Kim In-kwon (김인권)

2008/04/03 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

One of the most powerful and lasting images in "Sookmyeong" ('Fate'), released on March 20, involves Kim In-kwon as Do-wan, a drug addict notorious for his merciless razor blade skills.

Particularly gruesome is the point when Do-wan uses the much-dreaded weapon against his elusive girlfriend. Even Kim had a hard time figuring out the reason for such a cruel act.

"How can a human being so vicious? Well, I believe Do-wan has a valid reason because he is on the verge of a breakdown after going through a life-or-death moment and, in fact, he has nothing to lose", Kim told The Korea Herald.

Kim, who made his debut as an actor in 1998, has upgraded and amplified his silver-screen image on "Fate". More important, Do-wan's role is central to the movie's plot, together with other central characters played by Korean Wave stars Song Seung-heon and Kwon Sang-woo.

Kim said a little bit of understanding is needed to identify Do-wan's complex and cruel mind-set. "His background is always ...

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2008/03/20 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

In the star-studded gangster film "Fate", friends become foes and "pretty" actors get rough. Actor-turned-director Kim Hae-gon casts hallyu TV stars Kwon Sang-woo ("Stairway to Heaven") and Song Seung-heon ("Autumn in my Heart") and other familiar faces to play unfamiliar roles.

"Fate" is a quintessential commercial flick that feeds on star power, provocative action and melodrama. While weak storytelling and exhausting running time wane the fun, the actors' engaging performances fill in the missing links.

In the dark criminal world of Seoul, U-min (Song), Cheol-jung (Kwon), Do-wan (Kim In-kwon) and Yeong-hwan (Ji Seong) are close friends in a gang. One day, with the help of an older member Gang-seop (Ahn Nae-seong), U-min, Cheol-jung and Do-wan attack the gang's casino so they can start new lives. But their plan goes awry when Cheol-jung betrays them, and U-min goes to prison. He becomes the scapegoat to save his friends' lives.

After serving...

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2008/03/18 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

"Fate" is the talk of the town as actor-turned director Kim Hae-gon brings together not just one but four of the hottest Korean actors in his second feature film: hallyu stars Kwon Sang-woo (2003 SBS drama "Stairway to Heaven") and Seung-heon ("Autumn in My Heart" 2000 KBS2), heartthrob Ji Seong ("All In", 2003 SBS) and bona-fide actor Kim In-kwon ("My Father", 2007).

"The Fate" tells the story of a group of close friends who rule the underworld of Seoul. One day they scheme to steal casino money, so they leave their mob. They almost succeed ― until Cheol-jung (Kwon) betrays them. While Wu-min (Song) is forced to go to prison on behalf of the gang, everyone's lives are torn apart by lustful desires and other mishaps. After serving his two-year term, Wu-min tries to rectify things, including reclaiming his beautiful girlfriend (Park Han-byeol). But unfortunate twists of fate set off one misunderstanding after another, and best friends become t...

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2008/03/18 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

"Fate" (Sukmyeong) packs plenty of heart-pumping action sequences on the strength of high-profile Korean Wave stars but its heavy reliance on stylized images without offering background details stops short of expectations. In the movie, we see the downfall of a handsome and kind-hearted gangster Woo-min (Song Seung-heon) who attempts to hit it big by attacking a casino along with his close friends including Cheol-jung (Kwon Sang-woo).

Somehow, they manage to escape with bags of cash, but it turns out that Cheol-jung, a short-tempered, foul-mouthed money-will-solve-everything villain, has sold them out for a reward in a secret contract that he hopes will land him a comfortable life.

After all, Cheol-jung's unwavering belief about life is that money talks the loudest and nothing else, even lifetime friendship, counts.

Playing a scapegoat, Woo-min serves a two-year prison term, showcasing his willingness to sacrifice for his friends. Once out of prison, however, he realizes that ...

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2007/12/26 | Source | Permalink |  Digg |  del.icio.us | Stumble It! | Share this news

There had been true 'Woman's power' in Korean cinema this year. The 'Cannes Lady', Jeon Do-yeon, who is sweeping through all year-end film awards, is the 2007's queens of the Queen without any further questions. From "200 pounds beauty"'s ' Cinderella ' Kim Ah-joong; 'Shadows in the Palace"'s heroin Park Jin-hee and the returned world star Kim Yoon-jin in "Seven days"; Kim Hye-soo, who never stops being one character in films such as "The War of Flower", "A Good Day to Have an Affair", "Shim's Family" and "Eleventh Mom"; Kim Tae-hee in "Venus and Mars", who tries to take off her angelic image built from various commercial films; to the newbie Han Ye-seul with her debut film, "Miss Gold Digger". Countless beautiful female actors made their own characteristic appeals and produced good results in both local and international arena.

On upcoming New Year, the top male actors are returning to screen, already heating up the atmosphere. First of all, the two most popular Hallyu stars, Song...

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