''Man on High Heels'' (; lit. "High Heel") is a 2014 South Korean noir film written and directed by

Jang Jin Jang Jin (born February 24, 1971) is a South Korean film director, theatre director, playwright, screenwriter, film producer, actor and TV personality. Considered one of the most distinctive voices to emerge from the 1990s Korean cinema renaiss ...

, starring Cha Seung-won as a

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through tr ...

homicide detective.

Plot

Yoon Ji-wook is a hard-as-nails homicide detective known for his undisputed ability to nab violent criminals. He is revered as a legend in the police force and at the same time feared among the mafia for his brutality in cracking down on crime. Yet, beneath his cool, macho appearance lies a secret that he must hide from the world he lives in. Ji-wook was born male, and he has wanted to live his life as a woman since his teenage years. He tries to suppress this inner desire, but in vain. Ji-wook finally reaches the point where he can no longer hide who he truly is, and decides to take the plunge and get a gender affirmation operation. However, before he has a chance to do so, unexpected crises arise and interfere with his plans. A gang that suffered from the cold, hard steel of Ji-wook's handcuffs is dead set on getting their revenge against him. Ji-wook resigns and tries to go about making his dream a reality, but people close to him gets sucked into the revenge plot he finds himself at the center of. When some of those people get killed and a girl named Jang-mi falls into danger, he realizes that he can't stand idly by any longer.

Cast

* Cha Seung-won as Yoon Ji-wook *

Oh Jung-se Oh Jung-se (born February 26, 1977) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his roles in the television series ''Missing 9'' (2017), ''When the Camellia Blooms'' (2019), ''Hot Stove League'' (2019), and ''It's Okay to Not Be Okay'' (2020) ...

as Heo Gon *

Esom Lee So-young (January 30, 1990), known by her stage name Esom, is a South Korean actress and model. Career She gained recognition for her leading role in the 2014 film '' Scarlet Innocence'', for which she was nominated for Best New Actress i ...

as Jang-mi * Song Young-chang as Heo Bul *

Kim Eung-soo Kim Eung-soo (; born February 12, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Kim lived in Japan for seven years, where he studied filmmaking at the Japan Institute of the Moving Image The , formerly known as the Yokohama Broadcasting Technical School, is a ...

as Squad leader Park *

Ahn Gil-kang Ahn Gil-kang (born August 24, 1966) is a South Korean actor. He frequently appears as a supporting actor in director Ryoo Seung-wan's films, such as ''Die Bad'' (2000), ''Crying Fist'' (2005), ''The City of Violence'' (2006), and ''Dachimawa Lee' ...

as Master Park * Go Kyung-pyo as Kim Jin-woo * Lee Yong-nyeo as Bada *

Lee El Lee El (born Kim Ji-hyun on June 26, 1982) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for her supporting roles in the film ''Inside Men'' (2015), the television series ''It's Okay, That's Love'', '' Guardian: The Lonely and Great God'' (2016� ...

as Do Do *

Kim Min-kyo Kim Min-kyo (, born April 15, 1974) is a South Korean actor and director. He is well known as a cast member ('crew') on the tvN entertainment show ''Saturday Night Live Korea'. Career He has been performing as a stage actor on several Korea ...

as Man 1 * Min Jun-ho as accountant * Kim Ye-won as Jung Yoo-ri * Lee Eon-jeong as Joo-yeon *

Oh Ji-ho Oh Ji-ho (born April 14, 1976) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the television dramas '' Couple or Trouble'' (2006), '' The Slave Hunters'' (2010), ''Queen of the Office'' (2013) and ''My Fair Lady'' (2016). Career Oh was born and r ...

as Lee Seok *

Park Sung-woong Park Sung-woong (born January 9, 1973) is a South Korean actor. Following his acting debut in '' No. 3'' in 1997, Park has starred in several movies and television series, notably as a gangster in ''New World'' (2013) and a serial killer in '' T ...

as Prosecutor Hong * Yoon Son-ha as Jung Yoo-jung * Lee Moon-soo as taxi driver *

Kim Byeong-ok Kim Byeong-ok (born October 11, 1960) is a South Korean actor. A veteran supporting actor, he is best known for his role as Mr. Han in '' Oldboy''. Career In 2015, he was featured in a controversial Maxim Maxim or Maksim may refer to: En ...

as Dr. Jin * Lee Hae-young as immigration staff member *

Kim Won-hae Kim Won-hae (born April 6, 1969) is a South Korean actor. He is best known as a former cast member of ''SNL Korea'' (season 1–4). Personal life In August 2020, it was reported that Kim tested positive for COVID-19 Coronavirus dis ...

as elevator resident * Lee Dong Gil as young Jiwook

Box office

''Man on High Heels'' was released in South Korea on June 4, 2014. Despite its star director and actor, the film underperformed at the box office against Hollywood blockbusters '' X-Men: Days of Future Past'' and ''

Edge of Tomorrow ''Edge of Tomorrow'' (also known as ''Live Die Repeat: Edge of Tomorrow'') is a 2014 American science fiction action film starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt with Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson in supporting roles. Directed by Doug Liman wi ...

''. It opened at sixth place on the box office, drawing 338,663 admissions.

Awards

''Man on High Heels'' won "le grand prix" 2016 du festival international du film policier de Beaune (France).

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Man on High Heels 2014 films 2010s Korean-language films South Korean action films South Korean LGBT-related films Transgender-related films Film noir Lotte Entertainment films 2014 LGBT-related films 2010s South Korean films