''Public Enemy Returns'' is a 2008

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

neo-noir Neo-noir is a film genre that adapts the visual style and themes of 1940s and 1950s American film noir for contemporary audiences, often with more graphic depictions of violence and sexuality. During the late 1970s and the early 1980s, the term ...

action thriller film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...

directed by

Kang Woo-suk Kang Woo-suk (; born November 10, 1960, in Gyeongsan) is a South Korean film Film producer, producer and Film director, director. He has often been called the most powerful man in Korean cinema, topping Cine21 magazine's list of '50 Most Powerful ...

. It is the sequel and final film to ''

Public Enemy Public Enemy is an American Hip-hop, hip hop group formed in Roosevelt, New York, in 1985 by Chuck D and Flavor Flav. The group rose to prominence for their political messages including subjects such as Racism in the United States, American r ...

'' (2002) and ''

Another Public Enemy ''Another Public Enemy'' is a 2005 South Korean neo-noir action thriller film and the film is a sequel to ''Public Enemy''. Plot Kang Chul-joong (Sul Kyung-gu), a prosecutor for the Seoul District attorney's office, is a unique one. He prefers go ...

'' (2005), also directed by Kang. 2007 was a poor year for South Korean cinema, largely due to the reduced screen quota from 146 to 73 days as part of the 2007

free trade agreement A free trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating state (polity), states. There are two types of trade agreements: Bilateralism, bilateral and Multilateralism, m ...

between the US and South Korea. This resulted in production costs rising, a series of box office failures, and the number of Korean films sold overseas dropping. During May 2008, only 7.8% of films shown in South Korea were Korean, the lowest level since records began in 2000. It was hoped that the Korean film industry might rally behind ''Public Enemy Returns''. The film sold 4,337,983 tickets nationwide and was the 4th most attended film of 2008.

Synopsis

In debt and out of money, Kang Chul-joong (

Sul Kyung-gu Sul Kyung-gu (; born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Upon his graduation in 1994, he appeared in numerous theatrical productions, such as the hit Korean adaptation of the German rock musical '' Subway Line 1'', and productions of Sam Shep ...

) is tired of being a cop and looking to retire. But his boss gives him one last case, an investigation of the president of Geo Seong Enterprises, Lee Won-sool (

Jung Jae-young Jeong Jae-yeong (born Jeong Ji-hyeon; November 21, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is known for starring in the films '' Guns & Talks'' (2001), '' Silmido'' (2003), '' Someone Special'' (2004), '' Welcome to Dongmakgol'' (2005), '' Public Enem ...

), and some recent murders.

Cast

as Kang Chul-joong *

as Lee Won-sool *

Kang Shin-il Kang Shin-il (born November 26, 1960) is a South Korean actor. Kang graduated from Kyung Hee University with a degree in electronic engineering, but he soon put aside his studies and spent most of his time in Daehangno, Seoul's theater district, ...

as Squad chief Uhm *

Lee Moon-sik Lee Moon-sik (born November 13, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Lee Moon-sik debuted in Jang Jin films of the late 1990s after an illustrious career in Daehak-ro (considered the " Korean Broadway"), where he learned great comic timing, ad-lib ...

as An-soo *

Yoo Hae-jin Yoo Hae-jin (; born January 4, 1970) is a South Korean actor. After graduating with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts, he became a member of Theater troupe The Mokwha Repertoire Company. He has established himself as one of the ...

as Yong-man * Kim Jeong-hak as Detective Kim *

Kim Nam-gil Kim Nam-gil (; born March 13, 1980) is a South Korean actor, producer, director, singer and philanthropist. He is best known from leading roles in period drama ''Portrait of a Beauty'' (2008); adventure film ''The Pirates (2014 film), The Pirate ...

(credited as Lee Han) as Mun-su *

Moon Sung-keun Moon Sung-keun (; born May 28, 1953) is a South Korean actor and politician. He has won three Blue Dragon Film Awards, two Baeksang Arts Awards, and two Chunsa Film Art Awards for Best Actor. Career Moon was born in Tokyo, Japan. His father was ...

as Tae-san *

Lee Min-ho Lee Min-ho (, born June 22, 1987) is a South Korean actor and singer. He gained widespread fame with his role as Gu Jun-pyo in the Korean drama, television series ''Boys Over Flowers (2009 TV series), Boys Over Flowers'' (2009), which also earn ...

as Jung Ha-yeon

Awards and nominations

;

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

"Kang Cheol-Jung : Public Enemy 1-1 - Awards"
. ''Cinemasie''. Retrieved 2013-09-13. * Nomination - Best Actor -

* Nomination - Best New Actor -

;2008

Korean Film Awards The Korean Film Awards was a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the broadcasting network MBC from 2002 to 2010. History Originally named the MBC Film Awards, the ceremony was first established in 2002. It was renamed the Korean Film Awa ...

* Nomination - Best Supporting Actor -

;

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the newspaper ''Hankook Ilbo'', ...

* Grand Prize for Film -

* Nomination - Best Director -

* Nomination - Best Actor -

* Nomination - Best Screenplay -

Jang Jin Jang Jin (born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director, theatre director, playwright, screenwriter, film producer, actor, and TV personality. Career Jang dreamed of becoming a musician in middle school, but his ambition changed when ...

References

External links

* * * * {{hancinema film, Public_Enemy_Returns, Public Enemy Returns Films directed by Kang Woo-suk 2008 films 2000s crime action films Police detective films South Korean crime action films Films about organized crime in South Korea 2000s Korean-language films CJ Entertainment films Cinema Service films 2000s South Korean films