The Man from Nowhere (film)
Encyclopedia
The Man from Nowhere is a 2010 South Korean film starring Won Bin
and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. It was Korea's highest grossing film in 2010. The film was released in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2010.
Realizing that Tae-sik may serve better as a mule than their former thug, the brothers that lead the gang – Man-sik and Jong-sik – promise to release Hyo-jeong and So-mi under the condition that Tae-sik make a delivery for them. Tae-sik makes the decision to face the outside world in order to rescue So-mi. However, the delivery was part of a larger plot to eliminate a drug ring superior, Mr. Oh, and Tae-sik is arrested. At the same time, Hyo-jeong’s body, with her organs harvested, is discovered in the back of the car used by Tae-sik to make the delivery, and Tae-sik realizes that So-mi’s is also in danger. He fights off half a dozen detectives and escapes from the police station. During his escape, the police are bewildered at Tae-sik's display of power, combat techniques, and agility. They further investigate his bio and find out that he was once a black operations agent for the Korean government with numerous commendations, but left the Service after his pregnant wife was murdered by an assassin. The assassin shot Tae-sik twice, but was killed by another agency's officers before he could kill Tae-sik.
Realizing this, the Narcotics bureau head contacts a weakened Tae-sik after his encounter with the gang's highly trained assassin, Ramrowan, who works for the brothers. Now with the knowledge that So-mi is being used as an "ant" – a child used by Chinese gangs to smuggle drugs and money – and that she will be killed to harvest her organs, Tae-sik sets out to locate and save So-mi.
A violent confrontation occurs in a Chinese drug manufacturing location where Tae-sik is able to free several child slaves and kill off the younger of the brothers, Jong-sik. The action continues in the brothers' posh condo unit, which is heavily manned. Tae-sik snaps when a vessel which (he is told) contains So-mi's harvested eyes is presented to him by Man-sik. In a magnificent fight scene, Tae-sik proceeds to kill everyone in the room except for Ramrowan, who appears to admire Tae-sik's fighting prowess so much that, for a moment, he simply looks on as Tae-sik cuts down everyone else in the room. Ironically, the two are the only ones who seem to understand, and even respect, one another. Ramrowan discards his gun and a short but intense knife fight occurs between him and Tae-sik, culminating with Tae-sik brutally stabbing Ramrowan to death after trapping his knife hand using his teeth.
After killing Man-sik in a parking garage, Tae-sik is preparing to commit suicide out of his grief when a scared and dirty So-mi emerges from the darkness. She had been saved by Ramrowan; he had taken pity on her because she had been kind to him. It is then revealed that the eyes in the container belonged to the gangster's harvesting surgeon, who had been killed off-camera by Ramrowan.
A police escort takes Tae-sik and So-mi together in the back of the detective’s car, to take Tae-sik into custody. While she sleeps, Tae-sik asks if they can be dropped off at a small convenience store. Tae-sik buys a backpack along with other school supplies. He tells her that she's going to be on her own now, as the police have to take him away. Before he goes, he asks her for a hug, and breaks down in tears as they embrace.
raking up the most trophies at the annual ceremony including its main star Won Bin who won the prize for best actor. The action flick directed by Lee Jeong-beom took the awards for best actor, best new actress, best cinematography, best music, best lighting, best visual effects and best editor. The film, also starring child actress Kim Sae-ron, has been one of the hottest films of the year, attracting over six million filmgoers during its run on the box office for several months starting August.
; the second highest grossing film of that same year.
Won Bin
Won Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. It was Korea's highest grossing film in 2010. The film was released in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2010.
Plot
Operating a pawn shop in a small neighborhood, Cha Tae-sik now leads a quiet life. His only connection to the rest of the world is a little girl, So-mi, who lives next door. So-mi’s mother, Hyo-jeong, is a heroin addict who smuggles drugs from a drug trafficking organization. She pawns her camera bag to Tae-sik; he does not realize it has the stolen drugs inside. When the traffickers find out where the drugs are, by torturing Hyo-jeong, they proceed to kidnap her and her daughter. The gang sends two thugs to Tae-sik's pawn shop to retrieve the stolen drugs, but they are easily overpowered by Tae-sik; it is the first time in the film that he has displayed his martial arts skills. However, upon learning that the gang now has in their possession both Hyo-jeong and So-mi, Tae-sik gives the beaten gang members the camera bag and its contents.Realizing that Tae-sik may serve better as a mule than their former thug, the brothers that lead the gang – Man-sik and Jong-sik – promise to release Hyo-jeong and So-mi under the condition that Tae-sik make a delivery for them. Tae-sik makes the decision to face the outside world in order to rescue So-mi. However, the delivery was part of a larger plot to eliminate a drug ring superior, Mr. Oh, and Tae-sik is arrested. At the same time, Hyo-jeong’s body, with her organs harvested, is discovered in the back of the car used by Tae-sik to make the delivery, and Tae-sik realizes that So-mi’s is also in danger. He fights off half a dozen detectives and escapes from the police station. During his escape, the police are bewildered at Tae-sik's display of power, combat techniques, and agility. They further investigate his bio and find out that he was once a black operations agent for the Korean government with numerous commendations, but left the Service after his pregnant wife was murdered by an assassin. The assassin shot Tae-sik twice, but was killed by another agency's officers before he could kill Tae-sik.
Realizing this, the Narcotics bureau head contacts a weakened Tae-sik after his encounter with the gang's highly trained assassin, Ramrowan, who works for the brothers. Now with the knowledge that So-mi is being used as an "ant" – a child used by Chinese gangs to smuggle drugs and money – and that she will be killed to harvest her organs, Tae-sik sets out to locate and save So-mi.
A violent confrontation occurs in a Chinese drug manufacturing location where Tae-sik is able to free several child slaves and kill off the younger of the brothers, Jong-sik. The action continues in the brothers' posh condo unit, which is heavily manned. Tae-sik snaps when a vessel which (he is told) contains So-mi's harvested eyes is presented to him by Man-sik. In a magnificent fight scene, Tae-sik proceeds to kill everyone in the room except for Ramrowan, who appears to admire Tae-sik's fighting prowess so much that, for a moment, he simply looks on as Tae-sik cuts down everyone else in the room. Ironically, the two are the only ones who seem to understand, and even respect, one another. Ramrowan discards his gun and a short but intense knife fight occurs between him and Tae-sik, culminating with Tae-sik brutally stabbing Ramrowan to death after trapping his knife hand using his teeth.
After killing Man-sik in a parking garage, Tae-sik is preparing to commit suicide out of his grief when a scared and dirty So-mi emerges from the darkness. She had been saved by Ramrowan; he had taken pity on her because she had been kind to him. It is then revealed that the eyes in the container belonged to the gangster's harvesting surgeon, who had been killed off-camera by Ramrowan.
A police escort takes Tae-sik and So-mi together in the back of the detective’s car, to take Tae-sik into custody. While she sleeps, Tae-sik asks if they can be dropped off at a small convenience store. Tae-sik buys a backpack along with other school supplies. He tells her that she's going to be on her own now, as the police have to take him away. Before he goes, he asks her for a hug, and breaks down in tears as they embrace.
Cast
- Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
...as Cha Tae-sik - Kim Sae-ronKim Sae-ronKim Sae-ron is a South Korean actress who had roles in the film A Brand New Life and The Man From Nowhere. She won Best New Actress award at the 8th Korean Film Awards for her role in the film The Man From Nowhere....
...as So-mi - Kim Tae-hoon...as Kim Chi-gon
- Kim Hee-won...as Man-seok
- Kim Sung-oh...as Jong-seok
- Thanayong Wongtrakul...as Ramrowan
- Kim Hyo-seo...as Hyo-Jeong, So-mi's mom
- Lee Jong-pil...as Detective No
Critical reception
The Man From Nowhere triumphed at the 2010 Korean Film AwardsKorean Film Awards
The Korean Film Award is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the MBC.-Awards:The categories are*Best Film*Best Director*Best New Director*Best Leading Actor*Best Leading Actress*Best Supporting Actor*Best Supporting Actress...
raking up the most trophies at the annual ceremony including its main star Won Bin who won the prize for best actor. The action flick directed by Lee Jeong-beom took the awards for best actor, best new actress, best cinematography, best music, best lighting, best visual effects and best editor. The film, also starring child actress Kim Sae-ron, has been one of the hottest films of the year, attracting over six million filmgoers during its run on the box office for several months starting August.
Box office
The film opened number one at the South Korean box office collecting 712,840 admissions on its opening August 6–8 weekend. The film took the #1 spot for ticket sales for 5 weeks straight and sold a total of 6,228,300 tickets when it finished theatrical run on November 17, 2010. It was the highest grossing Korean film of the year selling 800,000 tickets more than Secret ReunionSecret Reunion
Secret Reunion is one of the highest grossing Korean films of 2010. The story follows Song Kang-ho as Agent Lee Han-gyu of the National Intelligence Service who falls from grace after failing to stop the assassination of a North Korean dissident...
; the second highest grossing film of that same year.
Awards
- 2010: (19th) Buil Film AwardsBuil Film AwardsThe Buil Film Awards is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the Busan Ilbo newspaper. The awards began in 1958 and were held annually until 1973...
– October 8- Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
- Special Award (Buil Independence Judge): The Man from Nowhere
- 2010 (19th) Philadelphia Film FestivalPhiladelphia Film FestivalThe Philadelphia Film Festival is held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Until 2009 it was generally held during the first weeks of April....
– October 14–24- "Graveyard Shift Special Mention": The Man from Nowhere
- 2010: (47th) Grand Bell AwardsGrand Bell AwardsThe Grand Bell Awards is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea....
– October 29- Best Actor: Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
- Popularity Award: Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
- Best Editing: Kim Sung-bum, Kim Jae-bum
- Best Visual Effects: Jeong Do-an (for technical effects)
- Best Actor: Won Bin
- 2010: (8th) Korea Film AwardsKorean Film AwardsThe Korean Film Award is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the MBC.-Awards:The categories are*Best Film*Best Director*Best New Director*Best Leading Actor*Best Leading Actress*Best Supporting Actor*Best Supporting Actress...
– November 18- Best Actor: Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
- Best New Actress: Kim Sae-ronKim Sae-ronKim Sae-ron is a South Korean actress who had roles in the film A Brand New Life and The Man From Nowhere. She won Best New Actress award at the 8th Korean Film Awards for her role in the film The Man From Nowhere....
- Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
- Best Lighting: Lee Chul-oh
- Best Editing: Kim Sang-beom, Kim Jae-beom
- Best Visual Effects: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes)
- Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
- Best Actor: Won Bin
- 2010: (31st) Blue Dragon Film AwardsBlue Dragon Film AwardsThe Blue Dragon Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony that is presented annually by Sports Chosun for excellence in film in South Korea....
– November 26- Technical Award: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes)
- Popularity Award: Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
- Box Office Award: The Man from Nowhere
- 2010: (2nd) Korean Wave Industry Awards – December 4
- Popular Culture Award (Film section): The Man from Nowhere
- 2010: (6th) University Film Festival of Korea – December 13
- Best Director: Lee Jeong-beom
- Best Actor: Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
- Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
- Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung
- 2010: (13th) Director's Cut Awards (Korea) – December 17
- Best Production: Opus Pictures (Lee Tae-heon) The Man from Nowhere
- 2010: (11th) National Assembly Society of Popular Culture & Media Awards (Korea) – December 20
- Movie of the Year: The Man from Nowhere
- 2011: (2nd) Film Journalists Association Annual Film Awards (Korea) – January 27
- Best Actor: Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
- Best Actor: Won Bin
- 2011: (8th) MaxMovie Awards (Korea) – February 1
- Best Director: Lee Jeon-beom
- Best Actor: Won BinWon BinWon Bin is a top South Korean actor and model.- Early life and beginnings :Won was born and raised in a hamlet in the north of Jeongseon in Gangwon-do, South Korea. He is the fifth and youngest child, with one brother and three sisters. His father was formerly employed in a mine and his mother...
- Best New Actress: Kim Sae-ronKim Sae-ronKim Sae-ron is a South Korean actress who had roles in the film A Brand New Life and The Man From Nowhere. She won Best New Actress award at the 8th Korean Film Awards for her role in the film The Man From Nowhere....
- 2011: (3rd) Beaune International Thriller Film Festival – March 30 – April 3
- Grand Prize: The Man from Nowhere
- 2011: (47th) PaekSang Arts AwardsPaekSang Arts AwardsPaekSang Arts Awards, also known as BaekSang Arts Awards, is an awards ceremony held annually by IS PLUS Corp, since 1965. It is to honour outstanding achievements in the South Korean entertainment industry and to garner public attention upon the best in Korean films and dramas...
– May 26- Best Movie: The Man from Nowhere
- 2011: (33rd) Golden Cinematography Awards – September 1
- Gold Medal Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
Film festivals
- 2010 (6th) Fantastic FestFantastic FestFantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of The Iron Giant and Secondhand Lions. The festival focuses on genre films such as horror,...
– September 23–30, 2010 – *US Premiere - 2010 (29th) Vancouver International Film FestivalVancouver International Film FestivalThe Vancouver International Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for two weeks in late September and early October...
– Sept. 30 – Oct. 15, 2010 – Dragons and Tigers *Canadian Premiere - 2010 (15th) Pusan International Film FestivalPusan International Film FestivalBusan International Film Festival , held annually in Haeundae-gu, Busan , South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia...
– October 7–15, 2010 – Korean Cinema Today: Panorama - 2010 (30th) Hawaii International Film FestivalHawaii International Film FestivalThe Hawaii International Film Festival is a film festival held in the U.S. state of Hawaii. It was started in 1981 by Jeannette Paulson Hereniko and has been held annually in the fall for two weeks...
– October 14–24, 2010 – Spotlight on Korea *Hawaii Premiere - 2010 (19th) Philadelphia Film FestivalPhiladelphia Film FestivalThe Philadelphia Film Festival is held annually in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Until 2009 it was generally held during the first weeks of April....
– October 14–24, 2010 – The Graveyard Shift - 2010 (5th) London Korean Film Festival – November 5–23, 2010 – Opening Gala Film
- 2011 (22nd) Palm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film FestivalPalm Springs International Film Festival is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. It was started in 1989 and is held annually in January...
– January 6–17, 2011 – World Cinema Now - 2011 (29th) San Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalSan Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalThe San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival presented every March is the nation’s largest showcase for new Asian American and Asian films, annually presenting approximately 130 works in San Francisco, Berkeley and San Jose, USA...
– March 10–20, 2011 – Special Presentation at Castro TheatreCastro TheatreThe Castro Theatre is a popular San Francisco movie palace which became San Francisco Historic Landmark #100 in September 1976. Located at 429 Castro Street, in the Castro district, it was built in 1922 with a Spanish Colonial Baroque façade that pays homage—in its great arched central window... - 2011 (35th) Hong Kong International Film FestivalHong Kong International Film FestivalThe Hong Kong International Film Festival is a platform for filmmakers, film professionals and filmgoers from all over the world to launch and experience new film work. There are seminars, conferences, exhibitions, and parties celebrating the festival community...
– March 20 – April 5, 2011 – Gala Presentation - 2011 (35th) Cleveland International Film FestivalCleveland International Film FestivalThe Cleveland International Film Festival, first held in 1977, is the largest film festival in Ohio. The 2010 festival featured over 300 films. Since 1991 the festival has been held at Tower City Cinemas in downtown Cleveland.-Roxanne T...
– March 24 – April 3, 2011 – Pacific Pearls - 2011 (3rd) Beaune International Thriller Film Festival – March 30 – April 3, 2011 – Official Section – Competition
- 2011 (32nd) Valencia Mostra Action and Adventure Film Festival – April 7–14, 2011 – Official Section
- 2011 (25th) The Washington, DC International Film Festival (Filmfest DC) – April 7–17, 2011
- 2011 (3rd) CPH PIX (Copenhagen Film Festival) – April 14 – May 1, 2011 – Asian Connection
- 2011 (13th) Udine Far East Film Festival – April 29 – May 7, 2011 *Italian Premiere
- 2011 (10th) New York Asian Film FestivalNew York Asian Film FestivalThe New York Asian Film Festival was first held in 2002, growing out of the previous year's New York Korean Film Festival...
– July 1–14, 2011 – Sea of Revenge: New Korean Thrillers - 2011 New Zealand International Film Festival – Jul – Nov, 2011
- 2011 (2nd) Korean Film Festival in Australia – Aug 24-29 & Sep 10-13, 2011
- 2011 (17th) L'Etrange Festival – September 2-11, 2011