Merciless
| The Merciless | |
| Title (English) | The Merciless |
|---|---|
| Title (Korean) | 불한당: 나쁜 놈들의 세상 |
| Directed by | Byun Sung-hyun |
| Written by | yun Sung-hyun Kim Min-soo |
| Produced by | Yun Ji-won |
| Starring | Sol Kyung-gu, Yim Si-wan |
| Release date | May 17, 2017 |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
“자기야 내 오네~
-Jae-ho to Hyun-soo, The Merciless, 2017
The Merciless is a 2017 South Korean Crime film Action film directed by Byun Sung-hyun, starring Sol Kyung-gu and Yim Si-wan. The film was released in South Korea on May 17, 2017. It was shown out of competition in the Midnight Screenings section at the 70th Cannes Film Festival on May 24, 2017.
Sadly both protagonists die a tragic death without having a happily ever after.
목차
Plot
The story is about the loyalty and betrayal between an inmate leader and an undercover cop/prisoner, who team to take over a gang. It centers around the main character Hyun soo, the undercover cop, and Han Jaeho the inmate leader.
The film follows the development of the two protagonists’ relationship by testing their loyalty and betrayal of each other. Even if there is no strong expression, the audience perceives this film as queer. The film is queer-coded.
Cast
- Sol Kyung-gu as Jae-ho
- Yim Si-wan as Hyun-soo
- Kim Hee-won as Byung-gab
- Jeon Hye-jin as Chun In-sook
- Lee Geung-young as Byung-chul
- Jang In-sub as Min-chul
- Kim Ji-hoon as Jung-sik
- Lee Ji-hoon as Public prosecutor Oh
- Choi Byung-mo as Captain Choi
- Moon Ji-yoon as Young-geun
- Nam Gi-ae as Hyun-soo's mother
- Jin Seon-kyu as Prison Security Section Chief
Release and Reception
In its opening week, the film topped the Korean box office on the first day of release and sold 95,261 tickets. However, after a showcase that stayed for 8 days, the film screen availability dropped from 860 theaters to 41 theaters, suspicious??
The film received a seven-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival
Awards and Nominations
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jecheon International Music & Film Festival | JIMFF OST Award | Kim Hong-jip, Lee Jin-hee | WON |
| website=OSEN| date=July 4, 2017|language=ko/ Korean Film Shining Star Awards] | Star Award | Sol Kyung-gu | WON |
| website=SE Daily/ The Seoul Awards] | Best Film | The Merciless | NOM |
| Best Actor | Sol Kyung-gu | NOM | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jeon Hye-jin | NOM | |
| Most Popular Actor (Film) | Im Si-wan | WON | |
| 26th Buil Film Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Kim Hee-won | WON |
| 54th Grand Bell Awards | Best Film | The Merciless | NOM |
| Best Director | Byun Sung-hyun | NOM | |
| Best Actor | Sol Kyung-gu | WON | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jeon Hye-jin | NOM | |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Hee-won | NOM | |
| Best Lighting | Park Jeong-woo | NOM | |
| Best Cinematography | Cho Hyoung-rae | NOM | |
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-beom & Kim Jae-beom | NOM | |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Sol Kyung-gu | WON |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jeon Hye-jin | WON | |
| Top 10 Films | The Merciless | WON | |
| 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Film | NOM | |
| Best Director | Byun Sung-hyun | NOM | |
| Best Actor | Sol Kyung-gu | NOM | |
| Popular Star Award | WON | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Hee-won | NOM | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jeon Hye-jin | NOM | |
| Best Cinematography and Lighting | Jo Hyung-rae & Park Jeong-woo | WON | |
| Best Editing | Kim Sang-beom & Kim Jae-beom | NOM | |
| Best Music | Kim Hong-jip & Lee Jin-hee | NOM | |
| Best Art Direction | Han Ah-reum | NOM | |
| 54th Baeksang Arts Awards | Best Actor (Film) | Sol Kyung-gu | NOM |
| Best Supporting Actor (Film) | Kim Hee-won | NOM | |
| Best Supporting Actress (Film) | Jeon Hye-jin | NOM | |
| Technical Award (Film) | Kim Sang-beom | NOM | |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Actor | Sol Kyung-gu | NOM |
| Best Supporting Actor | Kim Hee-won | NOM | |
| Best Supporting Actress | Jeon Hye-jin | NOM |
Proof that the film is queer coded
with previously mentioned issues that occurred to the film. Such as the sudden drop in theatre screening and the negative reception. There are theories that the film received such reviews due to its queer undertones. Jae-ho and Hyun-soo gazing at each other is a constant reoccurring act throughout the whole film. Since their first meeting, Hyun-soo and Jae-ho give us a gaze that is of a person longing for the other, rather than of two individuals who do not hold any emotions for one another. This can be seen to have a desire hint. "Queering the gaze" theory plays an important part in the portrayal of the queer elements in the film. The Author, Patrick Shuckmann, discusses homoerotic gaze theory and reframes female objectification in male characters’ relationship to female characters’ existence as an Other.An alternative upon which homoeroticism can be redirected away from male-character relationships (Shuckmann 1998, 672). This is very present at the film’s beginning, where Jae-ho “gifts” Natasha (the female figure) to Hyun-soo when he comes out of prison. Shuckmann introduces a plot point context where the male gaze is crucial in de-eroticizing male character relationships on screen. This is known as “the good versus evil” plot, where two men share an obsessive, borderline homoerotic fixation as they repeatedly seek each other out.This is depicted in the film through the constant gaze between both men, and Jae-ho went as far as murdering Hyun-soo’s mother to ensure that Hyun-soo would come to his side. The camera angle, the sudden slow-motion effect, as well as Jae-ho’s gaze at Hyun-soo, is that of someone longing to hold their beloved one close to them and protect them.
