''Steel Rain'' is a 2017 South Korean

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

directed by

Yang Woo-suk Yang Woo-suk (born October 24, 1969) is a South Korean film director and manhwaga. His first film was the critical and commercial hit ''The Attorney'' (2013). Career Born in Seoul in 1969, Yang Woo-suk graduated from Korea University with ...

, based on his 2011

webtoon Webtoons (), are a type of digital comic that originated in South Korea usually meant to be read on smartphones. While webtoons were mostly unknown outside of Korea during their inception, there has been a surge in popularity internationally ...

of the same name. The film stars

Jung Woo-sung Jung Woo-sung (born March 20, 1973) is a South Korean actor and the first Korean UNHCR Goodwill Ambassador. Jung started his career as a fashion model, rising to stardom and teenage cult status with the gangster movie ''Beat'' (1997), for which ...

and

Kwak Do-won Kwak Do-won (born Kwak Byung-kyu on May 17, 1973) is a South Korean actor. Career Kwak is known for his roles in the films '' The Yellow Sea'' (2010), '' Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time'' (2012), ''The Attorney ''The Attorney'' () is a 20 ...

. The film opened in South Korea on December 14, 2017, and was later released worldwide on March 14, 2018, on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

. A

standalone sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the sam ...

titled '' Steel Rain 2: Summit'' was released in 2020, with Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won returning to play the leading but different roles.

Plot

North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...

, Eom Chul-Woo is assigned by chief director Ri Tae-han of the Reconnaissance General Bureau to assassinate Supreme Guard Command chief Park Byung-jin and the minister of state security to prevent a

coup d'état A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...

. Eom kills the minister in a car accident. In

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

, senior presidential secretary Kwak Chul-woo congratulates Kim Kyung-young for winning the presidential election. He is later informed by Li, an

ethnic Korean Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply refer ...

in charge of the Korean branch of China's state security, of the assassination and the possibility of a coup in the North. Bidding farewell to his wife and daughter, Eom proceeds to the

Kaesong Industrial Region The Kaesŏng Industrial Region (KIR) or Kaesŏng Industrial Zone (KIZ) is a special administrative industrial region of North Korea (DPRK). It was formed in 2002 from part of the Kaesŏng Directly-Governed City. On 10 February 2016, it was temp ...

, where Park is due to arrive with the supreme leader for a North Korean—Chinese event. Meanwhile, North Korean infiltrators disguised as

ROK Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

soldiers hijack a US Army

MLRS A multiple rocket launcher (MRL) or multiple launch rocket system (MLRS) is a type of rocket artillery system that contains multiple launchers which are fixed to a single platform, and shoots its rocket ordnance in a fashion similar to a voll ...

vehicle and launch two missiles at Kaesong. Eom tries to inform Ri about Park's absence just as the missile lands. Surviving the attack, Eom witnesses

KPA KPA may refer to: * Keele Postgraduate Association, Keele University, UK, formerly Keele Research Association (KRA) * Kensington (Olympia) station, London, England, National Rail station code * Kenya Ports Authority * ''Kiln phosphoric acid'', a ...

soldiers massacring the remaining survivors. Eom and two schoolgirls rescue the gravely injured supreme leader in a toy company van and escape across the border to the South with the rest of the Chinese delegation. Kwak, meanwhile, meets with

CIA The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian intelligence agency, foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gat ...

station chief Joanne Martin, who absolves US responsibility for the incident. In

Ilsan Ilsan New Town refers to a planned city occupying Ilsandong-gu and Ilsanseo-gu of Goyang. Ilsan is located northwest of Seoul. Like other satellite cities in the Seoul National Capital Area such as Bundang, Ilsan was planned in order to alleviat ...

, Eom has an

obstetrician Obstetrics is the field of study concentrated on pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. As a medical specialty, obstetrics is combined with gynecology under the discipline known as obstetrics and gynecology (OB/GYN), which is a surgi ...

to tend the supreme leader, but she is unable to extract a bullet lodged near the supreme leader's brain. Meanwhile, Eom informs Ri of his location, who sends reinforcements to kill the supreme leader. Ri reveals himself to be the mastermind of the coup. Eom eliminates them and evacuates him to a plastic surgery clinic staffed by Kwak's ex-wife, Su-Hyeong. Notified of the fight, Kwak makes his way to his ex-wife's clinic and is tied up by Eom along with the South Koreans. However, South Korean special forces soon detain Eom, while the supreme leader is sent to be treated in a military hospital. Meanwhile, President Lee declares

martial law Martial law is the imposition of direct military control of normal civil functions or suspension of civil law by a government, especially in response to an emergency where civil forces are overwhelmed, or in an occupied territory. Use Marti ...

in the country as North Korea declares war on the South. The next morning, Eom and Kwak shadow the director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service as he meets with North Korean military leaders at

Nodongdangsa The Korean Workers' Party Headquarters, Cheorwon, also known as Nodongdangsa, is a three-storey building formerly occupied by North Korea's ruling Workers' Party of Korea. It was initially situated in North Korea, but after the Korean War came un ...

. North Korean snipers attack the meeting and a car chase ensues. Not expecting Park to be leading the North Korean delegation, Eom shoots him as ordered earlier. Meanwhile, Ri reveals his plans to attack the South by using nuclear missiles but is unable to use them without the nuclear codes. Eom and Kwak foil another assassination attempt on the supreme leader. Tensions rise as the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

launches nuclear missiles at North Korea, which responds by launching a nuclear missile toward

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. The interception by a Japanese ship causes an

electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic fie ...

which takes down the US missiles. Alarmed by the escalation, Eom convinces Kwak to leak false news that the supreme leader is dead, which leads to the North halting its plans. Eom forms a plan with Kwak and returns to the North via a secret tunnel to confront Ri in his underground bunker. The

ROK Air Force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...

receives Eom's signal to launch missiles at his location, destroying the bunker and killing everyone. With the coup attempt foiled, newly-inaugurated President Kim announces peace and

reunification A political union is a type of political entity which is composed of, or created from, smaller polities, or the process which achieves this. These smaller polities are usually called federated states and federal territories in a federal governm ...

talks with North Korea. South Korean officials repatriate the supreme leader in return for half of North Korea's nuclear arsenal.

Cast

as Eom Chul-woo, former

North Korean special forces The Korean People's Army Special Operations Forces (KPASOF; Korean: 조선인민군 특수작전군; Hanja: 朝鮮人民軍特殊作戰軍; Chosŏn-inmin'gun teugsujagjeongun) are the special forces of Korean People's Army. It consist of special ...

agent *

as Kwak Chul-woo, South Korean

senior presidential secretary Senior Presidential Secretary () is a title used by high-ranking assistants to the President of South Korea. Senior presidential secretaries are senior members of the Presidential Secretariat and wield significant power through their role in policy ...

for foreign affairs and national security *

Kim Kap-soo Kim Kap-soo (born April 7, 1957) is a South Korean actor. Since his acting debut in 1977, Kim has had a long career on the stage, in television dramas and film. In addition to acting full-time, he also has his own master class acting studio. F ...

as Ri Tae-han, head of the Reconnaissance General Bureau *

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); ...

as Lee Ee-seong, incumbent

president of South Korea The president of the Republic of Korea (), also known as the president of South Korea (often abbreviated to POTROK or POSK; ), is the head of state and head of government of the Republic of Korea. The president leads the State Council, and is ...

Lee Geung-young Lee Geung-young (born December 12, 1960) is a South Korean actor. He graduated from the Department of Drama in Seoul. He debuted in 1977 and after completing his mandatory military service, he debuted in 1982 as the 10th public relations actor fo ...

as Kim Kyung-young,

president-elect An ''officer-elect'' is a person who has been elected to a position but has not yet been installed. Notably, a president who has been elected but not yet installed would be referred to as a ''president-elect'' (e.g. president-elect of the Unit ...

of South Korea * Jo Woo-jin as Choi Myung-rok *Jung Won-joong as Park Byung-jin *

Jang Hyun-sung Jang Hyun-sung (born July 17, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He started his acting career as a member of the ''Hakjeon'' Theatre Company, before transitioning to film and television. Jang is best known for starring in director Song Il-gon's arth ...

as Jung Se-young *

Won Jin-ah Won Jin-ah (born March 29, 1991) is a South Korean actress known for her roles in '' Rain or Shine'' (2017) and ''Life Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and sel ...

as Ryeo Min-kyeong * Lee Jae-yong as Park Kwang-dong *

Kim Myung-gon Kim Myung-gon (born December 3, 1952) is a South Korean actor, screenwriter and music director. He is best known for starring in and writing the screenplay of Korean film classic ''Seopyeonje'', for which he won Best Actor at the 1993 Blue Drago ...

as Mr. Li, the Chaoxianzu head of the Korean branch of Ministry of State Security of

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

Park Eun-hye Park Eun-hye (born February 21, 1977) is a South Korean actress. She is best known for starring in ''Dae Jang Geum'', which led to her popularity in China. She also played the lead role in the Taiwanese drama, ''Silence (TV series), Silence'', ...

as Kwon Sook-jung * Park Sun-young as Kang Ji-hye *An Mi-na as Song Soo-mi *

Kim Ji-ho Kim Ji-Ho (born July 22, 1974) is a South Korean actress. Career Audiences were first introduced to Kim Ji-ho in 1994 in Shin Seung-hun's music video "For a Long Time Afterwards." She made her acting debut in ''Salut D'Amour'' that year, follow ...

as Choi Soo-hyun *Lee Yoon-gun as Park Yong-gun *

Lee Chae-eun Lee Chae-eun is a South Korean actress. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''One Mom and Three Dads'', ''100% Era'', ''Grand Prince'' and '' All of Us Are Dead''. She also appeared in movies '' Detective K: Secret of the Lost Island'', ...

as Kwak Se-rim *Kim Hyung-jong as Lee Hyang-pil * Kristen Dalton as Joanne Martin,

station chief A station chief is a government official who is the head of a team, post or function usually in a foreign country. Historically it commonly referred to the head of a defensible structure such as an ambassador's residence or colonial outpost. In G ...

in Seoul *

Ron Donachie Ronald Eaglesham Porter (born 26 April 1956), known professionally as Ron Donachie, is a Scottish actor. He is known for starring as DI John Rebus in the BBC Radio 4 dramatisations of the Ian Rankin "Rebus" detective novels and for his supporti ...

as Michael Dobbs,

US Secretary of State The United States secretary of state is a member of the executive branch of the federal government of the United States and the head of the U.S. Department of State. The office holder is one of the highest ranking members of the president's Ca ...

Kim Ki-hyeon Kim Ki-hyeon (; born June 24, 1945) is a South Korean voice actor. He joined the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation's voice acting division in 1965. Roles Broadcast TV * 24 (television) (replacing Tobin Bell by Season 2, Korea TV Edition, MBC) * ...

as Park Ki-hyun,

Prime Minister of North Korea The Premier of the Cabinet () is the head of government of North Korea and a key adviser to the Supreme Leader of North Korea. The office is also alternatively known as Prime Minister of North Korea. The prime minister of North Korea is the ...

*Kim Joong-ki as Takashi, chief of the Korean office, Japanese

Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office The , also known as , is a Japanese intelligence agency under the Cabinet Secretariat responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information for the cabinet. As a principal member of the Japanese intelligence communit ...

*Andreas Fronk as Tyler,

USFK United States Forces Korea (USFK) is a sub-unified command of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). USFK is the joint headquarters for U.S. combat-ready fighting forces and components under the ROK/US Combined Forces Command (CFC) – a ...

spokesperson * Kwon Han-sol as North Korean guide *Lee Ji-won as North Korean Hacker *Park Min-hee as NSC Chairman *Daniel Joey Albright as Pilot *Lee Si-woo as Kwak Se-min *Kim Tae-han as Chief Kim

Awards and nominations

Sequel

A sequel '' Steel Rain 2: Summit'' was released on 29 July 2020. Jung Woo-sung and Kwak Do-won returned to star, but in different roles compared to the first film.

Notes

References

External links

* *{{IMDb title, tt6769508 2017 films 2017 action thriller films 2010s political thriller films South Korean action thriller films South Korean political thriller films Films based on South Korean webtoons Live-action films based on comics Films set in North Korea North Korea in fiction Next Entertainment World films 2010s South Korean films Films set in bunkers