Farewell my darling) (1996) - (1997)^ - (1998)^ Kang Je-gyu (Shiri) (1999)
2000s	Chunhyang (2000) Libera Me (2001) Sol Kyung-gu (Public Enemy) (2002) The Way Home (2003) Kang Woo-suk (Silmido) (2004) Marathon (2005) King and the Clown (2006) Tazza: The High Rollers (2007) The Chaser (2008) Kang Woo-suk(Public Enemy Returns) (2009)
2010s	Yoon Je-kyoon (Tidal Wave) (2010) Lee Byung-hun (I Saw the Devil) (2011) Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012) Ryu Seung-ryong (Miracle in Cell No. 7) (2013) Song Kang-ho (The Attorney) (2014) Choi Min-sik (The Admiral: Roaring Currents) (2015) Lee Joon-ik (The Throne and Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet) (2016) Park Chan-wook (The Handmaiden) (2017) 1987: When the Day Comes (2018) Jung Woo-sung (Innocent Witness) (2019)
2020s	Bong Joon-ho (Parasite) (2020) Lee Joon-ik (The Book of Fish) (2021) Ryoo Seung-wan (Escape from Mogadishu) (2022) Decision to Leave (2023) Kim Sung-su (12.12: The Day) (2024)
^* awarded to theatrical play; ^** no winner