With three major movies out in Korea and more to follow in the states, will this finally be Shin Ha-gyun's breakthrough moment?
Some actors can't get no respect, but for Shin Ha-gyun it's more a case of not getting the lead. While heartthrobs like Won Bin, Jang Dong-gun, Bae Yong-jun, and Lee Byeong-hyeon surf the Korean wave to domestic and international stardom and Song Kang-ho and Choi Min-shik blast their way into celebrity status with blistering performances in high-profile films, Shin has been quietly building up a solid profile as one of the most interesting but overlooked actors in Korea today. What's equally amazing is how often he's shared the screen in major roles with high-profile stars and still managed to go mostly unnoticed.
In Korea, Shin is a respected actor, and has name recognition, but not as a leading man. He's made a few stabs at it, first in Surprise Party (Seopeuraijeu), and again in Letters from Mars (Hanseongeuro gan sanai), neither of which became big hits. Up against Won Bin in My Brother (Uri hyeong), Shin's talent helped him blend into the mood of the flawed film while Won Bin stole the heart of his cinematic crush and most of the women in the audience. While Shin is considered attractive (and like many actors has had a stint as a model, most notably for the Norton brand of clothing stores), he isn't considered handsome on the same level as many of his similarly aged peers. He's also younger than many of the actors chosen for their gravitas and acting chops. Trapped in the middle, the mainstream consumption of fluff romances and silly comedies doesn't include him. He's also been handicapped by choosing mostly stage and screen in ensemble pieces, when the majority of fame and money flows to those who do their turn on TV. Lee Young-ae may have had a long and esteemed career before the hit show Jewel in the Palace (Daejanggeum) but it was the stint in TV drama that made hers the face launching a thousand products. Shin has very few TV shows to his credit -- Good Guys (Joeun saram) being one of the few -- but frequent appearances on stage and a good body of screen work.
He also shows a remarkable quirkiness in the roles and movies he chooses. He's played a lunatic beekeeper who believes the world is being invaded by aliens from Andromeda, a deaf-mute kidnapper, a bullied high-school student who takes self-defense lessons from a North Korean spy, and an assassin with a taste for bombs and pregnant women. He takes on challenging and edgy roles and films, but leaves the public and others confused about what to think of him. Even CJ Entertainment, the production and distribution company that handles many of Shin's films, didn't quite know what to make of him. The now-notorious “Celebrity X-file” (www.asiaarts.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=20202) may be filled with salacious gossip, but Shin's (apart from gossip over his break-up with similarly talented-yet-difficult-to-cast Bae Doo-na) file was mostly confusion over how to cast and market him.
The good news is that some of that might be changing. Shin was involved in three major films released in Korea this summer and some of his most famous and interesting work is being introduced in America. The third and final chapter of Park Chan-wook's notorious “Revenge” trilogy has finally been released. Although Korean critical and audience responses have been mixed to Sympathy for Lady Vengance (Jinjeolhan geumjasshi) and Shin only makes a cameo appearance, Park's trilogy is big news nonetheless. While he didn't appear in the second film, Oldboy, this latest film may draw new attention to his work in the first installment, Sympathy for Mr. Vengance (Boksuneun naui got), which is just now being released in the US.
The film has its admirers and detractors regarding the plot, and American critics have been particularly put off by the grimness and violence in the trilogy, but regardless of the content Shin pulled off a nuanced and touching performance as a kidnapper for whom nothing goes right, outshining even the venerable Song Kang-ho despite the fact that his character doesn't have a single spoken line. Another film in which he stars with Song Kang-ho is already considered one of the most important films of the Korean Wave released in the states: Joint Security Area (Gongdong gyeonbi guyeok JSA), where his portrayal (and Pyeongyang accent) of a North Korean border guard was roundly praised as being the very heart of the film. The most interesting and promising release in the states is Save the Green Planet! (Jigyureul jigyoeora!) which was critically lauded but ignored by domestic audiences. However, the bizarre plot and genre blending and distortion that hurt it in Korean release have made it an underground hit in America where there is a more established tradition of cult films. Still, his ability as an actor is being ignored by American critical response. Since performances in foreign languages are harder to evaluate, the question of acting skill is largely evaded by most critics, who will tell you how much or little they enjoyed the movie, but generally not how a non-English speaking actor contributed, and Shin's performance in these films, however brilliant, plays second fiddle to the subject of the films in the reviews.
Shin plays a much more prominent role in two other hit films of the summer. He plays a murder suspect being watched not just by his police interrogator but also by the media in The Big Scene (Baksuchilddae ddeaonara). But his big breakout will more likely come from the sleeper hit Welcome to Dongmakgol. Both films are the work of Jang Jin, one of the most versatile and creative minds at work in Korean arts today. Jang is a prominent playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director for both stage and film. The renaissance man of Korean performing arts, he has been collaborating with Shin for years, giving him some of his first work in Jang's stage plays. They also worked together for one of Shin's biggest commercial hits, Guns and Talks (Killeodeuli suda).
Dongmakgol is the screen adaptation of Jang's play about North and South Korean soldiers who stumble upon a remote mountain village at the height of the Korean War. The village is already playing host to a downed American pilot, and tensions erupt among the enemies only to be soothed by life in the Brigadoon-esque village and the antics of a charming but unbalanced girl. A fantasy-tinged comedy about the Korean War might seem like a peculiar idea, but the stellar ensemble cast pulls it off. Particularly noteworthy is that the score is by Joe Hisaishi, in his first contribution to a Korean film. One of the biggest names in film scores, he's most famous for his work on Miyazaki Hayao's animated films like Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime). As for Shin, he plays his role as a suicidal South Korean soldier with both acidity and sympathy, helping to keep the movie from tipping too far toward sentimentality. The film was expected to do respectable business in theaters, but has turned into a record-setting blockbuster that has sold more than five million tickets and securing a berth as Korea's entry for the Academy Awards. The big question now is will the combination of Academy Awards, foreign exposure, and critical praise be enough to catapult Shin to stardom?
Shin Ha-gyun (Ha-kyun) Filmography
The Big Scene . . .2005
Welcome to Dongmakgol . . .2005
Sympathy for Lady Vengeance . . .2005
My Brother . . .2004
Letters from Mars . . .2003
Save the Green Planet! . . .2003
Surprise Party . . .2002
No Comment . . .2002
Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance . . .2002
Guns and Talks . . .2001
Coming Out . . .2001
Joint Security Area . . .2000
The Spy . . .1999
Amazing Men . . .1998
Jang Jin Filmography
The Big Scene . . .2005
Welcome to Dongmakgol . . .2005
Someone Special . . .2004
No Comment . . .2002
Guns and Talks . . .2001
Ditto . . .2000
The Spy . . .1999
Amazing Men . . .1998
A Hot Roof . . .1996
Joe Hisaishi Filmography
A Chinese Tall Story . . . 2005
Welcome to Dongmakgol . . .2005
Howl's Moving Castle . . .2004
Gris . . .2003
When the Last Sword is Drawn . . .2003
Dolls . . .2002
Spirited Away . . .2001
Kikujiro . . .1999
Fireworks . . .1997
Princess Mononoke . . .1997
Parasite Eve . . .1997
A Mature Woman . . .1994
Porco Rosso . . .1992
Kiki's Delivery Service . . .1989
My Neighbor Totoro . . .1988
Maison Ikkoku . . .1986
Laputa: Castle in the Sky . . .1986
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind . . .1984