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Yu Yong-Sik
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Lee Chang-Joon , Zhong Zheng , Fu Wenxia , Lee Jun-Ik (executive producer)
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Park Chan-wook
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Jang Dong-Gun ,<br> Kim Sang-Joong ,<br> Jeong Jun-Ho ,<br> Lee Bum-Soo , <br> Kim In-kwon ,<br> Ye Ji-won
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Choi Man-Shik , Choi Sun-Shik
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Kim Eung-Taek
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Kyung Min-Ho
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LIVE TONE
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Insight Visual
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CineWorld , Shanghai Film
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Fordwell Group Ltd ( Hong Kong ), CineClick Asia ( USA ),
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2000 ( South Korea ), 2002 ( Hong Kong ), 2003 ( USA ), 2005 ( Japan )
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100 min
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Korean , ( Chinese , English , and Japanese subtitles)
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0280427
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A-na-k'i-seu-teu
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'' is a
South Korea Action Movie , made in
2000 , and directed by
Yu Yong-Sik and written by
Park Chan-Wook .
Set in
Shanghai , circa
1924 , the movie is about an underground cell of
Anarchists who attempt to overthrow the Japanese government's
Colonial Control Of Korea through
Propaganda Of The Deed . Told from the perspective of the youngest member, Sang-Gu, years after the fact, the story is a sympathetic look at a group of revolutionaries through the eyes of one of their own.
In the opening scene the protagonist begins to reminisce about his youth and remembers the day he was saved from execution in a raid performed by the anarchist cell he would later join. After reaching a safe house the group begins to teach him the tricks of their trade. He later takes part in several missions, though he continues to have difficulty throughout the movie with the violence of his new job.
Eventually a string of tragic events strike the team. One of their members is fatally betrayed during a mission, leading to their covers being blown during the next. Now wanted by the Japanese and Chinese authorities, their funders turn away from them and instead choose to support
Socialist electoral politics to further their cause. This angers the group, and they leave the larger organization, attempting to survive on their own by earning money through gambling and bank robbery. Over time the group becomes agitated with simply scraping by and several voice a desire to return to their old ways of clandestine warfare. They collectively decide to strike at the Japanese government in a high profile attack, leading up to a dramatic finale.
Specific character information largely comes from the film's official website, rather than the movie itself. Within the film, characters aren't overtly developed and exposition largely comes through Sang-Gu's perspective, relying on few monologues and no flashbacks to tell the backstory. Instead, referinces to some of the events descriped below can be detected within character interaction and dialogue.
- Jang Dong-Gun as ''Seregay''
"Seregay is a great fighter and an activist who doesn't care to be compensated.
"A graduate of
Moscow University , Seregay is a
Nihilistic intellectual. He was the leader of an anarchist terrorist group, but unable to overcome the after-effects of torture from Japanese authorities, he's become addicted to
Opium , which takes him down a road of destruction. Aside from his drug addiction, he's an excellent sharpshooter, and with his handsome face and eccentric charm, he's loved by women all around him."
- Jeong Jun-ho as ''Lee Geun''
"A poet and humanist who worships Tolstoy , Lee Geun converts to anarchism after he meets Seregay and joins the group. Being a Romanticist as well as an Idealist , he suffers an ethical dilemma throughout the revolution. A handsome man with a manner that gains him trust, he leads the group with Han Myung-Gon."
- Kim Sang-Joong as ''Han Myung-Gon''
"Han is a cool-headed revolutionary with a gentle appearance. He came to learn Marxist-Leninist ideologies in his early years and become a model conspirator within the group. When he deals with his foes, he handles them mercilessly, but keeps his cool at all times. As the leader of the group, he keeps the others in line, while putting forward an image as an all-out stoic."
- Lee Bum-Soo as ''Dol-Suk''
"Born into the lowest class of society, Dol-Suk is unconditionally hostile to the 'haves.' Even though he acts first and thinks second, he's always loyal and tends not to be shallow. He enjoys games, practical jokes and loves women, but hates anything that is complicated. Strong headed with a foul-tongue, Dol-Suk values comradeship and cruelty at the same time."
- Kim In-Kwon as ''Sang-Gu''
"Having lost his whole family during the Kyungshin Massacre, and in the hope of getting revenge on the Japanese ruling power, a young terrorist comes to Shanghai all alone. But his life takes a complete turn when he meets the anarchists. Although he's very brave, he can't actively participate because he's still a young boy. He has trouble adapting to the merciless and cold-blooded terrorist activities with his weak heart. However, he admires and follows Seregay, Lee Geun and the other members and plays the observer of the entire story."
- Ye Ji-Won as ''Kaneko''
"When she sings ''Sombre Dimanche'' ('' Gloomy Sunday ''), it's bewitching enough to make you want to know more about the woman behind the mysterious voice. As the Queen of the club, her love overcomes all ideologies and thoughts, and she comforts the soul of a man who does not trust himself into love. With outstanding beauty and intelligence she wins the hearts of Seregay and Lee Geun in a single spell."
''Anarchists'' was the first Korean and Chinese co-production in the history of
Korean Cinema . The film was shot entirely in China over a period of three months in Shanghai and in towns nearby. For ''Anarchists'', the production team worked with a Chinese-based A-level staff who participated in the production of
ChenKaige's ''
Farewell My Concubine '' and ''
Temptress Moon ''. For an effective production process, the actors and the core production staff came from Korea, while the production design, elaborate sets, supporting talent and hundreds of extras were supplied by the
Shanghai Film Studio .
Jang Dong-Gun later spoke on the production in an interview: "''The opium joint and the pipe I used were all genuine stuff from that period. The background was authentic as well. Even those cups were genuine antiques. I believed that a lot of spirits haunted the place. All the elements provided a wonderful atmosphere for filming.''"
A movie about the practicalities of survival, the passion for the good fight, and how these two things are sometimes at odds; it attempts to portray the anarchists with respect, but falls prey to martial art film clichés and shallow character portrayal. The characters act less like politically minded radicals and more like a crew of hitmen out to take down an underdeveloped enemy in overacted, slow motion gun battles.
Little about anarchist philosophy is actually explained, much less why the individual characters would be attracted to it, though clear references to certain facets of anarchism are referenced. Examples include a reference to
Kropotkin , the origin of the word
Anarchy , and a brief exchange on the use of the color black as an
Anarchist Symbol . One scene between the anarchists and their founder also touches on the relationship between anarchists and
Socialist s, and the turmoil that occurred among political factions after the
Russian Revolution Of 1917 , as a result of which many anarchists became socialists and anarchism as a movement began to see a decline in Asia.
For their part, the promoters were not at all shy of describing their protagonists as "
Terrorists ," despite the obvious negative connotations and the fact that mainstream media sources often meet anarchists with hostility.
However, the movie is unique among fictional dipictions of anarchists in that its tone is sympathetic. Most interpretations of anarchists are based on the western bias that anarchism is a philosophy grounded in terrorism. The willingness to accept anarchists as positive historical figures may be owed to the fact that "terrorism" as practiced by anarchists in Europe and the US never caught on in Asia, and today anarchism is a relatively unknown philosophy in East Asian countries. Anarchists are not seen so much as barbarians, as they are novelties.
- CineClick Asia ''Anarchists'' synopsis, review, trailer, and cast information.
- Cinequest Review of ''Anarchists'' and cast information.
