''Golden Slumber'' is a 2018 South Korean action thriller film directed by Noh Dong-seok, starring

Gang Dong-won Gang Dong-won (born January 18, 1981) is a South Korean actor. Early life Gang Dong-won was born January 18, 1981, in Busan, and grew up in Changwon of Gyeongsangnam-do. His father, Gang Cheol-woo, was an engineer and later vice president ...

Kim Eui-sung Kim Eui-sung (; born December 17, 1965) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his roles in films ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), ''Office'' (2015), '' The Exclusive: Beat the Devil's Tattoo'' (2015) and ''Train to Busan'' (2016); ...

, Kim Sung-kyun,

Kim Dae-myung Kim Dae-myung (born February 16, 1981) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, then rose to fame in the television series '' Misaeng: Incomplete Life'' (2014), as well as ''Hospital Playlist ''Hospital Playlist'' () ...

Han Hyo-joo Han Hyo-joo (Korean: 한효주; born February 22, 1987) is a South Korean film and television actress, model and singer. She is best known for her leading roles in television series such as ''Heaven & Earth'' (2007), '' Iljimae'' (2008), ''Brill ...

and

Yoon Kye-sang Yoon Kye-sang (; born December 20, 1978) is a South Korean actor and singer. He began his career in 1999 as part of the K-pop boy band g.o.d, then left the group in 2004 and pursued an acting career. He made his acting debut in the film ''Flying ...

. It is based on the 2007 Japanese novel of the same name written by

Kōtarō Isaka is a Japanese author of mystery fiction, best known for his ''Hitman'' novel/manga series, including '' Maoh: Juvenile Remix'' (2007–2009), the first of which, ''3 Assassins'' (2004, Japanese; 2022, English), was adapted as a Japanese feature ...

, previously filmed by

Yoshihiro Nakamura is a Japanese film director and screenwriter, known for his 2009 film '' Fish Story'', which premiered at the New York Asian Film Festival, and ''A Boy and His Samurai'', which won the Audience Award at the 2011 New York Asian Film Festival. Li ...

in 2010. The film revolves around a deliveryman who has to run for his life after he is held responsible for an explosion causing the death of a presidential candidate. The film was released in South Korean theaters on 14 February 2018 and in US theaters on a limited basis, on 16 February 2018.

Plot

A presidential candidate is assassinated as part of a conspiracy, and a deliveryman has to flee for his life when he is framed and the evidence against him begins to accumulate.

Cast

as Kim Gun-woo :A reliable and friendly package delivery worker who gains unexpected fame when he saves a pop star. However, his life changes when he is falsely accused of a terrorist attack that kills a presidential candidate. *

as Mr. Min :A mysterious man who helps Gun-woo after he is accused of being an assassin. * Kim Sung-kyun as Geum-chul :A computer repair man *

as Dong-gyu :A band-mate and a close friend of Gun-woo from college, who is now a divorce lawyer. *

as Sun-young :A radio reporter who went to college with Gun-woo and also his first love. *

as Moo-yeol (special appearance) :Gun-woo’s friend who is tasked with capturing him. *

Lee Hang-na Lee Hang-na is a South Korean actress, model and director, professor. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Vincenzo'', ''Train'', and '' Black Dog: Being A Teacher''. She has also appeared in movies like '' Svaha: The Sixth Finger'', ...

as Team leader Do *Park Hoon as Team leader Sun * Kim Jae-young as Park Goon *Jo Young-jin as Yoo Young-gook *Jung Jae-sung as Jo Se-hyun *Jeong Hyeong-seok as Detective Cha *

Ryu Hye-rin Ryu Hye-rin is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her roles in dramas ''How Are U Bread'', ''Two Cops (TV series), Two Cops'' and ''The Game: Towards Zero''. She also appeared in movies such as ''Sunny (2011 film), Sunny'', ''Bi ...

as Oyster woman * Baek Bong-ki as Courier competition man *

Lee Sang-hee General (Ret.) Lee Sang-hee (born 1945), ROKA, was the 32nd Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces and the 41st Republic of Korea Minister of National Defense. General Lee graduated from the Republic of Ko ...

as Geum Cheol-cheo *

Yeom Hye-ran Yeom Hye-ran (born October 30, 1976) is a South Korean actress. Career Yeom began her career in theater in 1999 and made her screen debut in 2003. She has since played supporting roles in film and television, notably ''Dear My Friends'' (2016 ...

as Store middle-aged woman *

Yoo Jae-myung Yoo Jae-myung (; born June 3, 1973) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the series ''Reply 1988'' (2015), '' Stranger'' (2017), ''Life'' (2018), ''Itaewon Class'' (2020) and '' Voice of Silence'' (2020). He won Best Suppor ...

as Hwang Jin-ho * Lee Jun-hyeok as Plastic surgeon (cameo) * Jung So-min as Yoo-mi (cameo) *

Choi Woo-shik Choi Woo-shik (; born March 26, 1990) is an South Korean-Canadian actor based in South Korea. He first gained widespread recognition for his leading role in the film '' Set Me Free'' (2014). He then co-starred in the films ''Train to Busan'' (201 ...

as Joo-ho (cameo) * Kim Yoo-jung as Soo-ah (special appearance) *Namgoong Yeon as Radio DJ's voice (special appearance) * Cha Soon-bae as Joint head of department

Release

On January 17, 2018 a press conference was held at Apgujeong CGV. The main cast together with the director were present at the event. The main poster for the movie was revealed on January 19, 2018. It was followed by the main trailer being unveiled on February 1, 2018. ''Golden Slumber'' was released on February 14, 2018 in South Korea. The film was released internationally in the U.S, Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Reception

Box office

In the first weekend of its release, ''Golden Slumber'' ranked third at the South Korean box office and sold 628,197 tickets. The film earned during the first five days of its release. At the end of the second weekend, the movie suffered a 75% drop, grossing by selling 158,217 tickets. After 12 days since its release, the film earned a total of , attracting an audience of 1.3 million.

Critical response

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...

'' noted, "The movie ultimately paints mass media cynicism as its real villain, noting how a sensationalist press and a gullible public allow amoral creeps to spread dangerous lies." '' Film Journal International'' recognised the film as "A fast-paced, Jason Bourne-like Korean thriller, given depth by its theme of friendship". ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

'' response for the film was "A confused but lively hour-and-three-quarters". ''

Yonhap News Agency Yonhap News Agency is a major South Korean news agency. It is based in Seoul, South Korea. Yonhap provides news articles, pictures and other information to newspapers, TV networks and other media in South Korea. History Yonhap (, , translit. ' ...

'' reviewed the movie to have "all the right ingredients to become a box office hit" however, "it appears to have lost balance when it tried to put in as many ingredients as possible."

References

External links

* * * {{Lee Hae-jun 2018 films South Korean action thriller films South Korean chase films 2010s chase films 2018 action thriller films Films based on Japanese novels Films about friendship CJ Entertainment films 2010s South Korean films