The Big Swindle
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''The Big Swindle'' is a 2004 South Korean
heist film The heist film or caper film is a subgenre of crime film focused on the planning, execution, and aftermath of a significant robbery. One of the early defining heist films was '' The Asphalt Jungle'' (1950), which ''Film Genre 2000'' wrote "alm ...
written and directed by
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
. It was Choi's
feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. It follows a group of four con men, one con woman, and one forger in a complex set of plots and counterplots against individual marks, against the
Bank of Korea The Bank of Korea (BOK; ) is the central bank of the Republic of Korea and issuer of Korean Republic won. It was established on 12 June 1950 in Seoul, South Korea. The bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the bank targets in ...
, against the police, and against each other.


Plot

Choi Chang-hyeok is driving in his car, when he suddenly finds himself followed by the cops. In the following chase he tries to escape, but as his car emerges from a tunnel it goes over the side, down a cliff and is killed in the burning wreck. The reason he tried to escape, is that he had just left the
Bank of Korea The Bank of Korea (BOK; ) is the central bank of the Republic of Korea and issuer of Korean Republic won. It was established on 12 June 1950 in Seoul, South Korea. The bank's primary purpose is price stability. For that, the bank targets in ...
, where he was part of a scam, that got him and his four accomplices the neat sum of 5 billion won. One of his accomplices was caught, and the other three disappeared – and so did all the money. Eol-mae was the one caught by the cops, and they try to get him to talk and reveal the scam and his accomplices. In flashbacks we see how the plan was hatched, and get to know the suspects. The cops tries to find out more about the killed Chang-hyeok, and find his brother, who is the owner of a used
book store A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical arr ...
. He has been at odds with his deceased brother, but now gets a big life insurance. This interests Seo In-kyeong. She has been living with Mr. Kim, who is a veteran
con artist A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust. Confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, confidence, irresponsibility, and greed. Researchers have ...
and the mastermind in the scam. In-kyeong learns about Chang-hyeok and now wants to get to know about his brother.


Awards and nominations

;2004 Busan Film Critics Awards * Best Supporting Actor –
Baek Yoon-sik Baek Yoon-sik (born 16 March 1947) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his characteristic near-expressionless facial acting. Career Baek Yoon-sik made his debut in 1970 on KBS TV. In the coming years he would appear in four films, taking l ...
* Best New Director –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
; 2004 Grand Bell Awards * Best Original Screenplay –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
* Best New Director –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
* Nomination – Best Actor –
Park Shin-yang Park Shin-yang (; born November 1, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He majored in acting at Dongguk University in South Korea and studied at the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School in Russia. From 1996 he won a number of acting awards in ...
* Nomination – Best Supporting Actor – Chun Ho-jin * Nomination – Best Supporting Actor –
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 ...
* Nomination – Best Editing – Shin Min-kyung ;2004 Blue Dragon Film Awards * Best Supporting Actress –
Yum Jung-ah Yum Jung-ah (born July 28, 1972) is a South Korean actress. Her notable films include '' A Tale of Two Sisters'' (2003), ''The Big Swindle'' (2004), ''The Old Garden'' (2007), and ''Cart'' (2014), as well as the television series ''Royal Family ...
* Best Screenplay –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
* Best New Director –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
* Nomination – Best Film * Nomination – Best Actor –
Park Shin-yang Park Shin-yang (; born November 1, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He majored in acting at Dongguk University in South Korea and studied at the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School in Russia. From 1996 he won a number of acting awards in ...
* Nomination – Best Supporting Actor –
Baek Yoon-sik Baek Yoon-sik (born 16 March 1947) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his characteristic near-expressionless facial acting. Career Baek Yoon-sik made his debut in 1970 on KBS TV. In the coming years he would appear in four films, taking l ...
* Nomination – Best Cinematography – Choi Young-hwan * Nomination – Best Art Direction – Lee Min-bok * Nomination – Best Visual Effects – Kim Tae-hun ;2004 Korean Film Awards * Best Supporting Actor –
Baek Yoon-sik Baek Yoon-sik (born 16 March 1947) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his characteristic near-expressionless facial acting. Career Baek Yoon-sik made his debut in 1970 on KBS TV. In the coming years he would appear in four films, taking l ...
* Best Screenplay –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
* Best New Director –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...
* Best Editing – Shin Min-kyung * Nomination – Best Actor –
Park Shin-yang Park Shin-yang (; born November 1, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He majored in acting at Dongguk University in South Korea and studied at the Mikhail Shchepkin Higher Theatre School in Russia. From 1996 he won a number of acting awards in ...
* Nomination – Best Art Direction – Lee Min-bok ;2004
Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in 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 sha ...
* Best New Director –
Choi Dong-hoon Choi Dong-hoon (; born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He ranks as one of the most consistently successful directors working in contemporary Korean cinema, with all five of his films becoming commercial hits ...


References


External links

* * *
''The Big Swindle'' review
at Koreanfilm.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Big Swindle, The 2004 films 2004 crime thriller films South Korean crime thriller films South Korean heist films Films directed by Choi Dong-hoon Showbox films 2000s Korean-language films 2004 directorial debut films 2000s South Korean films