VENICE, Italy . Ryoo Seung-wan's "The City of Violence" (Chakpae) was the sole Korean film invited to this year's Venice Film Festival. Ryoo's fifth feature film was screened at the festival, one of the world's leading film events, as part of the midnight screenings on Sept. 1st.
In "The City of Violence", 'Action Kid' Ryoo has once again tracked the paths of genre filmmaking with film aptly reminiscent of the Oriental tradition of kung fu movies, blended with a zest of the peculiar brand of Western incepted by Italian master Sergio Leone, the spaghetti western.
It's a story of a Seoul cop who returns to his native town to investigate the suspicious murder of an old time friend, and uncovers a web of corruption revolving around the development of a casino in the city. Ryoo told us about the film in Venice.
Q: The original concept of "The City of Violence" came from main actor Jeong Doo-heong, a wellappreciated stunt and action choreographer. How did you work with him in developing the script and the shooting?
A: I had previously worked with Jeong in my other films. For this movie, we developed the script together all along, and we also planned the action sequences and their choreography together. I believe that the movie, his martial arts and my work as director matched together very well, and combined in the best way possible.
Q: For the first time in "The City of Violence" you are playing one of the main roles. Why did you choose to act in the film? Are you intending to act in your future projects as well?
A: I must confess that the primary reason was just financial. This film is a low budget production compared to my previous films, so I wanted to save money from the casting process. Furthermore, there's lot of hard action in The City of Violence, which implies a risk of injury for the actor. I also thought that by playing this character myself, I would best express my views and feelings about him. However, I don't think you will see me acting in my next film.
Q: Some critics argued that the film is somehow inspired by Korean action movies of the 1960s and 1970s. Is it so?
A: It is not actually true. I would rather say that I was influenced by one of my favorite movies, Im Kwon-taek's "The General's Son ". You may actually notice that the climax scene of my film, the one in the tavern, reminds a lot a similar sequence of Im's film. Furthermore, I would say that there's a big deal of influence from the classics of Shaw Brothers in the film.
Q: Here at Venice, you took part in the demonstrations against the reduction of the screen quota in Korea. What is your view and on this burning issue?
A: Issues concerning the screen quota are politically and economically very complex. I would say the political side of it played a great part in the reduction. However I feel that the screen quota is needed to safeguard the health and success of Korean industry. That is why we need the largest support from the international film community.
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