FISTS OF LEGEND FISTS OF LEGEND - PRESS KIT - GENERAL INFORMATION Title: Fists of Legend (Original Title: 전설의 주먹 Junseolui Jumeok) Genre: Action, Drama Language: Korean with English subtitles Running Time: 153 minutes Rating: NR not rated by the MPAA (US Rating) Original release rated 18+ Director Kang Woo-suk Cast: Hwang Jung-min, Yu Jun-sang, Lee Yo-won, Yoon Jea-moon, Jung Woong-in Sung Ji-roo Production Cinema Service Distribution: CJ Entertainment US Release: April 12, 2013 Original Release: April 10, 2013 PROLOGUE Three legendary street fighting high school friends and rivals reunite 25 years later for the biggest fight of their lifetime in FISTS OF LEGEND. The gruesome fighting competition unexpectedly forces the three men to reconcile their broken friendship from the past and encounter true victory. Be prepared to journey through the action-packed and unforgettable story of friendship in FISTS OF LEGEND. SYNOPSIS FISTS OF LEGEND is a mixed martial arts reality TV show that recruits forgotten street fighting legends to a bloody battle against each other. Deok-kyu, Sang-hoon and Jae-suk were blockheaded high school friends who mainly used their fists to get what they wanted. An unfortunate incident tears their friendship apart and causes them to go their separate ways. Their lives collide once again after 25 years when the producers of FISTS OF LEGEND invite them to fight for the chance to win $200,000 prize. Directed by legendary Korean filmmaker Kang Woo-suk, FISTS OF LEGEND is unlike any other clichéd “inspirational” sport dramas in that it is more jarring and raw in its portrayal of the outer ring drama. The performances are what make FISTS OF LEGEND the film that it is, with Hwang Jung-min, Yu Jun-sang and Yun Jea-moon enhancing the story to another level. Hwang Jung-min proves once again why he is one of the most valued Korean actors. PRODUCTION NOTES The return of Korean box office legend director Kang Woo-suk FISTS OF LEGEND starring Hwang Jung-min, Yu Jun-sang and Yoon Jea-moon is Korea’s original blockbuster director Kang Woo-suk’s 19th film and one of his most highly anticipated. Kang is best known for TWO COPS, HANBANDO, PUBLIC ENEMY, and SILMIDO. His successful blockbusters throughout his entire have earned him a total of 33.9 million viewers at the Korean box office. For his new film FISTS OF LEGEND, Kang hired renowned action director Jung Doo-hong (action coordinator for G.I. JOE: RETALIATION and THE BERLIN FILE) to feature highly raw and stylized fighting sequences in the film. The film is one of Kang’s proudest films that include both action-packed fighting sequences with real human drama between three friends whose lives are intertwined in the past and the present. Actors Hwang Jung-min, Yu Jun-sang and Yoon Jea-moon mostly known for dramatic roles reach out of their comfort zone to become bloody fighters. The three well-known actors faced intensive physical challenges for the first time in their acting careers to portray their street-fighting characters. The actors completely immersed themselves in the training process to master boxing, martial arts, and other fighting skills. Director Kang Woo-suk demanded actual fistfights in order to capture palpable fighting scenes. The actors suffered major injuries during filming but refused to stop in order to portray the physical and mental struggles of their characters in the film. The result of the three actors’ undying commitment to their performance on the screen is a very raw and poignant portrayal of human action drama. CHARACTERS & CAST A man with iron fists who dreamed of becoming a boxing champion | LIM Deok-kyu Lim Deok-kyu dreamed of becoming a boxing champion. He received a boxing scholarship to a prestigious high school, avoided the temptation of street fights and became an Olympic gold medal hopeful. However, his dream vanished after a strange twist of fate, leaving him an empty shell. Later yet, the ordinary life he yearned for disintegrates when his wife passes away, leaving him to raise their daughter alone. Now running a failing noodle shop, he receives a potentially lucrative offer to appear on a reality television fight show, which he decides to do for his daughter. HWANG Jung-min He was the cold-blooded lawyer in A GOOD LAWYER’S WIFE, a naïve village man in YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE, a mean thug in A BITTERSWEET LIFE, a detective in THE UNJUST and most recently seen as the charismatic gangster in the NEW WORLD. Hwang Jung-min has been widely acknowledged for his versatility and fearlessness. For the first time in his career he accepted the challenge of a real fighting action film. He went through an excruciating pre-production training regime to transform into fighter Lim Deok-kyu. He jokingly admitted to not wanting to work on an action film ever again due to its intensity. Selected Filmography NEW WORLD (2013), DANCING QUEEN (2012), MOBY DICK (2011), THE UNJUST (2010), BLADES OF BLOOD (2010), PRIVATE EYE (2009), A MAN WHO WAS SUPER MAN (2009), HAPPINESS (2007), BLOODY TIE (2006), YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE (2005), A GOOD LAWYER’S WIFE (2003) CHARACTERS & CAST The man that abandoned his fighting for a white-collar job | LEE Sang-hoon A charismatic leader and natural fighter at Sadang High School, Sang-hoon controlled the entire Gangnam area as a street fighter. He later abandons his fighting past and eventually becomes a public relations director for his high school friend Son Jin-ho. He ends up working on the Fists of Legend reality TV show for his job and his fighter instincts slowly awaken as the show continues. YU Jun-sang Yu Jun-sang has proven his considerable talent as a star in movies, musicals and television series. In the popular series, MY HUSBAND GOT A FAMILY, he played the sweet, smart husband and won the hearts of millions of TV viewers. He has completely transformed himself for his latest role in FISTS OF LEGEND with a performance that reveals a surprising yet believable new side of him beyond his usual “family man” appearance. Selected Filmography NOBODY’S DAUGHTER HAEWON (2012), TOUCH (2012), SOAR INTO THE SUN (2012), IN ANOTHER COUNTRY (2011), THE DAY HE ARRIVES (2011), THE LAST BLOSSOM (2011), HA HA HA (2010), LIKE YOU KNOW IT ALL (2009), WIDE AWAKE (2007) CHARACTERS & CAST A third-rate bully who would have done anything to become number one | SHIN Jae-suk He used to be known as the “crazy dog” of South Seoul High School because he never gave up the chase to win a street fight, but Shin Jae-suk only knew how to succeed with his fists. While he once dreamed of becoming the best street fighter in town, he is now just a third-rate thug who goes on the Fists of Legend to recover his self-esteem and fulfill his dream. YOON Jea-moon Yoon Jea-moon has become one of the nation’s most versatile and in-demand actors. In 2013, he was cast in three highly anticipated forthcoming movies: JEONRYUNG, COMMITMENT and A FAMILY REUNION, proving his popularity in the industry and with audiences. In FISTS OF LEGEND, he plays the tenacious Shin Jae-suk and shows off his vigorous fighting skills. Moviegoers will enjoy watching this charismatic performer bring a resilient fighter to life. Selected Filmography DANGEROUSLY EXCITED (2012), THE KING 2 HEARTS (TV, 2012), QUICK (2011), TREE WITH DEEP ROOTS (TV, 2011), MIDAS (TV, 2011), BATTLEFIELD HEROES (2010), CHAW (2009), IRIS (TV, 2009), A DIRTY CARNIVAL (2006), ANTARCTIC JOURNAL (2005) ABOUT THE DIRECTOR KANG Woo-suk A filmmaker with 18 films seen by nearly 34 million moviegoers and a natural storyteller who deftly balances entertainment and social issues. Kang was 30 years old when he made his debut film SWEET BRIDES (1989) that went on to win the Best New Director prize at the Korean Association of Film Critics Awards. In 2003 he became the first Korean director ever to reach the 10 million admissions benchmark with SILMIDO. Kang’s other hit films such as PUBLIC ENEMY and MOSS consistently thrilled both moviegoers and critics. Kang has directed more films than most other filmmakers in Korean film history and is acknowledged as Chungmuro’s premiere storyteller. Kang has tackled many of Korea’s most pressing social issues in his work, including college entrance exams (HAPPINESS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH STUDENT RECORDS), the lagging political system (TWO COPS and PUBLIC ENEMY), knotty Korea-Japan relations (HANBANDO) and political exploitation (SILMIDO). Kang’s films with various genres are regularly met with massive success and he is now known as the master of the box office in Korea. In addition to SILMIDO’s 11 million viewers, HANBANDO, MOSS, and the PUBLIC ENEMY series have each earned at least three million admissions, bringing Kang’s career total to 33.9 million viewers. Kang’s unique voice for social satire, his sense of humor and satisfying catharses are at the root of his popularity. In FISTS OF LEGEND Kang again does what he does best: create touching and comedic stories set in the masculine realm. He triggers the nostalgia of moviegoers with the legendary fighters of their teenage years and entertains with ambitious fighting sequences. “This movie makes me anticipate the audience reaction in the same way fighters wait for the bell to ring before a fight begins,” said Kang about his most recent film FISTS OF LEGEND. SELECTED FILMOGRAPHY GLOVE (2011), MOSS (2010), PUBLIC ENEMY RETURNS (2008), HANBANDO (2006), ANOTHER PUBLIC ENEMY (2005), SILMIDO (2003), PUBLIC ENEMY (2002), TWO COPS (1993) CREDIT BLOCK (INTERNATIONAL) CJ ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS A CINEMA SERVICE/MIRACLE FILMS PRODUCTION A KANG