''Libera Me'' () is a 2000 South Korean

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

blockbuster film about a mentally-unbalanced

arsonist Arson is the crime of willfully and deliberately setting fire to or charring property. Although the act of arson typically involves buildings, the term can also refer to the intentional burning of other things, such as motor vehicles, wat ...

and the firefighters who struggle to stop him.

Plot

Five months after his release from prison after serving a twelve-year sentence, arsonist Yeo Hee-soo terrorizes the city of

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

with a series of deadly blazes. Yeo rigs each fire so that a second, far more lethal conflagration ignites shortly after the firefighters have arrived, causing further casualties. He then turns his attention to those members of the department he feels are interfering with his "mission", which develops into a game of cat and mouse with veteran fireman Jo Sang-woo.

Cast

Choi Min-soo Choi Min-soo (born March 27, 1962) is a South Korean actor. He is known as one of the most acclaimed actors in South Korea. Life and career Choi's family has been active in acting, and singing. Choi is the son of Choi Moo-ryong, a popular acto ...

- Jo Sang-woo * Cha Seung-won - Yeo Hee-soo *

Yoo Ji-tae Yoo Ji-tae (born April 13, 1976) is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. After a stint as a fashion model, Yoo launched his acting career in 1998 then rose to fame through the films '' Attack the Gas Station'' (1999) and '' Ditt ...

- Kim Hyun-tae *

Park Sang-myun Park Sang-myun (; born January 27, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his comic roles, notably in '' My Wife Is a Gangster'' (2001). Career Park Sang-myun graduated in 1987 with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts ...

- Park Han-mo * Jung Joon - Lee Jun-seong * Kim Gyu-ri - Hyun Min-seong *

Kim Su-ro Kim Soo-ro (born Kim Sang-joong on May 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career Early career Kim Soo-ro studied Theater at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and Dongguk University, then joined the Mokwha Repertory Company. In 1993, he made hi ...

Lee Ho-jae Lee Ho-jae (born January 3, 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Lee debuted with the crime thriller ''The Scam (2009 film), The Scam'' (2009). It won Best New Director at the 46th Grand Bell Awards, 46th Grand Bell Awards i ...

- Kim In-ho *Park Jae-hoon *

Heo Joon-ho Huh Joon-ho (, born April 14, 1964) is a South Korean actor. His name was previously officially romanized as Hur Joon-ho and is sometimes romanized unofficially as Heo Joon-ho. His father was Heo Jang-kang, a well-known Korean actor. Huh bega ...

- Lee In-soo *

Jung Ae-ri Jung Ae-ri (; born August 11, 1960) is a South Korean actress. Career Jung Ae-ri made her acting debut after she was chosen at the KBS talent audition in 1978. In 1980, she moved to another network, MBC. She rose to stardom in the 1985 drama ...

- Jung Myung-jin *Park Ji-mi *Jeong Won-jung

Production

The film was shot in

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, ...

, with the support of Busan Metropolitan City and its local fire department. Instead of using miniatures, it was filmed in real buildings throughout Busan using a special synthetic oil that allowed the crew to use actual fire. For a key scene involving a gas station, a life-sized set was constructed and detonated at a cost of .

Awards

2000 Blue Dragon Film Awards *Best Visual Effects: Jeong Do-an 2001

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 *Best Film *Best Actor:

2001

Chunsa Film Art Awards The Chunsa Film Art Awards (also known as the Icheon Chunsa Film Festival) have been presented in South Korea since the founding of the prize by the Korea Film Directors' Society in 1990. The awards take their name from the pen name of the early ...

*Best Cinematography:

Seo Jeong-min Seo Jeong-min (; born 5 January 1934) is a South Korean cinematographer, and has worked on over 130 films since 1959. Partial filmography * '' The Marines Who Never Returned'' (1963) * ''Wild Animals'' (1997) * ''Birdcage Inn'' (1998) * ''Whis ...

*Technical Award: Jeong Do-an 2001 Grand Bell Awards *Best Cinematography:

*Best Editing: Park Soon-deok *Best Lighting: Shin Joon-ha

References

External links

* * * {{Paeksang Arts Award Best Film South Korean action thriller films 2000 films Films about firefighting 2000 action thriller films Grand Prize Paeksang Arts Award (Film) winners 2000s South Korean films 2000s Korean-language films