The Man from Nowhere (2010 film)

{{Infobox film

|name = The Man from Nowhere

|image = The Man from Nowhere poster.jpg

|caption = Theatrical release poster

|native_name = {{Infobox Korean|child=yes

|hangul = 아저씨

|rr = Ajeossi

|mr = Ajŏssi}}

|director = Lee Jeong-beom

|producer = Lee Tae-heon

|writer = Lee Jeong-beom

|starring = {{plainlist|

}}

|music = Shim Hyun-jung

|cinematography = Lee Tae-yoon

|editing = Kim Sang-bum

|distributor = CJ Entertainment

|released = {{Film date|2010|8|4}}

|runtime = 119 minutes

|country = South Korea

|language = Korean

|gross = {{USD|43 million}}{{cite web|work=Box Office Mojo|title=The Man from Nowhere|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl3344991745/weekend/|access-date=2021-03-09}}

}}

The Man from Nowhere ({{korean|아저씨||Ajeossi|lit=Mister}}) is a 2010 South Korean neo-noir action-thriller film starring Won Bin and written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. In the film, a mysterious man embarks on a bloody rampage when his young neighbor is kidnapped.

The Man from Nowhere was the highest-grossing film in South Korea in 2010.{{cite web|title=The Best Selling Films of 2010|url=http://koreanfilm.org/kfilm10.html|work=Korean Film Council via Koreanfilm.org|access-date=2021-03-09}} It was released in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2010. The film also marked Won's final appearance as an actor to date.

Plot

Cha Tae-sik is a quiet man running a pawnshop. His only friend is So-mi, a little girl from the same neighborhood. So-mi's mother Hyo-jeong is a go-go dancer and opium addict. Instructed by her lover, Hyo-jeong steals a large pack of opium being sold at the bar where she works and hides it in a camera bag, which she pawns to Tae-sik for safekeeping. Drug lord Oh Myung-gyu tasks his subordinate brothers, Man-seok and Jong-seok, with retrieving the opium. Jong-seok locates Hyo-jeong and tortures her in front of So-mi until she reveals the location of the drugs.

Jong-seok's lackeys Du-chi and Bear go to the pawnshop, but Tae-sik easily overpowers them. Holding So-mi hostage, Jong-seok forces Tae-sik to deliver the opium to Myung-gyu. Man-seok, tired of working for his brother, informs the police, but Myung-gyu evades arrest. Tae-sik is arrested after discovering Hyo-jeong's body with her organs harvested in the back of his car. Tae-sik escapes from the police station, alarming them with his display of combat skills. Upon further investigation, the officers discover that Tae-sik was a former covert operative for South Korean Army Intelligence, but retired after an assassin killed his pregnant wife.

The brothers track down Hyo-jeong's lover and kill him, while the brothers' bodyguard Ramrowan kills Myung-gyu, thus allowing the brothers to take over his operations. Following a lead from the burner phone Jong-seok gave him, Tae-sik tracks Du-chi to a nightclub. As Tae-sik asks about the brothers, Ramrowan walks in and shoots at them, killing Du-chi and wounding Tae-sik. Tae-sik escapes and finds his former partner, who nurses him back to health and helps him acquire a gun. Tae-sik goes back to the city and discovers a drug manufacturing plant; in the process of destroying it, he kills Jong-seok and frees the enslaved child workers.

Tae-sik confronts Man-seok's gang at his condominium. Claiming that he had So-mi's eyes harvested, Man-seok shows Tae-sik a container with two preserved eyeballs. Enraged, Tae-sik brutally kills the gang members, including Ramrowan and Man-seok. As Tae-sik prepares to commit suicide out of grief, a dirty but unharmed So-mi finds him. Ramrowan, who took pity on her because she had been kind to him, had spared her life—the eyes in the container belonged to the gangsters' surgeon. The police allow Tae-sik and So-mi to ride together after Tae-sik's arrest. When So-mi falls asleep, Tae-sik asks them to stop at a small convenience store where he buys a backpack along with other school supplies. Tae-sik tells So-mi that she is going to be on her own as the police have to take him away. Before leaving, Tae-sik asks her for a hug and breaks down in tears as they embrace.

Cast

Won Bin as Cha Tae-sik
Kim Sae-ron as So-mi
Kim Hee-won as Man-seok
Kim Sung-oh as Jong-seok, Man-Seok's brother
Kim Tae-hoon as Detective Kim Chi-gon
Thanayong Wongtrakunl as Lum Ramrowan
Lee Do-gyeom as Child at workplace
Kim Hyo-seo as Hyo-jeong, So-mi's mother
Lee Jong-yi as Detective No
Song Young-chang as Oh Myung-gyu
Jo Seok-hyuon as Moon Dal-seo
Jo Jae-yoon as Jang Doo-sik
Hong So-hee as Yeon-soo
Hwang Min-ho as Nam Sung-Sik
Kwak Byung-Kyu as Detective Kim
Lee Jae-won as Du-chi

Release

During its August 6–8 opening weekend, the film recorded 712,840 admissions, taking the number 1 spot on the box office charts for five weeks straight. It had sold a total of 6,228,300 tickets when it finished its theatrical run on November 17, 2010. The film grossed a total of {{USD|42,484,155}} in South Korea.{{cite web|work=Box Office Mojo|title=South Korea Box Office|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/intl/korea/?yr=2010&wk=46&p=new|access-date=2021-03-09}} On October 1, 2010 CJ Entertainment gave the film a limited theatrical release to North American theaters where it grossed {{USD|35,751}} in 1 theater its opening weekend. After widening the release up to 19 theaters, the film grossed {{USD|528,175}} in the U.S. and Canada.

Reception

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|100|6.3|8}} Russell Edwards of Variety wrote "Brutal violence dominates the dynamic Korean thriller The Man From Nowhere. Local heartthrob Won Bin (Mother, Tae Guk Gui) transforms himself into an action hero in writer-helmer Lee Jeong-beom's swift and blood-soaked yarn, about a mystery man who gets caught up in a gang war while trying to protect a child, recalling Luc Besson's The Professional."{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2010/film/reviews/the-man-from-nowhere-1117943932/|title=Brutal violence dominates the dynamic, glossy Korean thriller The Man from Nowhere|date=2010-10-27|first=Russell|last=Edwards|access-date=2021-03-09}}

=Awards=

2010: (19th) Buil Film Awards – October 8{{cite web|url=http://www.busan.com/w2010/builfilm/013.html|title=19th Award Winning Film|access-date=2021-03-09|website=Busan Ilbo|date=2010-10-08}}
Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
Special Award (Buil Independence Judge): The Man from Nowhere
2010 (19th) Philadelphia Film Festival – October 14–24
"Graveyard Shift Special Mention": The Man from Nowhere
2010: (47th) Grand Bell Awards – October 29{{cite web|url=https://www.hancinema.net/won-bin-won-his-first-daejong-best-actor-award--he-said-acting-skill-is-still-my-concern-25739.html|title=Won Bin won his first Daejong Best Actor Award|access-date=2021-03-09|work=HanCinema|date=2010-10-30}}
Best Actor: Won Bin
Popularity Award: Won Bin
Best Editing: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum
Best Visual Effects: Kim Tae-ui
2010: (8th) Korean Film Awards – November 18{{cite web|url=https://www.hancinema.net/won-bin-won-best-actor-award-in-korea-film-awards---the-man-from-nowhere-won-7-awards-26130.html|title=Won Bin won Best Actor Award in Korea Film Awards|access-date=2021-03-09|work=HanCinema|date=2010-11-18}}{{cite web|url=http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?sec=ent5&idxno=2010111911130258918|title=The Man from Nowhere sweeps Korea Film Awards|access-date=2021-03-09|work=10Asia|date=2010-11-19}}
Best Actor: Won Bin
Best New Actress: Kim Sae-ron
Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
Best Lighting: Lee Cheol-oh
Best Editing: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum
Best Visual Effects: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes)
Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
2010: (31st) Blue Dragon Film Awards – November 26{{cite web|url=http://www.hancinema.net/2010-blue-dragon-film-awards-winners-26303.html|title=2010 Blue Dragon Film Awards Winners|access-date=2021-03-09|work=HanCinema|date=2010-11-27}}
Technical Award: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes)
Popularity Award: Won Bin
Box Office Award: The Man from Nowhere
2010: (2nd) Korean Wave Industry Awards – December 4
Popular Culture Award (Film section): The Man from Nowhere
2010: (6th) University Film Festival of Korea – December 13
Best Director: Lee Jeong-beom
Best Actor: Won Bin
Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
2010: (13th) Director's Cut Awards – December 17
Best Production: Opus Pictures (Lee Tae-heon) The Man from Nowhere
2010: (11th) National Assembly Society of Popular Culture & Media Awards (Korea) – December 20
Movie of the Year: The Man from Nowhere
2011: (2nd) Film Journalists Association Annual Film Awards (Korea) – January 27
Best Actor: Won Bin
2011: (8th) MaxMovie Awards – February 1
Best Director: Lee Jeong-beom
Best Actor: Won Bin
Best New Actress: Kim Sae-ron
2011: (3rd) Beaune International Thriller Film Festival – March 30 – April 3{{cite web|url=http://www.beaunefestivalpolicier.com/2011/index.php?lang=en|title=The Awards 2011|access-date=2011-04-04|work=film festival official site|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110428123202/http://www.beaunefestivalpolicier.com/2011/index.php?lang=en|archive-date=2011-04-28|url-status=usurped}}{{cite web|url=http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/nowhere-kingdom-stir-beaune|title=Nowhere, Kingdom stir Beaune|access-date=2011-04-04|work=Film Business Asia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110408123324/http://www.filmbiz.asia/news/nowhere-kingdom-stir-beaune|archive-date=2011-04-08|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hancinema.net/the-international-festival-of-detective-films-of-beaune-2011-winners-29096.html|author=Grobler, Craig|title=The International Festival of Detective Films of Beaune 2011: the winners!|date=2011-04-09|access-date=2021-03-09|website=HanCinema}}
Grand Prize: The Man from Nowhere
2011: (47th) Baeksang Arts Awards – May 26
Best Film: The Man from Nowhere
2011: (33rd) Golden Cinematography Awards – September 1
Gold Medal Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon

Soundtrack

{{Infobox album

|name = The Man from Nowhere Original Soundtrack

|type = Soundtrack

|artist = Mad Soul Child, Mystery

|cover =

|alt =

|released = {{Start date|2010|8|4}}

|recorded = 2010

|venue =

|studio =

|genre = Soundtrack

|length = 3:59

|label =

|producer =

|prev_title = LALALA

|prev_year = 2009

|next_title =

|next_year =

}}

Soundtrack list:

The Man from Nowhere
In Tae - Sik s Memory
Trash Can
Mother In Danger
Chasing Her
Chain Of Mystery
Fights In Golf Club
Finding Clue
Dark Knight
Somi in Danger
Surviving Today
Agent. Tae - Sik
Dirty Cash - Mystery
His Path Of Life
There's No One But You
Shave Himself
Delivering Drug
Jump Off
Spit - Mystery
The Last Bullet
Ajussi
Dear - Mad Soul Child

Legacy

John Wick was influenced by The Man from Nowhere along with Park Chan-wook's The Vengeance Trilogy (2002–2005). They influenced the film due to "[their] minimalist composition and graphic nature."{{cite web |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/2hwln0/hi_rmovies_were_chad_stahelski_david_leitch/ |title=Chad Stahelski & David Leitch, longtime stunt coordinators & performers, founders of 87Eleven Action Design, and the filmmakers responsible for the new Keanu Reeves action-thriller John Wick... Ask us anything! |date=September 30, 2014 |work=Reddit |access-date=September 30, 2014}}

=Remake=

In March 2012, Dimension Films acquired the rights to do an English-language remake of The Man from Nowhere; plans are to have Shawn Christensen, who wrote and directed the 2012 short film Curfew, write the adaptation.{{cite web|last=Brooks|first=Brian|url=https://deadline.com/2012/03/shawn-christensen-to-write-the-man-from-nowhere-redo-for-dimension-films-241259/|title=Shawn Christensen To Write The Man from Nowhere Redo For Dimension Films|work=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=2021-03-09|date=2012-03-08}}{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2016/film/news/man-from-nowhere-remake-korean-new-line-1201806149/|last=McNary|first=David|title=Korean Action-Thriller 'Man From Nowhere' Getting Remake From New Line|magazine=Variety|date=2016-07-26}} On August 5, 2020, it was reported that the remake will be produced by John Wick director Chad Stahelski and Jason Spitz with a script provided by Derek Kolstad for New Line Cinema.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2020/08/chad-stahelski-produce-man-from-nowhere-new-line-john-wick-derek-kolstad-1203003963/|last=Kroll|first=Justin|title=Chad Stahelski To Produce 'Man From Nowhere' Remake At New Line, Reuniting With 'John Wick' Scribe Derek Kolstad|work=Deadline Hollywood|date=2020-08-05|access-date=2021-03-09}}

A Hindi remake titled Rocky Handsome directed by Nishikant Kamat starring John Abraham and Diya Chalwad was released on 25 March 2016.{{cite web|last=Bhattacharya|first=Roshmila|title=John Abraham plays a killing machine in 'Rocky Handsome'|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/hindi/bollywood/news-interviews/John-Abraham-plays-a-killing-machine-in-Rocky-Handsome/articleshow/33370769.cms|work=Mumbai Mirror via The Times of India|access-date=2014-04-16|date=7 April 2014}}{{cite web|title=John Abraham's Rocky Handsome to release in February 2015|url=https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/john-abrahams-rocky-handsome-to-release-in-february-2015/|work=The Indian Express|access-date=2021-03-09|date=2014-04-07}}{{cite news|url=https://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report-john-abraham-shruti-hassan-s-next-rocky-handsome-s-release-date-announced-2122766|title=John Abraham, Shruti Hassan's next 'Rocky Handsome's release date announced|work=DNA India|publisher=Zee News|date=2015-09-07|access-date=2021-03-09}}

References

External links

{{Official website|http://www.ajussi2010.co.kr}} {{in lang|ko}}
{{IMDb title|1527788}}
{{KMDb film|12273}}
{{Hancinema film|The_Man_From_Nowhere|The Man from Nowhere}}
[http://movie.naver.com/movie/bi/mi/detail.nhn?code=71509 The Man from Nowhere] at Naver {{in lang|ko}}