Moby Dick
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPark In-je
Screenplay byPark In-je
Park Shin-kyu
Produced byOh Young-suk
StarringHwang Jung-min
Jin Goo
Kim Min-hee
Kim Sang-ho
Production
company
Palette Pictures
Distributed byShowbox
Release date
  • 9 June 2011 (2011-06-09)
Running time
112 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Moby Dick (Korean: 모비딕; RR: Mobidik) is a 2011 South Korean thriller film written by Park In-je and Park Shin-kyu, directed by Park In-je, and starring Hwang Jung-min, Jin Goo, Kim Min-hee and Kim Sang-ho.

Plot

In winter 1994, an explosion occurs at the fictional Balam Bridge on the outskirts of Seoul and is attributed to terrorists. Social affairs reporter Lee Bang-woo (Hwang) begins to investigate the case when an old friend, Yoon-hyuk (Jin), hands him some secret documents and claims that the explosion was committed intentionally by the government. Lee teams up with fellow journalists Sung Hyo-kwan (Kim Min-hee) and Son Jin-ki (Kim Sang-ho) to pursue the truth. Their investigation reveals what seems to be a secret group that operates the government, and they begin to unravel a string of conspiracies that become far deadlier than they anticipated.[1][2]

Cast

Production

The film is the feature directing debut of Park In-je, grand prizewinner of the 2003 Mise-en-Scene Genre Film Festival.[3] Park was working on a screenplay about a reporter when he came across an account of Private Yun Seok-yang, a soldier at the Defense Security Command of Korea’s Armed Forces. In 1990 Yun deserted his camp, carrying a floppy disk that contained a list of national leaders, including former presidents, religious leaders, politicians, and social activists, that the DSC had been illegally investigating; he made a declaration of conscience and revealed the contents of the disk at a press conference.[4] Moby Dick, loosely based on Yun’s story, follows a journalist’s attempts to investigate a secret organization that controls the government.[5] The title Moby Dick alludes to Herman Melville's novel Moby-Dick by conjuring up an overwhelming entity whose size makes it impossible to see all at once; Moby Dick was also the name of a café near Seoul University that was used by the DSC to investigate ordinary citizens.[6] Starring actor Hwang Jung-min interviewed bureau-level reporters to help prepare for his role.[7]

The film was shot during the coldest winter in South Korea in 30 years. Shooting began in mid-October 2010 and ended in February 2011, with the cast and crew enduring the cold for five months.[8]

Reception

The film was released on June 9, 2011, to generally positive reviews for its 90s-era settings, moody cinematography, and cast performances.[9][10][11] It grossed around $3 million at the South Korean box office.[12][13]

Accolades

Award Year Category Nominee(s) / work(s) Result Ref.
Cine21 Movie Award 2011 Best Screenplay of the Year Park In-je and Park Shin-kyuWon [14]
Baeksang Arts Awards 2011 Best New Director — Film Park In-jeNominated
Best Screenplay — Film Park In-je and Park Shin-kyuNominated
Grand Bell Awards 2011 Best New Director Park In-jeNominated [15]
Best Supporting Actor Kim Sang-hoNominated
Best Planning You Jeong-hunNominated

References

  1. ↑ "Moby Dick, 2011". Modern Korean Cinema. 22 April 2012.
  2. ↑ "Moby Dick". Daum Movies. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  3. ↑ Lee, Hyo-won (5 May 2011). "Hwang Jung-min returns as reporter". The Korea Times.
  4. ↑ Lee, Claire (6 June 2011). "'Moby Dick,' a well-made conspiracy flick". The Korea Herald.
  5. ↑ Lee, Ye-eun (31 May 2011). "'Moby Dick' Director Park In-je 'The actual incident serves as the motif, but…". The Chosun Ilbo/Sports Chosun.
  6. ↑ Kim, Do-hyung (14 June 2011). "A movie depicting the Yun Seok-yang incident. The reason why Yun Seok-yang won't watch it". Han Kyeol/One People.
  7. ↑ Lee, Ye-eun (26 April 2011). "'Moby Dick' Hwang Jung-min became a reporter and slimmed down!". The Chosun Ilbo/Sports Chosun.
  8. ↑ Park, Seon-hye (5 June 2011). "(Review) Movie 'Moby Dick' "I will reveal Korea's conspiracy theories"". CheonJi Ilbo.
  9. ↑ Lee, Hwa-jeong (1 June 2021). "Thriller 'Moby Dick' starring Hwang Jung-min released for the first time". Cine21.
  10. ↑ Lee, Seon-pil (1 December 2016). "Hwang Jung-min Why is 'Moby Dick' just okay?". OhMyNews.
  11. ↑ Lee, Claire (6 June 2011). "'Moby Dick,' a well-made conspiracy flick". The Korea Herald.
  12. ↑ "Moby Dick, 2011". KoBiz. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "South Korean Box Office for 2011". IMDb Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 3 August 2021.
  14. ↑ "In-je Park - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
  15. ↑ "Moby Dick - Awards". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-10-09.
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