''No. 3'' () is a 1997 South Korean

gangster A gangster is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''mob'' and the suffix '' -ster''. Gangs provide a level of organization and ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

starring

Han Suk-kyu Han Suk-kyu (born November 3, 1964) is a South Korean actor. One of the leading actors of Korean cinema, Han's notable works include ''Green Fish'' (1997), '' No. 3'' (1997), ''Christmas in August'' (1998), '' Shiri'' (1999), ''The Scarlet Letter ...

as the titular no. 3 man of a gang who's aspiring to rise up the ranks and become the leader of his own gang. It was writer-director Song Nung-han's feature directorial debut.

Themes

In ''Korean Film: History, Resistance, and Democratic Imagination'', Min Eung-jun et al. state that through his portrayal of gangster society in this film, Song allegorically criticizes all of contemporary South Korean society. Calling the film a "

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

employing satire and self-reflexivity", Min says the film represents a revisionist impulse in contemporary

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, ...

for several reasons. It uses violence allegorically not as an expression of repressed sexuality, but as an expression of the absurdity of Korean society. Also, rather than focus exclusively on male aspirations, it simultaneously shows the desires of its female characters as well. Furthermore, in satirizing Korean society, it does not exclude the bourgeoisie from its critical eye. Rather than employ the straightforward narrative techniques and "ruthless logic" of the traditional gangster film such as director

Im Kwon-taek Im Kwon-taek (born December 8, 1934) is one of South Korea's most renowned film directors. In an active and prolific career, his films have won many domestic and international film festival awards as well as considerable box-office success, and h ...

's ''

General's Son ''General's Son'' () is a 1990 South Korean crime film directed by Im Kwon-taek. It stars Park Sang-min as Kim Du-han, a gangster who discovers that he is the son of General Kim Jwa-jin. The film is the first in a trilogy, followed by ''General's ...

'' trilogy, ''No. 3'' uses a purposely artificial and stylized technique to satirize both the gangster genre and society at large. Like ''

Green Fish ''Green Fish'' () is a 1997 South Korean film. It was the first feature-length film directed by Lee Chang-dong, who also co-wrote the screenplay. Lee had previously been known as a novelist and high school teacher. The film stars Han Suk-kyu in ...

'', released the same year, and other "new" gangster films, ''No. 3'' refuses to deal with a story built around the traditional Korean concept of ''

han Han may refer to: Ethnic groups * Han Chinese, or Han People (): the name for the largest ethnic group in China, which also constitutes the world's largest ethnic group. ** Han Taiwanese (): the name for the ethnic group of the Taiwanese p ...

'', a concept which Min calls "endurance and acceptance of painful life within the community". ''No. 3'' replaces ''han'' with "new values" such as materialism and individualism, which are then held up for ridicule.Min, p.181. Min singles out the last segment of the film, "Chaos", for analysis, calling it one of the major achievements of the new Korean cinema. In this part of the film, the Korean gang boss has invited his Japanese gangster associates for a meeting in a room salon. While the meeting is in progress, the wife of the Korean boss is having sex with her poetry tutor in another room. An argument over the ownership of the Liancourt Islands breaks out between the lower strata of Japanese and Korean gangsters just as a rival gang breaks in to assassinate the Korean boss. Police then show up to arrest the entire group. Min says that this kaleidoscopic portrayal of the chaos of contemporary society "portrays in a tongue-in-cheek manner the anarchic blending of gangland with business, loyalty... with infidelity, sex with poetry, and violence with nationalism".

Cast

- Tae-ju *

Choi Min-sik Choi Min-sik (born April 27, 1962) is a South Korean actor. He received critical acclaim for his roles in '' Oldboy'' (2003), ''I Saw the Devil'' (2010) and '' The Admiral: Roaring Currents'' (2014). For his role in ''Oldboy'', he won the Best ...

- Dong-pal *

Lee Mi-yeon Lee Mi-yeon (born September 23, 1971) is a South Korean actress. Filmography Film Television series Variety show Music video Theater Discography Awards and nominations References External links * * * ...

- Hyun-ji *

Park Kwang-jung A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are green spaces set aside for recreation inside towns and cities. ...

- Rimbaud *

Park Sang-myun Park Sang-myun (; born January 27, 1968) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his comic roles, notably in '' My Wife Is a Gangster'' (2001). Career Park Sang-myun graduated in 1987 with a Theater degree from Seoul Institute of the Arts ...

- Ashtray *

Song Kang-ho Song Kang-ho (born January 17, 1967) is a South Korean actor. Song made his film debut in ''The Day a Pig Fell into the Well'' (1996), and came to national prominence with a series of critically acclaimed performances, including ''No. 3'' (1997) ...

- Jo-pil *

Bang Eun-hee Bang Eun-hee (born Bang Min-seo on May 7, 1967) is a South Korean actress. Bang made her acting debut in 1988, and rose to fame after being cast as the lead actress in Im Kwon-taek's ''General's Son'' (1990). She has starred in films and televis ...

- Ji-na

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 0128371 1997 films 1990s crime comedy films South Korean crime comedy films South Korean gangster films 1990s Korean-language films 1997 directorial debut films 1997 comedy films

Themes

Cast

See also

References

External links