''Public Enemy Returns'' is a 2008 South Korean film directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is the sequel to ''

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

'' (2002) and '' Another Public Enemy'' (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 states. There are two types of trade agreements: bilateral and multilateral. Bilateral trade agreements occ ...

between the US and

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

. 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 (

Sol Kyung-gu Sol Kyung-gu (born May 14, 1967) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in ''Public Enemy'' film series, ''Peppermint Candy'', ''Oasis'', '' Silmido'', ''Hope'' and '' The Merciless''. Career Sol was born in Seocheon on May 1, 1 ...

) 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's best known for his roles in the critically acclaimed films '' Silmido'' (2003), ''Right Now, Wrong Then'' (2015), and '' On the Beach at Night Alone'' (2017). ...

), 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 pr ...

as An-soo *

Yoo Hae-jin Yoo Hae-jin (born January 4, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career As a child, Yoo Hae-jin would often slip in through the backdoor of a cultural center near his home to watch events that were being held there. After seeing a play in eighth gra ...

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

Kim Nam-gil Kim Nam-gil () is a South Korean actor, producer, director, singer and philanthropist. He is best known from leading roles in disaster blockbuster '' Pandora'' (2016); crime thriller '' Memoir of a Murderer '' (2017); adventure film '' The Pira ...

(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, singer, model, creative director and businessman. He gained widespread fame worldwide with his role as Gu Jun-pyo in ''Boys Over Flowers'' (2009) which also earned him the Best New Acto ...

as Jung Ha-yeon

Awards and nominations

;

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

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

* Nomination - Best New Actor -

;2008 Korean Film Awards * Nomination - Best Supporting Actor -

; 2009

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 first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

* Grand Prize for Film - Kang Woo-suk * Nomination - Best Director - Kang Woo-suk * 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. Considered one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from the 1990s Korean cinema renaiss ...

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