The Fortress (2017 film)

Last updated
The Fortress
The Fortress - namhansanseong.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
Hanja
Revised Romanization Namhan sanseong
McCune–Reischauer Namhan sanŏng
Directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk
Screenplay byHwang Dong-hyuk
Based onNamhansanseong
by Kim Hoon
Starring Lee Byung-hun
Kim Yoon-seok
CinematographyKim Jee-yong
Edited by Nam Na-yeong
Music by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Production
company
Siren Pictures
Distributed by CJ Entertainment
Release date
  • October 3, 2017 (2017-10-03)
Running time
139 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguagesKorean
Manchu
Box officeUS$29.2 million [1]

The Fortress is a 2017 South Korean epic historical drama film directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk, starring Lee Byung-hun and Kim Yoon-seok. It is based on the novel Namhansanseong by Kim Hoon. [2]

Contents

Plot

The film is set during the Qing invasion of Joseon in 1636, when King Injo and his retainers sought refuge in the fortress located in Namhansanseong.

Cast

Main

A leader of one of the two ideological cliques that battles in the fortress trying to decide whether to make peace or fight against the Qing dynasty. [3] [4]

The other leader of the ideological clique who battles with Choi's opinion and firmly believes in defending the nation's dignity by fighting against the Qing dynasty. [6]

The king who is in agony in the tense conflicts between his men over the fate of the nation. [7]

A blacksmith sent out with a king's letter to recruit loyal forces.

The commander of the Namhansanseong garrison, silently defending the mountain fortress in the extreme cold weather conditions.

Supporting

Release and reception

The film was released in South Korean cinemas on October 3, 2017. [8] It topped the box office on its opening day with 444,527 viewers. According to the film's distributor CJ Entertainment, by the second day of its release, the film had accumulated more than one million admissions, the fastest film released during the Chuseok holidays to surpass the mark. [9] [10]

The Fortress was sold to 28 countries worldwide including U.S.A, Japan, Taiwan and Singapore. It was the opening film at the 2nd London East Asia Film Festival. In South Korea, the film attracted a total of 3.8 million moviegoers. [11]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 63% of 8 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.30/10. [12]

Awards and nominations

AwardCategoryRecipientResultRef.
37th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best FilmThe FortressWon [13] [14] [15]
Best Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Won
Best CinematographyKim Jee-yongWon
Best Music Ryuichi Sakamoto Won
Top 10 FilmsThe FortressWon
38th Blue Dragon Film Awards Best FilmNominated [16]
Best Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Nominated
Best Actor Kim Yoon-seok Nominated
Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Best Screenplay Hwang Dong-hyuk Won
Best Cinematography and LightingKim Jee-yong & Jo Gyu-youngNominated
Best Music Ryuichi Sakamoto Nominated
Best Art DirectionChae Kyung-seonNominated
4th Korean Film Producers Association AwardsBest FilmThe FortressWon [17]
Best Editing Nam Na-yeong Won
Best SoundChoi Tae-youngWon
12th Asian Film Awards Best CinematographyKim Jee-yongWon [18] [19]
Best SoundChoi Tae-youngNominated
54th Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize (Film) Kim Yoon-seok Nominated [20] [21]
Best FilmThe FortressWon
Best Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Nominated
23rd Chunsa Film Art Awards Won [22] [23]
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Technical AwardKim Jee-yongWon
27th Buil Film Awards Best FilmThe FortressNominated [24] [25]
Best Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Nominated
Best ScreenplayNominated
Best CinematographyKim Jee-yongNominated
Best Music Ryuichi Sakamoto Nominated
Best Art DirectionChae Kyung-seonNominated
55th Grand Bell Awards Best FilmThe FortressNominated [26] [27]
Best Director Hwang Dong-hyuk Nominated
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Best Screenplay Hwang Dong-hyuk Nominated
Best CinematographyKim Jee-yongWon
Best Editing Nam Na-young Nominated
Best Art DirectionChae Kyung-seonNominated
Best LightningJo Kyu-youngWon
Best Costume DesignJo Sang-kyungNominated
Best Music Ryuichi Sakamoto Won
2nd The Seoul Awards Best FilmThe FortressNominated [28]
Best Actor Lee Byung-hun Nominated
Camerimage Golden FrogKim Jee-yongWon

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Yoon-seok</span> South Korean actor (born 1968)

Kim Yoon-seok is a South Korean actor, film director and screenwriter. Kim began his career in theater and it subsequently led him to be cast in minor roles in films and television dramas. His breakout role came as the villain in gambling film Tazza: The High Rollers (2006), but it was his performance as an ex-cop turned pimp in surprise hit The Chaser (2008) that brought him acting awards and wider recognition.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Esom</span> South Korean actress

Lee So-young, known by her stage name Esom, is a South Korean actress.

Yoon Jong-bin is a South Korean film director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hwang Dong-hyuk</span> South Korean film director and screenwriter

Hwang Dong-hyuk is a South Korean film director, producer and screenwriter. He is best known for directing the 2011 crime drama film Silenced, and for creating the 2021 Netflix survival drama series Squid Game. Time named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Yong-hwa</span> South Korean director (born 1971)

Kim Yong-hwa is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Kim wrote and directed Oh! Brothers (2003), 200 Pounds Beauty (2006), Take Off (2009) and Mr. Go (2013).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kim Sun-young (actress, born 1976)</span> South Korean actress

Kim Sun-young is a South Korean actress. She has performed in a variety of popular dramas, including Reply 1988 (2015), Because This is My First Life (2018), Romance is a Bonus Book (2019), When the Camellia Blooms (2019), Vagabond (2019), Crash Landing On You (2019), and Backstreet Rookie (2020). She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Chunsa Film Art Awards and Wildflower Film Awards for her performance in Communications and Lies. Kim has received the Best Supporting Actress Award at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards for her role on Crash Landing On You.

<i>1987: When the Day Comes</i> 2017 South Korean historical film

1987: When the Day Comes is a 2017 South Korean political thriller film directed by Jang Joon-hwan and written by Kim Kyung-chan. The film stars Kim Yoon-seok, Ha Jung-woo, Yoo Hae-jin, Kim Tae-ri, Park Hee-soon and Lee Hee-joon. Set in 1987 and based on a true story, the film focuses on the events that led up to the June Democratic Uprising in Korea, triggered by the death of a student protester during police interrogation which the authorities conspired to cover up. Jang compared the overall structure of the film to a relay race, with the focus of the story shifting between several characters to convey the collective effort of political resistance. The film was released in theaters on December 27, 2017.

<i>The Spy Gone North</i> 2018 film by Yoon Jong-bin

The Spy Gone North is a 2018 South Korean spy drama film directed by Yoon Jong-bin. It stars Hwang Jung-min, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong and Ju Ji-hoon. The film is loosely based on the true story of Park Chae-seo, a former South Korean agent who infiltrated North Korea's nuclear facilities. The film was released in theaters on August 8, 2018.

<i>I Can Speak</i> 2017 South Korean film

I Can Speak is a 2017 South Korean film based on a true story of comfort women directed by Kim Hyun-seok and distributed by Lotte Entertainment. The genre of the film are both comedy and drama. The film depicts the story of the resolution of conviction for “comfort women” (HR121) of the Japanese military in 2007. Though the film is a comedy, the genre serves as a vehicle to discuss the deeper topic of Korean comfort women. The way that film illustrated Na Ok-Bun's enterprising attitude of her life and her courageously testifying in front of the whole world were applauded. The film stars Na Moon-hee as Na Ok-Bun, with Lee Je-hoon as Park Min-Jae. The scene of Na Ok-Bun's testimony to the United States Congress was filmed at the Capitol Building of Virginia, in the city of Richmond.

<i>Little Forest</i> (film) 2018 South Korean film

Little Forest is a 2018 South Korean drama film directed by Yim Soon-rye and based on a manga series of the same name by Daisuke Igarashi which was first published in 2002.

<i>The Outlaws</i> (2017 film) 2017 South Korean film by Kang Yoon-sung

The Outlaws is a 2017 South Korean crime action film, written and directed by Kang Yoon-sung, starring Ma Dong-seok and Yoon Kye-sang. It was released on October 3, 2017. Set in 2004, the film revolves around Detective Ma Seok-do, who tries to control the gang-wars between Chinese-Korean gangs while also dealing with a ruthless loan shark named Jang-Chen.

<i>Return</i> (TV series) 2018 South Korean television series

Return is a 2018 South Korean television series. It aired on SBS TV from January 17 to March 22, 2018, every Wednesday and Thursday at 22:00 (KST) for 34 episodes.

Kim Tae-seong is a South Korean film and television composer. His credits include the films Crossing (2008), War of the Arrows (2011), The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014), 1987: When the Day Comes (2017), Extreme Job (2019), Space Sweepers (2021), The Roundup (2022) and the television series Emergency Couple (2014), Squad 38 (2016), Bad Guys 2 (2017), The Guest (2018) and My Liberation Notes (2022).

<i>Herstory</i> (film) 2018 South Korean film

Herstory is a 2018 South Korean drama film directed by Min Kyu-dong. Based on the real-life story of the trials that took place in Shimonoseki in the 1990s, the film follows a group of Busan-based women who engaged in a court case against the Japanese government to highlight the ordeals of Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery as comfort women by the Japanese military during World War II.

Lee Ga-sub is a South Korean actor.

<i>Extreme Job</i> 2019 film by Lee Byeong-heon

Extreme Job (Korean: 극한직업) is a 2019 South Korean action comedy film directed by Lee Byeong-heon, starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Lee Hanee, Jin Seon-kyu, Lee Dong-hwi and Gong Myung. The film was released on January 23, 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jin Seon-kyu</span> South Korean actor

Jin Seon-kyu is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles on the big screen, such as The Outlaws (2017) and Extreme Job (2019). He won Best Supporting Actor award at the 38th Blue Dragon Film Awards in 2017 for his performance in the film The Outlaws.

<i>Kim Ji-young, Born 1982</i> (film) 2019 South Korean drama film

Kim Ji-young, Born 1982 is a 2019 South Korean drama film starring Jung Yu-mi and Gong Yoo. Based on the million-seller novel of the same name by Cho Nam-Joo, it was released on October 23, 2019.

Kang Yun-seong is a South Korean film director and scriptwriter. His first feature-length directorial film, The Outlaws, starring Ma Dong-seok and Yoon Kye-sang, received rave reviews.

References

  1. "The Fortress (2017)". koreanfilm.or.kr.
  2. "Actor Lee Byung-hun attends press conference for 'The Fortress'". Yonhap News Agency . August 24, 2017. Retrieved 2017-08-28.
  3. "Exclusive: Interview with Korean actor Lee Byung Hun on his role in The Fortress, whitewashing and how he navigates Hollywood" . independent.co.uk. 23 October 2017. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  4. "Lee Byung-hun praises 'The Fortress' co-star Kim Yoon-seok".
  5. "'The Fortress' director hopes to provide a chance to learn from past".
  6. Herald, The Korea (23 August 2017). "Dazzling cast of 'Fortress' takes serious approach to historical film".
  7. Shim Sun-ah (August 23, 2017). "(LEAD) 'The Fortress' director hopes to provide a chance to learn from past". Yonhap News Agency . Retrieved 2017-08-23.
  8. "'The Fortress' becomes fastest Chuseok movie to surpass 1 mln in attendance". Yonhap News Agency . October 5, 2017.
  9. Leydon, Joe (20 October 2017). "Film Review: 'The Fortress'". variety.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  10. "'The Fortress' sold to 28 foreign countries". Yonhap News Agency . October 24, 2017. Retrieved 2017-10-24.
  11. "The Fortress". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  12. "[공식입장] '영평상' 설경구·나문희 男女주연상, '남한산성' 최우수작품 수상". chosun.com. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  13. "제37회 영평상, 설경구·나문희 남녀주연상…'남한산성' 4관왕". xportsnews.com. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2017.
  14. "THE FORTRESS Dominates 37th Korean Film Critics Association Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. 30 October 2017.
  15. "[공식입장] '제38회 청룡영화상' 후보 공개, '불한당'vs'택시' 대격돌" (in Korean). Sports Chosun. 2017-11-06.
  16. "THE FORTRESS Tops Korean Film Producers Association Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  17. "Asian Film Awards 2018 nominations". South China Morning Post. January 11, 2018.
  18. "Asian Film Awards: 'Youth' Wins Top Prize From 'Demon Cat'". Variety. March 17, 2018.
  19. "'1987' shines at Baeksang awards : The annual ceremony honors the best works in local film and television". Korea JoongAng Daily. May 5, 2018.
  20. "제54회 백상예술대상, TV·영화 각 부문별 수상 후보자 공개". JTBC (in Korean). April 6, 2018.
  21. "제23회 춘사영화제 5월18일 개최..홍상수·김민희 참석하나". Newsen (in Korean). May 3, 2018.
  22. "[23rd 춘사영화제 종합]'남한산성' 최우수감독상 수상…최희서 11관왕 달성". Herald Corporation (in Korean). May 18, 2018.
  23. "[23회 부산국제영화제] 부일영화상". Busan Daily (in Korean). 20 September 2018.
  24. "5관왕 '공작', '허스토리'와 함께 부산 품었다(종합) [27회 부일영화상]". MK Sports (in Korean). 5 October 2018.
  25. "제55회 대종상, 각 부문 후보 공개…'공작' 12개 최다부문 노미네이트". Seoul Sports (in Korean). Retrieved 2018-09-21.
  26. "'버닝', 대종상 작품상 영예...1주기 故김주혁, 특별상 수상 [종합]". Osen (in Korean). 22 October 2018.
  27. "'제2회 더 서울어워즈' 10월27일 개최, 드라마-영화 각 부문별 후보공개". iMBC (in Korean). September 28, 2018.