Dark Figure of Crime (film)

Dark Figure of Crime
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kim Tae-kyun
Produced by Shin Young-il
Screenplay by Kwak Kyung-taek
Kim Tae-kyun
Starring Kim Yoon-seok
Ju Ji-hoon
Music by Mok Young-jin
Cinematography Hwang Ki-suk
Edited by Kim Sun-min
Production
company
295 Films
Blossom Pictures
Distributed by Showbox
Release date
  • October 3, 2018 (2018-10-03)
Running time
 110 minutes[1]
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Budget ₩8 billion[2]
Box office US$22 million[3]

Dark Figure of Crime (Hangul: 암수살인; Hanja: 暗數殺人; RR: Amsu-salin; lit. Man and Woman Murders) is a 2018 South Korean crime drama film directed by Kim Tae-kyun. It stars Kim Yoon-seok and Ju Ji-hoon. It was released on October 3, 2018.[4][5] The film was loosely inspired by the 869th episode of Unanswered, a South Korean investigation television program, which tells a real story that happened in Busan, where murders were never reported, bodies were never found, and investigations never happened.[6][7]

Premise

A criminal thriller about the fierce psychological confrontation between a detective and a killer who confessed to multiple murders.[8]

Cast

Production

After watched the episode of Unanswered, Kim Tae-kyun began to work on his script and finished it after five years. During that time, he frequently interviewed the real detective for his script material.[12] Principal photography began on August 14, 2017 in Busan, and finished November 6, 2017.[13]

Release

The film was released in South Korea on October 3, 2018, alongside Hollywood films Venom, Christopher Robin and Sherlock Gnomes.[1][14]

On August 20, 2018, the film received a R-rating from the Korea Media Rating Board, where the film is intended for audiences aged 19 and over. Replying to media, the film's production company stated that the film did not contained 'such strong' restricted content (such as violence and gore), and they believed that it is milder than two other 2018 released films Believer and The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion, which both received age 15-rating. As such, the film was re-edited and re-submitted to the board for a "age 15-rating", with no change in its release schedule.[15] The film eventually was released under a "age 15-rating", after approximately 2 minutes worth of content were shaved off from the original cut.[1]

The film was selected as the opening film of the 3rd London East Asia Film Festival, held from October 25 to November 4, 2018.[16][17]

Reception

Critical response

The film received positive reviews. Praise was given to Kim's directing, the acting performances, and the intriguing plot.[18][19]

Yoon Min-sik from The Korea Herald praised the film and wrote, "It is a rare film with strong directing and acting that tells a compelling story with heart, mixed with suspense. The mystery tantalizingly teases viewers as they are sucked into the plot. Ju’s portrayal of a psychopathic killer was surprisingly convincing and on-point. While his co-star Kim is as brilliant as expected."[18]

Park Bo-ram from Yonhap News Agency also gave praise to the film, "The fierce interplay between the two main characters, portrayed by two rounded actors arguably both in the prime of their acting careers, forms the film's core, setting it apart from other crime films that play with cathartic action scenes or steel-strong images of police detectives."[19]

Box office

The film finished second place during its opening day, grossing US$3.4 million from 438,941 attendance, tailing Venom in the lead. It is second biggest opening day for South Korean film this year after Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days.[20] On October 6, 4 days after its released, the film surpassed 1 million admissions.[21] During its opening weekend, the film earned US$7.9 million gross from 995,752 attendance and finished in second place, tailing Venom in the chart lead.[22]

On October 9, the film surpassed its break-even point at 2 million admissions.[23]

As of October 13, 2018, the film earned US$20.4 million gross from 2,632,694 total attendance.[3]

Controversy

On September 20, 2018, the sister of a victim filed an injunction to the Seoul Central District Court to ban the screening of the film , complaining that the production crew did not asked for permission before making a story about the murder of her brother. The family were also upset that the film only changed the story's timeline to 2012 (the actual murder case happened in 2007), and that some elements in the film bears great similarity to the actual case, such the convict's age and his murder method.[24]

In response to the controversy, the production crew released an official apology statement to the family on September 21, 2018, indicating they had been inconsiderate to the family and they will correspond with the family immediately.[25]

On September 27, 2018, the family member of another victim shared a post on his social media account and drew media's attention. The family member had appeared in the 869th episode of Unanswered in 2012, where the program investigated the murder of his mother and other victims. He wrote the reasons why he appeared in that particular program, and also showed support for the release of Dark Figure of Crime, reasoning that the film will bring attention to unreported crimes.[7]

On September 28, 2018, the Seoul Central District Court held the first hearing between the production company and the victim's family to decide if the film will be banned from release. The court watched the film for about 50 minutes, focusing on the issues raised by the victims' families where they claimed the film had reenacted almost 99% of the actual crime methods, the locations, time, and the victims' wounds. The court will announced their decision by October 1, 2018.[26]

On October 1, 2018, the families of the victims withdrew their application for the screening ban, after receiving a sincere apology from the production company and also having considered the film's intention to increase the awareness of unreported crimes.[12]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "영화 - 등급분류검색 - 자료와통계 - 영상물등급위원회". www.kmrb.or.kr (in Korean).
  2. ↑ "'암수살인' '안시성' '원더풀 고스트', 10월 극장가 한국영화 풍성". Business Post (in Korean). Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  3. 1 2 "Dark Figure of Crime (2018)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  4. ↑ "암수살인". Naver (in Korean). Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  5. ↑ "'암수살인' 김윤석vs주지훈, 민보배 온다..10월 3일 개봉 확정". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved 10 September 2018.
  6. ↑ "KIM Yun-seok and JU Ji-hoon Face Off in MURDER OF MAN OR WOMAN". Korean Film Biz Zone. 1 September 2017.
  7. 1 2 "'암수살인' 또 다른 유가족, 상영 지지 "세상 밖으로 나와야"". YTN (in Korean). 27 September 2017.
  8. ↑ "Dark Figure of Crime". Hancinema. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  9. 1 2 "김윤석·주지훈 측 "'암수살인' 출연 제안 받고, 검토중"". Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "문정희 '암수살인' 검사役 출연확정…김윤석과 수사호흡". TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  11. ↑ "진선규, 영화 '암수살인' 캐스팅…김윤석과 재회". Herald Pop (in Korean). Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  12. 1 2 "영화 '암수살인' 예정대로 3일 개봉…유족, 사과받고 소취하". Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved 1 October 2018.
  13. ↑ "김윤석X주지훈 강렬한 첫 만남…'암수살인' 14일 크랭크인". Sports Cho-sun (in Korean). Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  14. ↑ "'곰돌이 푸 다시 만나 행복해' '암수살인' '베놈', 개천절 연휴 빅3 출격". My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  15. ↑ "[단독]요지경 등급 탓? '암수살인' 청불 받자 등급 신청 철회..재편집". Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  16. ↑ "김윤석X주지훈 '암수살인', 런던 동아시아 영화제 등 해외 초청 릴레이". OSEN (in Korean). 21 September 2017.
  17. ↑ "'Dark Figure of Crime' to screen in London". Korea JoongAng Daily.
  18. 1 2 "[Herald Review] 'Dark Figure of Crime,' a gripping trip tumbling down the rabbit hole". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  19. 1 2 "(Movie Review) 'Dark Figure of Crime' offers rare glimpse into murders under the radar". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  20. ↑ "'암수살인' 개봉 첫날 43만명 동원..韓영화 박스오피스 1위". OSEN (in Korean). Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  21. ↑ "'암수살인' 개봉 4일째 100만 돌파! 한국영화 박스오피스 1위!". My Daily (in Korean). Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  22. ↑ "[DA:박스] 주말 1위 '베놈', 200만 넘었다…'암수살인'도 160만 돌파". Dong-ah Sports (in Korean). Retrieved 8 October 2018.
  23. ↑ "'암수살인' 오늘(9일) 7일 만에 200만 돌파..손익분기점 돌파[공식]". TV Report (in Korean). Retrieved 9 October 2018.
  24. ↑ "상영금지가처분 '암수살인' 측 "최대한 노력할 것"". Star News (in Korean). Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  25. ↑ "'암수살인' 유족 상영금지가처분 신청…제작사 "진심으로 사과"(종합)". Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved 21 September 2018.
  26. ↑ "영화 '암수살인' 상영 금지 가처분 심문 기일…양측 공방 속 10월 1일 여부 결정". Kangwon News (in Korean). Retrieved 29 September 2018.
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