''Anarchists'' is a 2000 South Korean action film directed by

Yoo Young-sik Yoo may refer to: * Yoo (Korean surname), also spelled Ryu or Yu, a Korean family name * YOO, the IATA code for Oshawa Airport See also *You In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was histor ...

and co-written by

Park Chan-wook Park Chan-wook ( ; born 23 August 1963) is a South Korean film director, screenwriter, producer, and former film critic. He is considered as one of the most prominent filmmakers of South Korean cinema as well as world cinema in 21st century. H ...

. Set in

Shanghai Shanghai (; , , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ) is one of the four direct-administered municipalities of the People's Republic of China (PRC). The city is located on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River flow ...

in 1924, the film is about a

covert cell A clandestine cell system is a method for organizing a group of people (such as resistance fighters, sleeper agents, mobsters, or terrorists) such that such people can more effectively resist penetration by an opposing organization (such as ...

insurrectionist Insurrectionary anarchism is a revolutionary theory and tendency within the anarchist movement that emphasizes insurrection as a revolutionary practice. It is critical of formal organizations such as labor unions and federations that are based ...

anarchists Anarchism is a political philosophy and movement that is skeptical of all justifications for authority and seeks to abolish the institutions it claims maintain unnecessary coercion and hierarchy, typically including, though not necessari ...

who attempt to overthrow the Japanese government's occupation of Korea through

propaganda of the deed Propaganda of the deed (or propaganda by the deed, from the French ) is specific political direct action meant to be exemplary to others and serve as a catalyst for revolution. It is primarily associated with acts of violence perpetrated by pro ...

. 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.

Plot

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 film 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 Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

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.

Cast

Jang Dong-gun Jang Dong-gun (born March 7, 1972) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his leading roles in the films ''Friend'' (2001) and '' Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War'' (2004). Jang is one of the highest-paid actors and celebrity endorsers in ...

as Sergei *

Jung Joon-ho Jung Joon-ho (; born October 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor, who gained fame in the 2000 series, Women Like You, (왕추). His recent hits are '' Last Scandal'' (내 생애 마지막 스캔들) and ''IRIS''. Jung Jun-ho has a passionate interes ...

as Lee Geun *

Kim Sang-joong Kim Sang-joong (born August 6, 1965) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for starring in the television dramas ''My Husband's Woman'' (2007), ''City Hunter'' (2011), and ''The Chaser'' (2012). He won the Grand Prize at the MBC Drama Award ...

as Han Myung-gon *

Lee Beom-soo Lee Beom-soo (born January 3, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is well known for his role in ''Singles'', ''Giant'', '' On Air'', '' Surgeon Bong Dal-hee, ''as well as in'' History of a Salaryman.'' Lee enrolled in the Department of Theater ...

as Dol-suk *

Kim In-kwon Kim In-kwon (born January 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor. Known for playing memorable supporting characters, he starred in his first leading role in the sleeper hit ''He's on Duty'' (2010), followed by ''Almost Che'' (2012), '' Born to Sing'' ( ...

as Sang-gu *

Ye Ji-won Ye Ji-won (born February 1, 1973) is a South Korean actress. Career She is best known for her leading role in the hit sitcom ''Old Miss Diary'', and her more serious turns in Hong Sang-soo Hong Sang-soo (홍상수, born 25 October 1960) is ...

as Kaneko

Production notes and historical significance

''Anarchists'' was the first Korean and Chinese co-production in the history of

Korean cinema The term "Cinema of Korea" (or "Korean cinema") encompasses the motion picture industries of North and South Korea. As with all aspects of Korean life during the past century, the film industry has often been at the mercy of political events, ...

.Dennis Harvey
"Review: ‘Anarchists’"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', March 25, 2001. The project was put together through the efforts of the Korean Film Commission and the international exchange division of the city of

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

, using connections they had been developing in Shanghai. The film was shot entirely in China over a period of three months in Shanghai and in towns nearby, with a budget of US$3,000,000. For ''Anarchists'', the production team worked with a Chinese-based A-level staff who participated in the production of

Chen Kaige Chen Kaige (; born 12 August 1952) is a Chinese film director and a leading figure of the fifth generation of Chinese cinema.Berry, Michael (2002). "Chen Kaige: Historical Revolution and Cinematic Rebellion" in Speaking in Images: Interviews wit ...

's '' Farewell My Concubine'' and ''

Temptress Moon ''Temptress Moon'' is a 1996 Chinese film directed by Chen Kaige. It was jointly produced by the Shanghai Film Studio and the Taipei-based Tomson Films. The film saw Chen reuniting with Leslie Cheung and Gong Li who had previously worked with him ...

''. 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 The Shanghai Film Studio (), one of the three biggest film studios in China, is the film division of the Shanghai Film Group Corporation in Shanghai, China. It is responsible for the production of Chinese films and TV programs. History Shanghai ...

. The film was co-winner of the audience choice award at the 2001

Cinequest Film Festival The Cinequest Film & Creativity Festival is an annual independent film festival held each March in San Jose, California and Redwood City, California. The international festival combines the cinematic arts with Silicon Valley’s innovation. It is ...

."Now in The Top 10, Cinequest Bestows Awards Closing its 11th Edition"

IndieWire IndieWire (sometimes stylized as indieWIRE or Indiewire) is a film industry and review website that was established in 1996. The site's focus was predominantly independent film, although its coverage has grown to "to include all aspects of Hollyw ...

, March 9, 2001.

References

External links

* * * *
The Korean Anarchist Movement
an introduction to Korean anarchism in this period {{DEFAULTSORT:Anarchists (film) 2000 films 2000 action drama films 2000 martial arts films Films about anarchism Films set in the 1920s Films set in Shanghai 2000s Korean-language films South Korean action drama films Films about the Korean independence movement Films set in Korea under Japanese rule 2000s South Korean films