''The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan'' (; literally "Gibang riot in 1724") is a 2008 South Korean

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...

. The film depicts the gangster culture of

Joseon Joseon ( ; ; also romanized as ''Chosun''), officially Great Joseon (), was a dynastic kingdom of Korea that existed for 505 years. It was founded by Taejo of Joseon in July 1392 and replaced by the Korean Empire in October 1897. The kingdom w ...

Korea and is based on an actual fight that occurred at a

kisaeng ''Kisaeng'' (), also called ''ginyeo'' (), were enslaved women from outcast or enslaved families who were trained to be courtesans, providing artistic entertainment and conversation to men of upper class. First emerging in Goryeo dynasty. were ...

house in 1724.Moon Seok. "Count on the Autumn Harvest!"
''Korean Film Observatory #26''
, pp. 36. Korean Film Council, 2008. Retrieved on 14 November 2008. The film was directed by Yeo Kyun-dong, and stars

Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor, filmmaker, and businessman. Considered one of South Korea's most successful actors, he has received numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild A ...

—in his first film role for three years—alongside

Kim Ok-vin Kim Ok-vin (; born 3 January 1987), also known as Kim Ok-bin, is a South Korean actress. She made her debut in an online beauty contest in 2004, and began her acting career with a role in the 2005 film ''Voice''. She appeared in the television ...

.Lee Makes Big-Screen Comeback After 3 Years
. ''KBS Global'', 31 January 2008. Retrieved on 14 November 2008. Costumes for the film were created by fashion designer

André Kim André Kim (August 24, 1935 – August 12, 2010) was a South Korean fashion designer based in Seoul, South Korea. He was known predominantly for his evening and wedding gown collections. Biography Andre Kim was born in Goyang, Gyeonggi, Korea ...

Premise

The film is set in Joseon Dynasty Korea, 1724. Cheon-doong, a hoodlum from a small village, meets and falls in love with Seol-ji, a

at Myeongwolhyang, a luxurious bar. One day he gets into a fight with the head of the Yangjoo gang, but later faces a crisis when the palace decides to crack down on gang activity at Myeongwolhyang. In his pursuit of Seol-ji, Cheon-doong inadvertently incurs the anger of the top-ranking gangster in the area, Man-deuk ( Kim Suk Hoon).

Cast

as Cheon-doong *

as Seol-ji *

Kim Suk-hoon Kim Suk Hoon (, born April 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He graduated from the Theater Department of Chung-ang University. He has played an active part of The National Drama Company of Korea as an actor. His performance is characteristica ...

as Man-deuk * Baek Do-bin as Se-jae * Yeo Gyoon-dong as Jjak-gwi *

Lee Won-jong Lee Won-jong (; born January 1, 1966) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Variety shows Theater *''Blind'' (2010) *''The Masked Hut Murder Case'' (2022) - Nobuhiko Awards *2002 SBS Drama Awards: Best Supporting ...

as Chil-gab * Jeong Jae-hyeong as Bong-dal * Jo Deok-hyeon as Sam Gook-ji * Lee Won-jae as Excellency Song *

Hong Seok-cheon Hong Seok-cheon (born February 3, 1971) is a South Korean actor, television personality, restaurateur and member of the dissolved Democratic Labor Party. He caused considerable controversy in his home country when he came out as gay in 2000, ...

as tailor shop owner (cameo)

Release

''The Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan'' was released in

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 ...

on 3 December 2008, a day earlier than originally scheduled.[ChanMi's movie news
/nowiki> "Geisha House Riot" releasing one day earlier!">hanMi's movie news">[ChanMi's movie news
/nowiki> "Geisha House Riot" releasing one day earlier!. ''HanCinema'', 30 November 2008. Retrieved on 4 December 2008.

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Accidental Gangster and the Mistaken Courtesan, The 2008 films 2008 action comedy films 2000s historical action films 2000s historical comedy films Films about organized crime in Korea Films directed by Yeo Kyun-dong Films set in 1724 Films set in Joseon 2000s Korean-language films Sidus Pictures films South Korean action comedy films South Korean historical action films South Korean historical comedy films 2000s South Korean films