Joong-ho is a dirty detective turned pimp, who's in financial trouble as several of his girls have recently disappeared without clearing their debts. While trying to track them down, he finds a clue that the vanished girls were all called up by the same client, whom one of his girls is meeting with right now.
Acting
Ha Jung-woo's dead-eyed politeness chills to the bone.
Direction
Na Hong-jin's debut already fully formed, vicious, precise.
Editing
Real-time tension that makes 125 minutes feel like suffocation.
Director
Na Hong-jin
Kim Yun-seok
Eom Jung-ho
Ha Jung-woo
Ji Young-min
Seo Young-hee
Kim Mi-jin
Kim Yoo-jung
Eun-ji
Jeong In-gi
Detective Lee
Choi Jung-woo
Chief of Police
Min Kyung-jin
Captain
Park Hyo-ju
Detective Oh
Oh Yeon-ah
Seong-hee
Yoo Ji-yeon
Hee-jung
Kim Sun-young
Ji-yeong
Lee Jong-gu
Profiler
Song Yo-sep
Detective Kang
Ha Sung-kwang
Detective Park
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The real Yoo Young-chul killed 20 people; the film's hammer became infamous enough that hardware stores reportedly saw sales spikes.
Released during Korea's 'New Wave' explosion, it helped establish the 'Korean thriller' as global export—grimy, social-critical, technically masterful.
KR
