Veteran () is a 2015 South Korean action comedy film written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan. It drew 13.4 million admissions, making it the 5th all-time highest-grossing film in South Korean cinema history. Veteran also won the Casa Asia Award at the Sitges Film Festival.
A sequel titled I, the Executioner premiered in 2024.
Plot Seo Do-cheol is a merciless police detective, who investigates the suicide of a truck driver named Bae, where he learns from Bae's son that Jo Tae-oh, the sadistic third-generation heir to powerful conglomerate Sinjin Group has assaulted Bae as the latter protested against the conglomerate for back payment. Do-cheol personally begins the investigation, which enrages Tae-oh. Later, Tae-oh uses his influence to make Do-cheol handle another case. He also tries to bribe Do-cheol's wife with the help of his conglomerate's SVP Choi Dae-woong, but she refuses, where Do-cheol threatens Tae-oh after learning this.
Do-cheol takes the help of a reporter to publish the news, but to no avail. Tae-oh hires a logistics contractor named Jeon to finish off Do-cheol and also makes the Internal Affairs to interrogate him, but he is timely saved by his team leader Oh. Do-cheol escapes from a murder attempt by Jeon, where a detective gets stabbed. Using the opportunity, Do-cheol and his team discover evidence and get approval for the investigation against Tae-oh, but Tae-oh's father and the conglomerate chairman Jo make Dae-woong to take the blame. With his team's help, Do-cheol learns that Bae was killed after he tried to seek revenge for assaulting him and it was made to look like a suicide.
After inquiring of Dae-woong, Do-cheol learns that Tae-oh is planning to escape to Singapore. Before leaving, Tae-oh throws a party where he meets his former girlfriend Jeong Da-hye (who is pregnant with his child) and tries to kill her when she abuses him. Do-cheol forms a plan where they plant a false case against Tae-oh for assaulting his girlfriend, and the cops fight with the bodyguards to arrest him. After an intense car chase, Do-cheol and Tae-oh engage in a hand-to-hand combat where despite brutal injuries, Do-cheol manages to arrest Tae-oh, who is later produced for a trial at the Supreme Court along with Dae-woong, and they are sentenced to prison. In the hospital, Do-cheol recovers from his injuries and soon returns back to duty.
Cast
Box office Veteran opened in South Korea on August 5, 2015. It grossed () from 2.75 million admissions over its first five days of release. By November 6, it had grossed from 13,411,343 admissions and is currently the 5th all-time highest-grossing film in Korean cinema history.
Sequel
Ryoo Seung-wan and production company Filmmaker R&K confirmed that they agreed to make a sequel, which was supposed to hit theaters within two to three years of announcement. It was reported that Hwang Jung-min and Oh Dal-su will reprise their roles, and actor Jung Hae-in is also being considered to succeed Yoo Ah-in as the antagonist. It began filming as Veteran 2 in December 2022 with the cast of Hwang Jung-min, Oh Dal-su, Jang Yoon-ju, Oh Dae-hwan, and Kim Si-hoo. Titled I, the Executioner, it premiered as a midnight screening at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.
Remakes A Chinese remake of the film was announced in 2016. Originally slated for a 2017 release with Sun Honglei in the starring role, The Big Shot was released in 2019 and starred Wang Qianyuan.
An American remake of the film by Michael Mann is currently in development, and will begin production after the release of his film adaptation of Heat 2.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result2015 Casa Asia Award (Asia Focus - Best Film) Veteran Asia Star of the Year Yoo Ah-in Best Film Veteran Best Director Ryoo Seung-wan Best Actor Yoo Ah-in Best Screenplay Ryoo Seung-wan Best Cinematography Choi Young-hwan Best Music Bang Jun-seok Top 10 Films of the Year Veteran 15th Korea World Youth Film Festival Most Favorite Actor Yoo Ah-in Most Favorite Film Director Ryoo Seung-wan 52nd Grand Bell Awards Best Film Veteran Best Director Ryoo Seung-wan Best Actor Yoo Ah-in Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin Best Supporting ActressJang Yoon-ju Best New Actress Best Screenplay Ryoo Seung-wan Best Cinematography Choi Young-hwan Best Editing Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum Best Lighting Kim Ho-seong Best Sound Recording Kim Chang-seop Best Film Veteran Best Director Ryoo Seung-wan Best Actor Hwang Jung-min Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin Best Supporting Actress Jin Kyung Best Screenplay Ryoo Seung-wan Best Cinematography-Lighting Choi Young-hwan, Kim Ho-seong Best Editing Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum Best Music Bang Jun-seok Technical Award Jung Doo-hong, Jung Yoon-heon (Stunts) Best Male Fashionista in a Movie (First Prize)Yoo Ah-in Artistic Impression in Motion Pictures Award The Korea Film Actors Association Awards Top Star Award Top Supporting Acting Award Jin Kyung Best Martial Arts Director Award Jung Doo-hong Best Actor Yoo Hae-jin Cine 21 Movie Awards Best Director Ryoo Seung-wan Best Actor Yoo Ah-in 2nd Korean Film Producers Association Awards Best Director Ryoo Seung-wan Best Cinematography Choi Young-hwan Best Editing Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum Technical Award Jung Doo-hong, Jung Yoon-heon (Stunts) 2016 Best Director Ryoo Seung-wan 11th Max Movie Awards Best Film Veteran Best Director Ryoo Seung-wan Best Actor Yoo Ah-in Best Supporting Actor Oh Dal-su Yoo Hae-jin Best Supporting Actress Jin Kyung Best PosterVeteran 10th Asian Film Awards Best Film Best DirectorRyoo Seung-wan Best Screenplay Best Editing Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum Next Generation Award Yoo Ah-in 21st Chunsa Film Art Awards Best Supporting Actor Oh Dal-su Technical Award Choi Young-hwan 36st Golden Cinematography Awards Best Actor Yoo Ah-in Cinematography Award - Gold Prize Choi Young-hwan 52nd Baeksang Arts Awards Best Film Veteran Best Director (Film) Ryoo Seung-wan Best Screenplay (Film) Best Actor (Film) Hwang Jung-min Best Supporting Actor (Film) Oh Dal-su 25th Buil Film AwardsBest FilmVeteranBest DirectorRyoo Seung-wanBest ActorHwang Jung-minBest ScreenplayRyoo Seung-wanBest CinematographyChoi Young-hwanBest MusicBang Jun-seok
References
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