The heat is on
Jang Dong Gun (Hangul: 장동건; Hanja: 張東健), the first Korean actor to star in a major Hollywood film.
"The Warrior's Way" (《黄沙武士》) was screened at a press event at COEX, southern Seoul. The film stars Korean actor
Jang Dong Gun, left, and American actress
Kate Bosworth (born January 2, 1983). [NEWSIS]
The highly anticipated film
"The Warrior's Way" was finally released to local media on 22nd November at a press screening in southern Seoul.
Led by renowned Hollywood producer
Barrie M. Osborne, whose works include
"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy and
"The Matrix" (1999), this computer graphic-heavy Hollywood film has created a great deal of buzz because of its stellar creative team, which includes art director D
an Hennah, who participated in the 2005 version of
"King Kong", and visual-effects art director
Christian Rivers, who worked on
The Lord of the Rings.
The global cast of A-list actors includes American actress
Kate Bosworth and Australian actor
Geoffrey Rush.
Bosworth plays
Lynne, a lady who dreams of killing her enemy, while
Rush portrays a former cowboy who is now a drunk.
But what makes this film special for Korean moviegoers is the presence of Korean actor
Jang Dong-gun, who is making his Hollywood debut in this film.
Jang got his start in the television drama
"Our Heaven" in 1993. Since then, he has risen to superstardom here with roles in hit films such as
"Taegukgi" (2004) and
"Friend" (2001).
The film is directed by first-time Korean-American filmmaker
Sngmoo Lee, who said the most difficult part of the production process was creating a unique setting entirely through the use of CG techniques.
"I didn't want to remind viewers of a particular country, because this is an action fantasy film", he said. "We had to create a fantastic and dreamy world, but it's all make-believe".
The film features the fight choreography of Japanese action director
Yuji Shimomura, a protégé of
Donnie Yen (
甄子丹).
Jang Dong Gun is best known in the West for his role 2004 tear jerking war movie
"Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War" (태극기 휘날리며), as one of the two brothers. Followed by the 2005 movie
"The Promise" (simp:无极; trad:無極), which was not so succesful commercially seen, considering the fact that it had a stellar cast namely;
Cecilia Cheung (simp:张柏芝; trad:張柏芝), and
Nicolas Tse (simp:谢霆锋;trad:謝霆鋒 ) and a Mandarin speaking
Hiroyuki Sanada (真田広之).
The fantasy action film tells the story of a lonely swordsman (
Jang) who hides in a small town and learns how to build a relationship with the townspeople.
Even though most people may assume that having to speak in English is the most difficult part of
Jang's new role,
Jang said the hardest part was starting all over again in Hollywood,
"Of course it wasn't easy to act while speaking a different language, but the more challenging thing was that I had to prove myself to people who have no idea about me and what I can do",
Jang told reporters at the press screening.
Jang is not the first Korean actor to cross into Hollywood.
Lee Byeong Heon played a supporting role in
"G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" in 2009 and is also scheduled to appear in the sequel. Singer-actor
Rain appeared in "
Ninja Assassin", also in 2009.
But whereas his fellow actors were cast in supporting roles, Jang is the star of this film, which was reported to have a production budget of $100 million. That means the pressure is all on him.
It also probably doesn't help that the film has a rare scene in which an Asian man kisses a Caucasian woman.
While that scene, and Jang's role, could change perceptions of Asian men overseas, some say that Asian actors have a long way to go before that happens.
"
Jackie Chan is a huge star in Hollywood and his image as a comedic and action star is what Westerners expect of Asian men - whether they are Chinese or Korean", said
Yu Ji Na, a movie critic and film professor. "There is this fixed idea of what an Asian actor can do. If Korean actors want to appear as something other than a warrior, it's going to be very hard".
Culture critic
Jeong Deok Hyun agrees.
"I think there should be a wider range of roles for Asian men",
Jeong said. "To change the stereotype that Asian actors face, Korean filmmakers should try to produce a variety of films".
The Warrior's Way opens on 2nd December at Korea theaters nationwide and on Dec. 3 in the United States.
By Sung So-young
Source :
joongangdaily.joins.c... ( English Korean )
