Kim Jee-woon

Kim Jee-woon (Korean: 김지운; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a theater actor and director before debuting with his self-written and directed film, The Quiet Family in 1998. Kim has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in his films. He is currently one of the most recognized screenwriters/directors in the Korean film industry.
His films A Tale of Two Sisters (2003) and A Bittersweet Life (2005) were both critical and commercial successes. He is also known for the films The Foul King (2000), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) and I Saw the Devil (2010).
Kim Jee-woon was born on July 6, 1964, in Seoul, South Korea and is the youngest of six siblings. He grew up in Samgak-dong, a neighborhood between present day Jongno and Euljiro. His grandfather was a tailor. When he was young, Kim's father frequently took him to the cinema where he was exposed to many classic European films. This exposure inspired him dreaming of becoming film maker.
In 1983, Kim entered the Department of theater at Seoul Institute of the Arts. After dropping out of school, Kim stayed in Paris for three months in 1991 and watched about 100 films during Cahiers du Cinéma's 40-year anniversary film festival. Kim built up his career in the field by writing and directing several plays, including Hot Sea (1994) and Movie Movie (1995). He also acted onstage in the musical Guys and Dolls (1983) and Anton Chekhov's play The Seagull.
Kim begin his film career as assistant director for Lee Sung-soo's 1994 film The Young Lover. In 1996, Kim started his career as a screenwriter by chance, because he was in a car accident and had to pay for the repairs, which amounted to KRW 6 million ($5,300). Kim won a competition in the movie magazine Premiere with his script entitled Wonderful Seasons.
In 1997, Kim went to a ramen shop, and the lady owner used Cine21 magazine instead of a tray. The magazine had an advertisement about the 1st Cine21 Screenplay Contest stating it was a week before the deadline. Kim wrote a film script entitled The Quiet Family, and won first prize. The screenplay went into several film production companies, but couldn't find the right director. Eventually, Kim got the opportunity to direct his first feature film, The Quiet Family (1998), a horror/drama/comedy about a family who owns a mountain inn and whose guests continue to commit suicide. The film was his first collaboration with actors Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho. The film won Best Live Action film at the 1999 Fantasporto film festival, and Best Director and Best Film at the Malaga International Week of Fantastic Cinema. It was also nominated for Best Film at the 1998 Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival.
In 2000, Kim directed and wrote his second feature film, The Foul King (2000), which reunited him with Song Kang-ho. The film follows an unproductive and incompetent bank clerk (played by Song Kang-ho) who escapes his demanding, alpha-male boss by entering the pro-wrestling ring and fighting under a pseudonym, "The Foul King." The two worlds eventually end up colliding. Song Kang-ho mentioned that film The Foul King (2000) is his personal favorite. The film won Best Director at the 2001 Milan International Film Festival and an Audience Award at the Udine Far East Film Festival.
In 2001, Kim directed and wrote a short film entitled Coming Out (2001). The film is about vampires, among other things, and Kim wrote and directed Coming Out as part of a project to distribute three digital short films online. It was also commissioned by venture group Media 4M, and the project also included shorts by Jang Jin and Ryu Seung-wan. Coming Out was shot with a Canon XL-1 camcorder during a time when digital filmmaking in South Korea was still in its infancy, and it went on to inspire many other digital productions. It was shown at the Fantasia Festival and the Puchon International Fantastic Film Festival in 2001, and the Thessaloniki International Film Festival in 2005. Coming Out was also included as a special feature on the UK DVD release of The Quiet Family, and a review at DVDActive praised it as "delicate, cerebral and contemporary cinema at its most profound."
Kim next wrote and directed the "Memories" segment in the omnibus film, Three (also known as Three Extremes II), also featuring segments directed by Peter Chan and Nonzee Nimibutr. The segment starred Kim Hye-soo.
Kim wrote and directed A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), an adaptation of a Joseon Dynasty era folktale called Janghwa Hongryeon jeon. The original Korean folktale featured two sisters named Janghwa and Hongryeon (Rose Flower and Red Lotus). However, in the film, the sisters were named Su-mi (played by Im Soo-jung) and Su-yeon (played by Moon Geun-young), which still carried the same meaning of Rose and Lotus. A Tale of Two Sisters, released in-between the aforementioned hits of 2003, was the third highest-grossing film after Memories of Murder, and only about 150,000 tickets short of Oldboy's initial run of 3,260,000 admissions. It held of record the highest-grossing South Korean horror film for several years.
The film received numerous awards at various film festivals, including the Fant-Asia Film Festival (most popular film), Best Actress (Im Soo-jung), Best Director and Best Film at the Fantasporto, Best Picture at Screamfest Horror Film Festival, Grand Prize and the Youth Jury Grand Prize at the Gerardmer Film Festival, and acting awards for Im Soo-jung and Yum Jung-ah at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival. The movie was later remade into the 2009 U.S. film The Uninvited, starring Emily Browning, with Kim receiving an original story/writer credit.
In 2005, Kim wrote and directed A Bittersweet Life (2005), his first collaboration with actor Lee Byung-hun (whom he would later work with in The Good, the Bad, the Weird and I Saw the Devil (2010). The film was an ultra-stylish and ultra-violent gangster and mobster picture that was both a critical and commercial success in South Korea. The film was released theatrically in South Korea on 1 April 2005. It opened on 265 screens throughout the country, and registered a total of 1,112,950 admissions by the end of its run. Lee Byung-hun won Best Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards and Hwang Jung-min won a Best Supporting Actor award at Korea's Grand Bell Awards. Kim also won the "Action Asia Award" at the 2006 Deauville Asian Film Festival.
In 2008, Kim wrote and directed The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), his tribute to Sergio Leone's western action film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966). He would re-team again with Song Kang-ho (who played "The Weird") as well as Lee Byung-hun (who played "The Bad") in the film. The film takes place in 1930s Manchuria and chronicles the struggles of the three main characters in trying to find a piece of treasure. The film won an Achievement in Cinematography Award from the 2008 Asia Pacific Screen Awards, won Best Supporting Actor for Jung Woo-sung (the "Good") at the 2009 Asian Film Awards, and won Best Director and Best Special Effects at the 2008 Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival.
In 2010, Kim directed, based on a screenplay from Park Hoon-jung, the thriller I Saw the Devil, the first time Kim directed a film from a script by someone else. Choi Min-sik, who played the serial killer, came to him with the script. Kim's first impression of the script was it felt very new and powerful, with a brutal and tough side to it, which got him interested. Kim thought one of the most important things was to find the right antagonist for Choi's character. He met Lee Byung-hun whom he worked with previously on The Good, the Bad, the Weird in a festival and he agreed to headline the film.
The Korea Media Rating Board forced Kim to re-cut the film for its theatrical release, objecting to its violent content. The film received a "Restricted" rating twice, preventing any sort of release in theatres or on home video and promotions as well. Seven cuts were made with the total runtime of removed material between eighty and ninety seconds. The film was finally released in South Korean Cinemas on August 12, 2010. On 3 November 2010 Kim attended the London Korean Film Festival to introduce the restored version of I Saw The Devil. It also received screenings at several other international film festivals, including the Fantasporto Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Sitges Film Festival, and San Sebastian Film Festival.
The film won a number of awards, including Best Director and Best Film at Fantasporto, Special Jury Prize, Audience Award, Critics Award at the Gerardmer Film Festival, Best Lighting at the Grand Bell Awards, Best Foreign Language film from the Austin Film Critics Association and Best Editing from the 2011 Asian Film Awards.
In 2006, Kim directed and wrote the segment known as "The Heavenly Creature" about a robot who achieves enlightenment in a Buddhist temple, in 2012 omnibus film Doomsday Book (Yim Pil-sung directed the other two segments). The film won Best International Film at the Fantasia Festival and a Special Award at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival.
In 2010, Kim was hired as director for US film The Last Stand, which was produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura and Lionsgate Films. The company had acquired Andrew Knauer's spec script for The Last Stand in June 2009, prior to Kim's involvement. According to di Bonaventura, Kim was brought on board because of his ability to elevate simple concepts and make them feel more rich in his previous works. Kim himself expressed interest in the film's storyline of protecting something valuable, no matter how small, and the idea of using old-fashioned methods to take down advanced technology. In addition, screenwriter Jeffrey Nachmanoff was hired to revise the script. According to di Bonaventura, the film had a Western movie vibe, featuring a small town besieged by a villainous figure similar to a corrupt cattle baron, with a seasoned veteran attempting to thwart his plans.
In 2011, Lionsgate offered Arnold Schwarzenegger the lead role in The Last Stand, after initially considering Liam Neeson for the part. The Last Stand marked Schwarzenegger's return to acting after having just ended his tenure as Governor of California. This was Arnold Schwarzenegger's first lead acting role since Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines in 2003. The announcement of Schwarzenegger's casting in The Last Stand was made in July 2011. The actor stated that he found the project to be "quite different" from his previous roles, despite being action-packed, as he had to portray a character who was sensitive to his team and shared humorous moments similar to True Lies. Initially, Kim was hesitant to cast such a prominent star in the film, but after discussing the character of Ray Owens with Schwarzenegger, they both agreed on portraying him as an everyman rather than having a "Terminator-like feel." The film also starred Johnny Knoxville, Forest Whitaker, Peter Stormare and Daniel Henney. Two weeks later, Lionsgate announced a release date of January 18, 2013.
Filming for The Last Stand began on October 17, 2011, in Belen, New Mexico and Nevada. The movie follows a small town sheriff and his deputies as they try to stop a drug lord from fleeing to Mexico in a modified sports car. Belen was ultimately chosen as the filming location for its abandoned area that could be used by the production company for as long as they needed it. Production designer Franco-Giacomo Carbone filled six vacant lots with façades that incorporated a mixture of styles to heighten the appearance of a frontier city with much history. Two existing buildings in Belen became landmarks of Sommerton: the local hotel and a condemned building that became the diner. While the producers initially wanted to film in Downtown Las Vegas, they found that downtown Albuquerque offered a visually similar location and opted to film there instead. The Las Vegas Strip was later added in post-production. Filming in Belen did not interfere with local businesses, as the town allowed filming from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. Kim aimed to create distinct looks for each space, with the FBI environment having cold tones and Sommerton having warm colors to enhance its peaceful small town feeling.
In October 2013, it was reported that Kim would direct the film adaptation of Ed Brubaker's pulp crime comic Coward. However, this project did not come to fruition. After his debut in the US, Kim returned to Korea.
In the same year, Kim premiered his short film The X [ko] in the Gala Presentation category at the Busan International Film Festival. Kim filmed The X using Korea's new multi-projection technology, ScreenX. ScreenX technology expands the movie's display onto the sidewalls of the theater, allowing certain scenes to wrap around the audience by capturing them in 270 degrees. In addition to this visual technology, SoundX was also created to enhance the overall experience by conveying a more immersive sense of space and distance. These innovative creations enable viewers to be fully surrounded, and in addition, they offer exciting new narrative possibilities for filmmakers.
In 2014, Kim was honored at the Gérardmer Film Festival, where his previous works had also been recognized. He had previously received the Grand Prize in 2004 for A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), as well as the Critics' Prize and Audience Prize in 2011 for I Saw the Devil (2010).
On August 3, 2015, it was announced that Warner Bros. would finance and distribute its first ever Korean-language 1930s set drama Secret Agent, and the $8.62 million budgeted film would also be produced by Grimm Pictures. The project and script was developed by Lee Jin-sook, which Kim Jee-woon would direct, and the cast would be Song Kang-ho and Gong Yoo. A trailer was released on July 14, 2016, revealing the new title as The Age of Shadows. On August 30, 2016, The Korean Film Council (KOFIC) announced that The Age of Shadows had been selected as South Korea's official entry for the best foreign-language film category at the 89th Academy Awards.
From 2017 to 2018, Kim filmed the science fiction action film Illang: The Wolf Brigade, which is a remake of the 1999 anime film Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade Featured a star-studded cast that includes Gang Dong-won, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Mu-yeol and Choi Min-ho, the film was released in the summer of 2018. The production cost was 19 billion won (US$17.04 million), and it was distributed by Warner Bros. Korea. Although it received mixed reviews and underperformed at the domestic box office, selling around 897,000 tickets against its break-even point of six million tickets, it competed for the Golden Shell at the San Sebastián International Film Festival, making it the second South Korean film to do so. Netflix also acquired the international distribution rights for the film.
In celebration of 100 years of Korean cinema, Kim's The Foul King was selected as one of 18 films for the 7th Korean Film Festival in Brussels from October 31 to November 9, 2019.
Earlier in May 2019, YG Entertainment's drama production subsidiary YG Studioplex announced that Kim would direct the company's adaptation of the Daum webtoon Dr. Brain, created by Hongjacga.
In October 2020, several Korean news outlets reported that the adaptation had been picked up by Apple TV+, making it their first Korean language original series. Titled Dr. Brain, the sci-fi thriller consists of six episodes and was scheduled November 4, 2021, to coincide with the launch of Apple TV+ in South Korea. Lee Sun-kyun stars in the lead role as Sewon Koh, a brain scientist who tries to solve the mysterious death of his family by utilizing advanced technology to access the memories of his deceased wife. Lee Yoo-young played Jaeyi Jung, Sewon's wife.
Lee Sun-kyun was nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in the 2022 International Emmy Awards, as announced on September 29 of that year. He's the second Korean actor to receive a nomination in this category, following Jang Hyuk's nomination in 2011 for his role in The Slave Hunters.
Earlier in February 2022, it was revealed that Kim Jee-woon would team up for the fifth time with Song Kang-ho for his upcoming film Cobweb. The movie, which features an ensemble cast that includes Im Soo-jung, Oh Jung-se, Jeon Yeo-been and Krystal Jung, was written by Shin Yeon-shick. Cobweb is the first project of Anthology Studios, co-founded by Kim, Song and Jay Choi (former local production head for Warner Bros Korea), and was acquired by JTBC Studios in early 2021. The film had been invited to be part of the out-of-competition section of the 76th Cannes International Film Festival, which was held in May 2023.
On December 7, 2022, at the 'Yong Film Night' event, it was announced that Kim will co-direct an OTT series with the tentative title Mangnaein, alongside young director Park Bo-ram. The series is an adaptation of the crime novel Second Sister by Hong Kong writer Chan Ho Kei. Yong Film is producing the series in collaboration with Anthology Studio and SK Global.
In April 2023, Kim signed with Creative Artists Agency.
In September 2023, Kim participated in the 10th Prada Mode exhibition titled 'Multiple and Parallel' alongside director Yeon Sang-ho and Jeong Da-hee. The directors were invited by curator Lee Sook-kyung to present intriguing stories about Seoul with the themes of gastronomy, absence, and death. The title 'Multiple and Parallel' was chosen to signify that different sensibilities and worldviews create separate yet parallel universes. The 10th Prada Mode took place at Insadong Court (KOTE) in Seoul for two days on September 5 and 6. Director Kim Ji-woon created a space called 'The Faint Shadow of Old Love' using 'the ordinary' as an object.
Kim is recognized for his ability to push the boundaries of various film genres. He has written and directed films that span a wide range of genres, including horror, comedy, sci-fi, noir, western, and spy thrillers. Rather than relying on a formulaic approach, Kim's filmmaking involves exploring a diverse array of eras, styles, and genres with impressive proficiency.
Kim is a filmmaker known for his meticulous attention to detail and processes, much like a watchmaker. Kim's directing techniques are characterized by smooth camerawork and his use of classic colors, lighting effects, and rich architectural set design, which are prominent features of his visual storytelling. His background in directing plays before entering Chungmuro has earned him a reputation for having a theatrical style, which is evident in his dialogue-heavy comedies. These comedies also feature numerous visual gags that creatively employ camera techniques and editing.
One of the defining characteristics of Kim's work is his masterful staging of action sequences. He has a reputation for creating incredibly intense and realistic action scenes that are both visually stunning and emotionally impactful. His ability to choreograph complex fight scenes and chases, as well as his use of practical effects and stunts, has earned him a reputation as one of the most skilled action directors in the industry. Additionally, Kim is renowned for his affinity for graphic violence, which makes even his famous compatriots Bong Joon-ho and Park Chan-wook pale in comparison.
Despite the visceral nature of his action scenes, one of the hallmarks of Kim's storytelling is his affinity to create lonely, alienated and solitary characters. He often explores the psychological motivations of his characters, delving deep into their inner worlds to reveal their fears, desires, and vulnerabilities. This allows him to create stories that are not only thrilling and action-packed but also emotionally resonant and thought-provoking.
Furthermore, Kim places great emphasis on the DVD releases of his films and goes to great lengths to package them with extensive documentary materials and revealing commentary tracks.
Kim's films are known for their intricate visual design, which is not derived from his personal background. Instead, he draws inspiration from other celebrated filmmakers whom he admires. While Kim admires many directors, he has stated that French filmmaker Robert Bresson is the most respected among them. However, critics have noted that Kim's films are quite different from Bresson's style."
Kim has mentioned on multiple occasions that he was inspired and influenced by the works of French auteur Jean-Pierre Melville, whose films he watched as a child. Kim has also referred to his film A Bittersweet Life was a Koreanized Melville. In regards to Melville's influence on his filmmaking, Kim identifies two key takeaways. Firstly, he attempts to convey the futility of life through his films by adopting a cynical and detached approach to expose this vanity. Secondly, he draws inspiration from Melville's indirect and oblique narrative style, attempting to replicate the weight of atmosphere, the meaningful presence and absence of light, and the body language of actors to convey meaning without relying on dialogue. In essence, Kim seeks to emulate Melville's ability to speak without words, both in terms of expression and deeper meaning.
In addition, Kim expresses his admiration for the films of the Coen Brothers and Quentin Tarantino, noting their tendency to incorporate allusions and references to other directors and films. While the visual style of A Bittersweet Life is largely influenced by Melville, Kim drew inspiration from Quentin Tarantino's film Kill Bill and Brian De Palma's film Scarface for action sequences, particularly the final gunfight.
Sergio Leone's Spaghetti Western films, particularly The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, also had profound impact on Kim's work. Kim made tribute with his own "Kimchi Western" film The Good, the Bad, the Weird, which can be viewed as a Korean take on the Western genre. The film combines elements of the Korean Manchuria-Western sub-genre, which emerged in the 1960s and early 1970s, with elements of the Western genre.
Kim took inspiration from David Fincher's Zodiac when shaping the visual style of his film I Saw the Devil. He specifically incorporated the muted colors and contrast used in Zodiac to capture the mood of the time period. This approach differed from Kim's previous films, which often featured vibrant colors and high contrast. By emulating the Zodiac style, Kim aimed to achieve a more realistic look. The resulting dark tones were no longer flat black, but appeared hazy or grey, creating a creepy atmosphere that set the film apart from Kim's earlier works.
With The Age of Shadows, Kim stated that it began as a chilly spy film, and he drew inspiration from foreign classics such as Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Third Man, and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold. However, he soon realized that his film differed significantly from these movies, as they depicted conflicts between Western cultures and powers during the first and second World Wars. In contrast, The Age of Shadows centers on the sacrifices and struggles of individuals fighting for their own nation, imbuing it with a sense of desperate emotion that intensifies as the narrative progresses. As a result, what began as a cold spy film became a more impassioned and heated work.
Kim Jee-woon places immense importance on the roles of cinematographer and artistic director in film production. He has formed several long-lasting partnerships and close collaborations with talented professionals in these fields. For instance, he worked extensively with cinematographer Lee Mo-gae particularly on A Tale of Two Sisters (2003), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), I Saw the Devil (2010), and Illang: The Wolf Brigade. Similarly, Kim collaborated with cinematographer Kim Ji-yong on A Bittersweet Life (2005), The Last Stand (2013), and The Age of Shadows (2016).
Kim has also developed a productive partnership with music director Mowg, beginning with their first collaboration on the omnibus film Doomsday Book (started in 2006, released in 2012). They went on to work together on several other projects, including I Saw the Devil (2010), The Last Stand (2013), One Perfect Day (short film 2013), The X (short film 2013), The Age of Shadows (2016), Illang: The Wolf Brigade (2018), Untact (short film 2020), and Dr. Brain (2021).
He also worked three times with Music director Dalpalan in Three... Extremes, A Bittersweet Life, and The Good, the Bad, the Weird.
Furthermore, Kim has a talent for attracting top-tier acting talents. Some of Korea's most well-known stars, such as Choi Min-sik and Song Kang-ho, have been integral parts of his casting selection. Song Kang-ho, in particular, has appeared in five of Kim's feature length films, and Kim considers him a partner in his filmmaking endeavors. In addition to Song, other actors who have appeared in at least two of his films are Choi Min-sik, Lee Byung-hun, Jung Woo-sung, Kim Kap-soo and Im Soo-jung.
Kim Jee-woon donated his entire modeling fee from Japanese Sony Bravia to VANK, a cyber diplomatic mission. According to Park Ki-tae, the general manager of VANK, on August 12, 2008, Kim made the donation as a way to show his appreciation for the support he received for The Good, the Bad, the Weird. The donation was used for the 'Dokdo Keeper' cause.