The crime-action thriller film, V.I.P. was released on August 23rd, 2017, and it gained lots of negative feedback and criticism from viewers. It is because the movie is considered to display scenes that are classified as misogynistic to women. Misogynistic scenes usually display hatred towards women which is often manifested in sexual discrimination, slander, violence, and objectivity of women. In this article, Channel-Korea will provide you with a review of the K-Movie Lee Jong-suk’s crime-thriller V.I.P. Let’s check out more about the actor’s acting and his role in the thriller V.I.P. So, stay tuned and keep scrolling down this article.
Review
The crime-action thriller V.I.P. tells the story of the son of a high-ranking official of North Korea, Kim Gwang-il who is suspected of committing serial killings around the world. He then becomes a fugitive. South Korea, North Korea, and also Interpol chase after him to stop the killer of serial murder cases. V.I.P. illustrates the veiled enmity between intelligence agencies of South Korea and the United States and the police authority between South Korea and North Korea over a North Korean culprit of serial murders who is the son of a major political figure. In the movie, a talented young man named Kim Gwang-il becomes an important figure not only in his home country, North Korea but also in the United States and South Korea. Kim Gwang-il is the son of a political leader in North Korea. Gwang-il used his father’s political arrogance to enjoy life in his own way. However, he has impotence, so he hates women because they make him look helpless in this world. He kidnaps the girls and slaughters them sadistically. With the help of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the National Intelligence Service of South Korea, Kim Gwang-il then manages to escape to South Korea to avoid the North Korean regime. In South Korea, one by one, women are found dead naked and their bodies showing signs of excruciating torture. South Korean police and detectives investigate the serial murder cases and every piece of evidence points to Gwang-il being the prime suspect of the murders. But every time the police try to arrest Gwang-il, he is intercepted by Park Jae-huck, a NIS agent who is behind Gwang-il’s defection to the South and wants to cover up the murder to gather high-quality information about North Korea from him. And things get even more complicated with the involvement of CIA agents who also needed information owned by Gwang-il and a North Korean police officer who quietly crosses the border to South Korea to track him down. The movie has a lack of suspense and familiar and flat characters lessen the audience’s interest in the action noir. The film struggles to find focus amid its many elements. The film seems to cover up its flaws with unabashedly violent scenes, the close faces of women who have been brutally killed, and protracted scenes of a woman who is strangled to death.
Cast
The crime-action thriller V.I.P. is played by senior South Korean actors such as Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, and Park Hwi-soon and handsome young actor Lee Jong-suk. Jang Dong-gun as Park Jae-hyuk. Park Jae-hyuk is an agent who works for the South Korean National Intelligence Service (NIS). In the movie, he helps North Korean serial murderers escape the country to South Korea. He covers up the murder from the South Korean police and detectives to collect high-quality information on North Korea from him. Kim Myung-min as Chae Yi-do. Chae Yi-do is a Police Detective Chief Inspector who leads a special investigation team for a serial murder case and who fights hard to bring a criminal to justice. In his struggle to chase the prime suspect of the murders, he is intercepted by National Intelligence Service agents. Lee Jong-suk as Kim Kwang-il. Kim Kwang-il is a son of a North Korean high ranking political figure who uses his father’s political power arbitrarily and becomes a culprit of serial murders. He manages to escape his home country and travel to South Korea with the help of the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and agent of the South Korean National Intelligence Service. Park Hee-soon as Ri Dae-bum. Ri Dae-bum is a North Korean police officer who was demoted and lost his subordinates for persistently trying to bring the son of a very strong person to justice. He then secretly crosses the border into South Korea to track down Kim Gwang-il. Supporting Roles:
Peter Stormare as Paul Gray: A CIA agent. Oh Dae-hwan Tae In-ho Yoo Jae-myung Park Sung-woong
The crime-action thriller V.I.P.‘s first script reading with actors was held on October 17th, 2016, and shooting began on October 22nd, 2016. The movie premiered on August 23rd, 2017. On July 31st, 2017, the movie had a press conference at CGV in Apgujeong, Seoul. The movie’s leading actors Jang Dong Gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon, and Lee Jong Suk attended the press conference and their perfect visual captured the eyes of the media.
In the movie premier of V.I.P. at the shopping center in Longshan, Director Park Hoon-jung and other cast members talked about the making of the movie. In the film V.I.P, the antagonist role played by Lee Jong-suk said that after he read the script, he was immediately attracted to the role of Kim Kwang-il. He often watches the director’s movies and he thinks that he always longed to be part of this men’s type of film. He also said, “In VIP, Kwang-il has a lot of scenes where he laughs, I want to behave in a slightly different way.” He also explained about the fighting scenes in the movie, “There is a scene when the hair is being pulled, which is a little painful.”
During the premiere of V.I.P., Park Hee-soon revealed his reason for choosing to play a role in the crime action movie. He jokingly said that he had a lot of time which made everyone laugh. He also added, “I was the first to receive the offer so I decided to do it right away.” While Jang Dong-gun explained that he is one of the fans of Director Park Hoo-jung. When he read the script he thought that the story is fun and cool. He said, “The script was like the 4 actors doing a relay race, we led the plot as if we handed over the batons so such traits felt anew and great.”
