The Man from Nowhere (2010 film)
The Man from Nowhere () is a 2010 South Korean action thriller film starring Won Bin and written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. It was South Korea's highest-grossing film in 2010 and had 6.2 million admissions. The film was released in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2010. The film follows the story of a mysterious and shady man (Won Bin) who embarks on a bloody rampage when the only person who seems to understand him is kidnapped. It also marks the final on-screen appearance of Won Bin as  of 2020. "Rocky Handsome", an Indian remake starring John Abraham, was released in 2016. Plot. Cha Tae-sik is a quiet man running a pawnshop. His only friend is a little girl, So-mi, who lives in the same neighborhood. So-mi's mother, Hyo-jeong, is a go-go dancer and opium addict. Instructed by her lover, Hyo-jeong steals a large pack of opium being sold at the bar where she works and hides it in a camera bag, which she pawns to Tae-sik for safe keeping. Her action attracts the attention of crime lord Oh Myung -gyu, who tasks his subordinates, brothers Man-seok and Jong-seok, to retrieve the opium. Jong-seok locates Hyo-jeong, tortures her in front of So-mi, and forces her to reveal where the drugs are. His lackeys, Du-chi and Bear, go to Tae-sik's place to intimidate him, but he easily overpowers them. Realizing Tae-sik has a soft spot for So-mi, Jong-seok kidnaps her and forces him to deliver opium to Oh Myung-gyu. Man-seok informs the police, leading to them swarming Myung-gyu's property. Myung-gyu escapes, while Tae-sik is  arrested and discovers Hyo-jeong's body, with her organs harvested, in the back of the car he used to make the delivery. Tae-sik escapes from the police station, alarming them with his display of combat skills. Upon further investigation, the police officers discover he was a former covert operative for the South Korean Army Intelligence, with numerous commendations, but retired after he was wounded and his pregnant wife was killed by a hitman. Following the lead from the burner phone he received from Jong-seok, Tae-sik tracks Du-chi to a nightclub. As he asks where the  brothers are, Ramrowan walks in and shoots at Tae-sik, killing Du-chi in the crossfire. The two fight to a standstill and Tae-sik gets shot. Bleeding out, Tae-sik finds his former partner, who performs emergency surgery to remove the bullet. Tae-sik recovers, asks his partner to help him acquire a gun, then goes back to the city. Tae-sik finds and frees several child slaves in a drug manufacturing plant, in the process killing off Jong-seok. He tracks down the elder brother, Man-seok, at the gang's condo, where a dozen gang members and  Ramrowan are also waiting. Man-seok says that he has had So-mi killed and shows Tae-sik a container that has what he says are her eyes. He demands to know what happened to his younger brother, and, in a rage, Tae-sik kills the gang members, including Ramrowan and Man-seok. As Tae-sik prepares to commit suicide out of grief a scared, dirty, but unscathed So-mi emerges from the darkness; she'd been saved by Ramrowan, who took pity on her because she had been kind to him - the eyes in the container belonged to the  gangsters' surgeon, who had been killed off-camera by Ramrowan. The police allow Tae-sik and So-mi to ride together after Tae-sik's arrest, and 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 So-mi 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. Release. During its August 6–8 opening weekend , the film recorded 712,840 admissions, taking the number 1 spot on the box office charts for five weeks straight. It had sold a total of 6,228,300 tickets when it finished its theatrical run on November 17, 2010. The film grossed a total of in South Korea. On October 1, 2010 CJ Entertainment gave the film a limited theatrical release to North American theaters where it grossed in 1 theater its opening weekend. After widening the release up to 19 theaters, the film grossed in the U.S. and Canada. Reception. As of August 2013, six of six critics gave positive reviews  on Rotten Tomatoes. One of those critics, Russell Edwards of "Variety", wrote, "Brutal violence dominates the dynamic Korean thriller "The Man From Nowhere". Local heartthrob Won Bin ("Mother", "Tae Guk Gui") transforms himself into an action hero in writer-helmer Lee Jeong-beom’s swift and blood-soaked yarn, about a mystery man who gets caught up in a gang war while trying to protect a child, recalling Luc Besson's ""." Soundtrack. Soundtrack list: Remake. In March 2012, Dimension Films acquired the rights to do an English-language remake of "The Man From Nowhere"; plans are to have Shawn Christensen , who wrote and directed the 2012 short film "Curfew", write the adaptation. On August 5, 2020, it was reported that the remake will be produced by John Wick director Chad Stahelski and Jason Spitz with a script provided by Derek Kolstad for New Line Cinema. An Indian remake titled "Rocky Handsome", directed by Nishikant Kamat and starring John Abraham was released in March 2016.