The Suspect (2013 South Korean film)

Ji Dong-cheol was once one of the top special forces agent in North Korea, but after a change in political system, he was abandoned by his government while on a mission. He goes on the run, seeking his wife and daughter who were sold as slaves to China, only to discover their corpses. When he learns that an ex-colleague was behind their deaths, Dong-cheol goes on a vendetta for revenge, defecting to the South to chase his family's killer. Now living incognito, he searches for his nemesis during the day, and at night works as a personal chauffeur for Chairman Park, a business executive with ties to Pyongyang. One night the chairman is attacked and killed by an assassin, but not before handing over a special pair of glasses to Dong-cheol. The South Korean intelligence service, a member of which frames Dong-cheol for the murder, goes on the hunt for the beleaguered former spy. The manhunt is led by Min Se-hoon, a colonel and drill sergeant with whom Dong-cheol shares a past, and Kim Seok-ho, a corrupt director of the NIS. Aided by a feisty documentary filmmaker, Dong-cheol goes on the run again while trying to recover top-secret materials that his dying boss sent him to find.

• Gong Yoo as Ji Dong-cheol, a former highly ranked North Korean spy turned defector{{cite web|last=Hong|first=Lucia|title=Gong Yoo to return to theaters as special agent|url=http://www.tenasia.com/gong-yoo-to-return-to-theaters-as-special-agent/|work=TenAsia|access-date=2013-08-06|date=21 August 2012}}{{cite web|title=Tough guy hidden in image of sweet Gong Yoo|url=http://english.donga.com/srv/service.php3?bicode=130000&biid=2013121218288|work=The Dong-a Ilbo|access-date=2014-03-29|date=12 December 2013}}{{cite web|last=Jung|first=Ji-won|title=Gong Yoo shows off his serious side|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2984721|work=Korea JoongAng Daily|access-date=2014-02-11|date=11 February 2014}} investigating the murder of his family and accused of the murder of a business executive
• Park Hee-soon as Min Se-hoon, a South Korean NIS operative demoted to a drill sergeant after a failed mission where Ji Dong-cheol spared him
• Jo Sung-ha as Kim Seok-ho, a corrupt NIS director, the main antagonist
• Yoo Da-in as Choi Kyung-hee, filmmaker of a documentary on North Korean defectors who follows Dong-cheol around and sympathizes with his past
• Kim Sung-kyun as Ri Kwang-jo, a North Korean defector who Ji Dong-cheol believes killed his family
• Jo Jae-yoon as Captain Jo, who assists Min Se-hoon and investigates Ji Dong-cheol's innocence
• Park Ji-il as Executive director Song
• Kim Min-jae as Reporter Joo
• Kim Eui-sung as Deputy department head Shin
• Won Poong-yeon as Kim Seok-ho's underling
• Won Jin as SA1
• Song Jae-rim as Professor Kim / SA2
• Choi Jong-ryul as Butler Moon
• Nam Bo-ra as Ji Dong-cheol's wife
• Lee Na-eun as Ri Kwang-jo's wife
• Song Jae-ho as Haejoo Group chairman Park Geon-ho
• Gi Ju-bong as Coroner
• Jo Seok-hyun as Colonel Choi
• Lee Yong-jik as Bearded stranger
• Choi Tae-hwan as Mysterious casualty
• Lee Dong-jin as North wanderer
• Seo Hyun-woo

Yoon Kye-sang was originally cast in the lead role, but dropped out after co-star Choi Min-sik left the project.{{cite web|last=Sunwoo|first=Carla|title=Yoon Kye-sang to star in action extravaganza|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2949180|work=Korea JoongAng Daily|access-date=2014-02-19|date=1 March 2012}}

Gong Yoo was eventually cast, and the protagonist's name "Ji Dong-cheol" is similar to the actor's birth name, Gong Ji-cheol. To create the right physique for his role, Gong went on a diet for three months to reduce his body fat. He learned the Russian martial art Systema for the film's fight scenes, and performed car chases, rock climbing and skydiving at the Han River without using stuntmen.

The film was partly shot in Puerto Rico in April 2013.{{cite web|last=Hong|first=Grace Danbi|title=Gong Yoo Hits Up Puerto Rico and is Welcomed by Fans|url=http://mwave.interest.me/enewsworld/en/article/34549/gong-yoo-goes-to-puerto-rico|work=enewsworld|access-date=2014-02-08|date=23 April 2013}}{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Eun-ah|title=Actor Gong Yoo's New Action Flick Cranks Up|url=http://www.tenasia.com/actor-gong-yoos-new-action-flick-cranks-up/|work=TenAsia|access-date=2013-08-06|date=5 June 2013}}

The Suspect opened in South Korea on December 24, 2013. It was a box office hit, with 4.1 million admissions.{{cite web|last=Conran|first=Pierce|title=THE ATTORNEY Reaches 8 Million Admissions, Spy Thriller THE SUSPECT Goes over 3 Million|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2866|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2014-02-08|date=7 January 2014}}{{cite web|last=Tae|first=Sang-joon|title=Box Office: January 2-15, 2014|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/reports.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=270|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2014-02-08|date=20 January 2014}}

The film's distribution rights was sold to seven territories, including North America, Japan, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, the Middle East and German-speaking countries.{{cite web|last=Conran|first=Pierce|title=THE SUSPECT to Screen in 7 Countries|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2854|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2014-02-08|date=31 December 2013}}{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Cory|title=Gong Yoo's New Action Movie Sold to 7 Countries|url=http://www.tenasia.com/gong-yoos-new-action-movie-sold-to-7-countries/|work=TenAsia|access-date=2014-02-08|date=31 December 2013}}{{cite web|last=Conran|first=Pierce|title=Buyers Target THE SUSPECT in EFM|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2925|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2014-02-20|date=18 February 2014}} Will Go USA screened the film in 15 theaters in the United States on January 10, 2014.{{cite web|last=Tae|first=Sang-joon|title=THE SUSPECT Receives Positive Reviews Following US Opening|url=http://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/news.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=316|work=Korean Cinema Today|access-date=2014-02-08|date=20 January 2014}}

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 75% based on eight reviews, with an average rating of 6.67/10.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_suspect_2013/|title=The Suspect (Youg-eui-ja) (2013)|website=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=May 15, 2020}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/the-suspect|title=The Suspect Reviews|publisher=Metacritic|access-date=May 15, 2020}}

The Los Angeles Times praised the film's "inspired and teeth-grittingly determined" set pieces.{{cite web|last=Kang|first=Inkoo|title=Review: North Korean refugee or spy? Right now, he's The Suspect|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-suspect-review-20140110-story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304041010/http://articles.latimes.com/2014/jan/09/entertainment/la-et-mn-suspect-review-20140110|url-status=live|archive-date=March 4, 2014|work=Los Angeles Times|access-date=2014-02-08|date=9 January 2014}} The Washington Post wrote that the film "should entertain any action buff,"{{cite news|last=Jenkins|first=Mark|title=The Suspect movie review: Some jump cuts and gunplay with your subtitles|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/movies/the-suspect-movie-review-some-jump-cuts-and-gunplay-with-your-subtitles/2014/01/08/18ff76e0-7167-11e3-8def-a33011492df2_story.html|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2014-02-08|date=10 January 2014}} while Screen Daily, a film journal in the UK, also gave a good review: "the style of the action scenes is so explosive and immersive that the movie even threatens the reputation of the 007 series."{{cite web|last=Bechervaise|first=Jason|title=The Suspect|url=http://www.screendaily.com/reviews/the-latest/the-suspect/5064961.article|work=Screen Daily|access-date=2014-02-08|date=23 December 2013}} The New York Times reviewed that the "guns-or-butter dichotomy" is "more resonant than you'd expect."{{cite web|last=Webster|first=Andy|title=A Korean Who's More Than He Seems|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/10/movies/gong-yoo-stars-in-the-suspect.html|work=The New York Times|access-date=2014-02-08|date=9 January 2014}}

{{reflist|2}}

• {{official website|http://suspect.kr/}} {{in lang|ko}}
• {{kmdb film|13865|The Suspect}}
• {{IMDb title|3404158|The Suspect}}
• {{Hancinema film|The_Suspect|The Suspect}}

{{Won Shin-yun}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suspect (2013 film), The}}

Category:South Korean action thriller films

Category:South Korean spy thriller films

Category:2013 films

Category:2010s Korean-language films

Category:Films directed by Won Shin-yun

Category:South Korean chase films

Category:2013 action thriller films

Category:2010s spy thriller films

Category:2010s South Korean films