Ransomed () is a 2023 South Korean action thriller film directed by Kim Seong-hun, starring Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon. It is based on the 1986 kidnapping of a South Korean diplomat in Lebanon. The film was released theatrically on August 2, 2023. It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Korean Cinema Today - Panorama' section and was screened on October 5, 2023.
Premise Set in 1987, the film revolves around diplomat Lee Min-jun and local taxi driver Kim Pan-su who went to Lebanon to rescue a missing colleague. At the time, the Chun Doo-hwan government was covering it up to avoid bad press for the upcoming 1987 South Korean presidential election and the bid for 1988 Summer Olympics. The ransom asked by the terrorists was 2.5 million U.S. dollars. The public will not know the full details until declassification in 2047.
Cast Ha Jung-woo as Lee Min-jun Ju Ji-hoon as Kim Pan-su Kim Eung-soo as the director of KCIA Park Hyuk-kwon as Manager Park Kim Jong-soo as South Korean Foreign Affairs Minister Choi Kwang-soo Lim Hyung-guk as kidnapped Secretary Oh Jae-seok Burn Gorman as Richard Carter Marcin Dorociński as Hays Shaito, a Switzerland arbitrator Fehd Benchemsi as Karim Anas El Baz as Naji Nisrine Adam as Lila, Pan-su's lover Khalil Oubaaqa As Gangster Nada El Belkasmi as Refugee camp volunteer
Production Development Development of the film was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The production had originally been scheduled to begin filming around March 2020, but was postponed. Director Kim Seong-hun later said that he had first been offered the project several years earlier and became interested in the unanswered questions surrounding the kidnapping and subsequent rescue of the diplomat.
Filming Although the story is set primarily in Beirut, Lebanon, the film was shot in Morocco. The overseas shoot lasted approximately three months. Production took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Morocco permitted the production to enter the country by charter flight despite widespread border restrictions at the time.
Release The film premiered theatrically in South Korea on August 2, 2023. It was subsequently invited to the 28th Busan International Film Festival, where it screened in the Korean Cinema Today – Panorama section on October 5, 2023.
In Japan, the film was released on September 6, 2024, under the title Ransomed: Unofficial Operation.
Reception Box office According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network, the film grossed at the local box office and accumulated 1,058,745 admissions from 1,151 screens.
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Buil Film Awards October 5, 2023 Best Cinematography Kim Tae-Seong Grand Bell Awards November 15, 2023 Best Editing Kim Chang-ju Best Visual Effects No Nam-seok Best Cinematography Kim Tae-seong
References
External links