1960s Jet Fighting Classic 빨간마후라 (Red Muffler) Gets a Sequel!

Ha... now that's peculiar nostalgia.

Although twenty-something Korean viewers might react in a different way at the mention of 빨간마후라 (Red Muffler) - don't ask - to old school Korean cinema fans, the title can only mean Shin Sang-Ok's ridiculously fun and over-the-top potboiler from 1964, mixing lightweight propaganda, overwrought melodrama which would make even Top Gun feel subtle, and some truly inspired air battles. Back when it was made, Park Jung-Hee's military junta and its yushin reforms were the rage (?), but despite oozing the usual creed of 1960s politically-themed Chungmuro fare (red complex et al), Red Muffler retained the touch of a master filmmaker. So we find ourselves in 2009, with an increasingly similar government, and.... sure enough, a Red Muffler sequel!

With the 60th anniversary of the war coming next year, plenty of action blockbusters are in the making, including Kwak Kyung-Taek's 2nd Yeonpyeong battle-themed film and another 20 billion won blockbuster focusing on the same exact event - entitled 연평해전 (The Battle at Yellow Sea) - not to mention the Korean War-themed 포화속으로 (Into the Crossfire), which just started shooting. The Red Muffler sequel, an 8 billion won affair directed by 테로리스트 (Terrorist)'s action schlockmeister Kim Young-Bin, will star actors who are currently in the military, only one of the benefits of working with the Korean Air Force (which will provide technical and financial support). Protagonists of the film, which is entitled 잊혀진 영웅들 - 빨간 마후라 2 (Red Muffler 2: Forgotten Heroes), will be the sons and daughters of the first installment's characters, and as the press release trumps, the story will focus on "love, friendship and loyalty to the motherland." Wow... Allons enfant de la patrie, and stuff. It's like the 60s all over again.

Release is planned for August 15, 2010.

[Nate News]