Director Lee Myung-Se once said that he sees film critics as a sort of poets, and although there are in fact a few critics who write about film with the energy of poets, that comparison fits a lot more with screenwriters, and especially directors. The visual poetry in Song Il-Gon and Lee's own films, like 형사 Duelist and Song's 깃 (Feathers in the Wind), or in the former's case, the great dialogue of films like 올드보이 (Oldboy) and 연애의 목적 (Rules of Dating). But although there have been several novelists turning into directors, most famous being Lee Chang-Dong of 오아시스 (Oasis), there's someone in Chungmuro who went from being a poet, to writing his own poetry using a camera: Yoo Ha. Starting his career as a poet in the late 80s, eventually Yoo turned to films, adapting his 바람부는 날이면 압구정동에 가야 한다 (We Must Go To Apgujung-Dong On Windy Days) for the big screen in 1993. Actually that wasn't his first experience in the film world, as he directed a short in 1990 entitled 시인 구보씨의 하루 (A Day in the Life of Poet Gu-Bo). But despite its great title, Apgujung-Dong didn't make much of a mark at the box office.
If anything, its legacy will remain that of marking Eom Jung-Hwa's leading debut (but not her first film), starring alongside Choi Min-Soo and a few interesting cameos (from N.EX.T. lead singer Shin Hae-Cheol to Bae Byung-Soo, perhaps the most important 'manager of the stars' in early 90s Chungmuro). Although director Yoo would remain quiet on the film front for almost a decade, he made a name for himself in the world of poetry in the following years. Yet, all of a sudden, Yoo came back to Chungmuro with one of 2002's most interesting films, 결혼은 미친 짓이다 (Marriage is a Crazy Thing). Bringing Eom Jung-Hwa back to the big screen alongside talented Gam Woo-Sung of 왕의 남자 (The King and the Clown), the film offered a mature view of marriage and all the hypocrisy Korean society wraps around this institution. Funny, sexy, with intelligent dialogue and top notch performances, Marriage showed Yoo Ha was a director to look out for. But the film which really brought him near the A-List of Korean directors was 2004's 말죽거리 잔혹사 (Once Upon a Time in High School). A mix of coming of age drama tropes, combined with an eclectic look at how violence shaped the youth of many Koreans during the 70s, the film brought to the stage the acting talent of Kwon Sang-Woo, who before the film was just considered a pretty face.
One of the many film noir under production at the moment in Chungmuro, Yoo's fourth film 비열한 거리 (A Dirty Carnival) shares some interesting points in common with the 2004 film. For starters, this is supposedly the second in a trilogy of 'Jopok films' Yoo will direct. Whereas Kwon Sang-Woo's Hyun-Soo came into contact with violence and its consequences in the first, this second 'installment' looks at the central character's introduction into the world of organized crime. And the third and final film, which is still a question mark but should go into production next year (unless this ends up becoming a huge flop, and Yoo changes his mind), would deal with a 40-something gangster reflecting at his deeds and his life within the 'family' after a long career, a sort of 'hard boiled Sopranos in Korea'. Of course, action will be an important element just like it was in Once Upon a Time in High School. And we're dealing with raw, brutal, streetfight-style action, from talented action choreographer Shim Jae-Myung, responsible for the action in 죽거나 혹은 나쁘거나 (Die Bad), 친구 (Friend), 품행제로 (Conduct Zero), 태풍 (Typhoon), 똥개 (Mutt Boy) and obviously Yoo's previous film. If you remember the scene on the rooftop near the end of Once Upon a Time in High School, and the final fight in Conduct Zero, you'll see Shim has a very unique style. He combines the hard hitting action of Jung Doo-Hong, but gives it a very emotional spin, somewhat even more removed from technique than Jung's work.
But the biggest point in common is casting. Days after the casting for Once Upon a Time in High School was announced in late 2003, I had big doubts over this film. After all, Kwon Sang-Woo might have done well in 동갑내기 과외하기 (My Tutor Friend), but he never really showed anything special in terms of serious acting in the past, especially looking at his agonizingly bad TV Dramas; co-star Lee Jung-Jin had a past as a child actor, and even starred in the popular sitcom 순풍 산부인과 (Soonpoong Clinic), but with the possible exception of the super-fun dorky comedy 해적, 디스코 왕 되다 (Bet on My Disco), acting wasn't exactly his calling card. Finally, Han Ga-In did star in the great Daily Drama 노란 손수건 (Yellow Handkerchief), but then again that was the only time she showed anything of note, and the show's success was certainly not influenced by her performance. Three relatively new, pretty faces, with largely untested acting skills. But the film changed the three's career completely. Sure, Lee and Han haven't really made any drastic improvement, but they're slowly evolving as performers, and despite his bad career choices, Kwon Sang-Woo is still one of the most promising young talents in the industry.
Now look at the cast for A Dirty Carnival, and tell me it doesn't remind you of what happened with the 2004 film: the lead goes to Jo In-Sung, who still hasn't taken advantage of his screen presence, starring in lame duck TV Dramas -- with the possible exception of the excellent 별을 쏘다 (Shooting Stars) and 2004's 발리에서 생긴일 (What Happened in Bali) -- and star vehicles on the big screen. Of course I wouldn't compare him to Kwon Sang-Woo, at least in terms of potential, but he's a good performance away from becoming a respected actor. Of course starring in things like 봄날 (Spring Days) doesn't exactly help. On the other side we have the stunningly beautiful Lee Bo-Young, seemingly another pretty face populating Korean TV. But she did show quite an improvement in the recent Historical Drama 서동요 (The Ballad of Seo Dong), even showing some fire in the most intense episodes. Rounding up the package the Lee Jung-Jin of this situation, Namgoong Min, who tends to do pretty well when well directed and surrounded by top notch performers -- like in last year's 장밋빛 인생 (Life in Pink) -- but he clearly needs guidance. The circle repeats itself, from Kwon Sang-Woo to Jo In-Sung, from Han Ga-In to Lee Bo-Young, from Lee Jung-Jin to Namgoong Min. It's not a given Yoo will be able to get the kind of performances he got from the young leads in Once Upon a Time in High School, but I sort of trust him.
The 7 Billion Won noir A Dirty Carnival stars Jo In-Sung as Byeon-Doo, a sort of younger version of Kang-Jae (Choi Min-Shik) from 파이란 (Failan). His existence within the 'family' is precarious to say the least, having the luxury of controlling an arcade and doing petty jobs for his 형님들 (older 'brothers'). Struggling in between this lowly job, and the competition from newcomers in the family, Byeon-Doo arrives at a crossroad in his 'career'. Do a big hit and join the gang the way he deserves, but also risk both his rank in the gang, but most importantly his life. Rounding up the cast are Yoo regulars like Cheon Ho-Jin, Lee Jong-Hyuk and Choi Jae-Hwan, for what looks to be one of the most interesting releases of the Summer. When can we see this baby? Right after the World Cup.
You could interpret this film as a look into the 'future' of the characters in 말죽거리 잔혹사 (Once Upon a Time in High School).
Yoo Ha: After that film, I wanted to try something with a strong, passionate masculine element within genre boundaries. More than being a follow up to Once Upon a Time in High School looking at those characters' future, I'm trying to expand the concept I used in the first film. If you look at the film and see the moment Hyun-Soo (Kwon Sang-Woo) hits his foe with nunchakus from behind as the beginning of his involvement in the 조폭 (jopok, organized crime) world, then this film looks at how this involvement translates into an introduction to that scene, how becoming a gangster for the central character became possible.
Of all people, why gangsters?
Yoo: It might be because of the repressive educational system I went through during the Yushin era influencing me, but I've always been interested in what's commonly called 조폭성 (gangster mentality) or collective violence. But more than that, I simply focus on the allegory of a gangster's life. Disguising himself as a 30 something gangster in a small city, Byeon-Doo (Jo In-Sung) ends up stabbing his 'seniors' in the back, and looks at other people as if they were the only ones living a pitiful life. More than just an examination of masculinity, the film also deals with the idea of 'family', that kind of collective mentality forming between gangsters.
There's a strong element of action in the film. How would you describe the concept behind that?
Yoo: I refuse to call this an action film, as all the action in the film is at the service of drama. If I had to explain the style I used, it's the same kind of 'real action' you could find in Once Upon a Time in High School. But because knives are involved this time, things tend to get a little more intense.
You cast Kwon Sang-Woo as a timid 'model student', and this time it's Jo In-Sung. You keep surprising with your casting choices.
Yoo: The first image of Byeon-Doo I had in mind was of this 29 year old who went through much more than his age made it appear. But then I met Jo, and I loved how his eyes combined that vivid energy with a cold-hearted streak. I think this idea that good looking men don't match with the general idea of gangsters was yes a risk, but that also created a stimulus to do better.
Is there any relation to Martin Scorsese's Mean Streets [Korean titles of this film and Scorsese's are the same]? I heard the English title will be 'A Dirty Carnival'.
Yoo: The title I had in mind originally was 비루한 것들의 카니발 (A Carnival of Pitiful Thugs). Like this film, that combination of a party atmosphere with death, and that mix of self-reflection of enchanting charm fit well. But since it looked like a title for a 100,000 ticket seller.... (laughs). There's really no relation to Scorsese's film, but I really like his Goodfellas.