''The Man from Nowhere'' () is a 2010 South Korean

action thriller film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

starring

Won Bin Kim Do-jin (born on November 10, 1977), professionally known as Won Bin, is a South Korean actor. He first gained wide popularity in 2000 after starring in the KBS's television series ''Autumn in My Heart''. One of the most selective actors in ...

and written and directed by

Lee Jeong-beom Lee Jeong-beom (born September 21, 1971) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. He is best known for such films as ''Cruel Winter Blues'' (2006) and ''The Man from Nowhere (2010 film), The Man from Nowhere'' (2010). With more than 6 mi ...

. It was South Korea's highest-grossing film in 2010 and had 6.2 million admissions. The film follows the story of a mysterious and shady man who embarks on a bloody rampage when the only person who seems to understand him is kidnapped. The film was released in the United States and Canada on October 1, 2010. ''

Rocky Handsome ''Rocky Handsome'' is a 2016 Indian Hindi-language action thriller film directed by Nishikant Kamat, written by Ritesh Shah, and produced by John Abraham under J. A. Entertainment and Sunir Khetrapal under Azure Entertainment respectively. An ...

'', an Indian

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

starring

John Abraham John Abraham (born 17 December 1972) is an Indian actor, film producer, writer and former model working in Hindi films. He has won a National Film Award and received five Filmfare nominations. After modelling for advertisements and companies ...

, was released in 2016.

Plot

Cha Tae-sik is a quiet man running a pawnshop. His only friend is a little girl, So-mi, who lives in the same neighborhood. So-mi's mother, Hyo-jeong, is a

go-go dancer Go-go dancers are dancers who are employed to entertain crowds at nightclubs or other venues where music is played. Go-go dancing originated in the early 1960s at the French bar Whisky a Gogo located in Juan-les-Pins. The bar's name was take ...

and opium addict. Instructed by her lover, Hyo-jeong steals a large pack of

opium Opium (or poppy tears, scientific name: ''Lachryma papaveris'') is dried latex obtained from the seed capsules of the opium poppy ''Papaver somniferum''. Approximately 12 percent of opium is made up of the analgesic alkaloid morphine, which i ...

being sold at the bar where she works and hides it in a camera bag, which she pawns to Tae-sik for safe keeping. Hyo-jeong's action attracts the attention of crime lord Oh Myung-gyu, who tasks his

subordinates A hierarchy (from Greek: , from , 'president of sacred rites') is an arrangement of items (objects, names, values, categories, etc.) that are represented as being "above", "below", or "at the same level as" one another. Hierarchy is an important ...

, brothers Man-seok and Jong-seok, to retrieve the opium. Jong-seok locates Hyo-jeong, tortures her in front of So-mi, and forces her to reveal where the drugs are. His lackeys, Du-chi and Bear, go to Tae-sik's place to intimidate him, but he easily overpowers them. Realizing Tae-sik has a soft spot for So-mi, Jong-seok kidnaps her and forces him to deliver opium to Oh Myung-gyu. Man-seok informs the police, leading to them

swarming Swarm behaviour, or swarming, is a collective behaviour exhibited by entities, particularly animals, of similar size which aggregate together, perhaps milling about the same spot or perhaps moving ''en masse'' or migrating in some direction. ...

Myung-gyu's property. Myung-gyu escapes, while Tae-sik is arrested and discovers Hyo-jeong's body, with her

organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

harvested, in the back of the car he used to make the delivery. Tae-sik escapes from the

police station A police station (sometimes called a "station house" or just "house") is a building which serves to accommodate police officers and other members of staff. These buildings often contain offices and accommodation for personnel and vehicles, al ...

, alarming them with his display of combat skills. Upon further investigation, the police officers discover he was a former

covert operative A covert operation is a military operation intended to conceal the identity of (or allow plausible deniability by) the party that instigated the operation. Covert operations should not be confused with clandestine operations, which are performe ...

for the

South Korean 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 ...

Intelligence, with numerous commendations, but retired after he was wounded and his pregnant wife was killed by a hitman. Following the lead from the burner phone he received from Jong-seok, Tae-sik tracks Du-chi to a nightclub. As he asks where the brothers are, Ramrowan walks in and shoots at Tae-sik, killing Du-chi in the crossfire. The two fight to a standstill and Tae-sik gets shot. Bleeding out, Tae-sik finds his former partner, who performs emergency surgery to remove the bullet. Tae-sik recovers, asks his partner to help him acquire a gun, then goes back to the city. Tae-sik finds and frees several child slaves in a drug manufacturing plant, in the process killing off Jong-seok. He tracks down the elder brother, Man-seok, at the gang's

condo A condominium (or condo for short) is an ownership structure whereby a building is divided into several units that are each separately owned, surrounded by common areas that are jointly owned. The term can be applied to the building or complex ...

, where a dozen gang members and Ramrowan are also waiting. Man-seok says that he has had So-mi killed and shows Tae-sik a

container A container is any receptacle or enclosure for holding a product used in storage, packaging, and transportation, including shipping. Things kept inside of a container are protected on several sides by being inside of its structure. The term ...

that has what he says are her eyes. He demands to know what happened to his younger brother. Enraged, Tae-sik kills the gang members, including Ramrowan and Man-seok. As Tae-sik prepares to commit suicide out of grief a scared, dirty, but unscathed So-mi emerges from the darkness; she'd been saved by Ramrowan, who took pity on her because she had been kind to him - the

eyes Eyes are organs of the visual system. They provide living organisms with vision, the ability to receive and process visual detail, as well as enabling several photo response functions that are independent of vision. Eyes detect light and conve ...

in the container belonged to the gangsters'

surgeon In modern medicine, a surgeon is a medical professional who performs surgery. Although there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon usually is also a licensed physician or received the same medical training as ...

, who had been killed off-camera by Ramrowan. The police allow Tae-sik and So-mi to ride together after Tae-sik's arrest, While she sleeps. Tae-sik asks them to drop at a small

convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...

where he buys a backpack along with other school supplies. He tells So-mi that she's going to be on her own, as the police have to take him away. Before he goes, he asks her for a hug and breaks down in tears as they embrace.

Cast

as Cha Tae-sik *

Kim Sae-ron Kim or KIM may refer to: Names * Kim (given name) * Kim (surname) ** Kim (Korean surname) *** Kim family (disambiguation), several dynasties **** Kim family (North Korea), the rulers of North Korea since Kim Il-sung in 1948 ** Kim, Vietnamese f ...

as So-mi *

Kim Hee-won Kim Hee-won (born January 10, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Since 2007, he has played supporting roles in films and television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which ...

as Man-seok *

Kim Sung-oh Kim Sung-oh (born September 15, 1978) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles ''Supporting Roles'' ( es, Papeles secundarios) is a 1989 Cuban drama film directed by Orlando Rojas. The film was selected as the Cub ...

as Jong-seok, Man-Seok's brother * Kim Tae-hoon as Detective Kim Chi-gon * Thanayong Wongtrakunl as Lum Ramrowan * Lee Do-gyeom as Child at workplace *Kim Hyo-seo as Hyo-jeong, So-mi's mother *Lee Jong-yi as Detective No *Song Young-chang as Oh Myung-gyu *Jo Seok-hyuon as Moon Dal-seo *

Jo Jae-yoon Jo Jae-yoon (born September 15, 1974) is a South Korean actor. He made his acting debut in 2003 and has since starred as a supporting actor in numerous films and television series, including '' The Man from Nowhere'' (2010), ''The Chaser'' (2012 ...

as Jang Doo-sik *Hong So-hee as Yeon-soo *Hwang Min-ho as Nam Sung-Sik * Kwak Byung-Kyu as Detective Kim *Lee Jae-won as Du-chi

Release

During its August 6–8 opening weekend, the film recorded 712,840 admissions, taking the number 1 spot on the box office charts for five weeks straight. It had sold a total of 6,228,300 tickets when it finished its theatrical run on November 17, 2010. The film grossed a total of in South Korea. On October 1, 2010

CJ Entertainment CJ Entertainment (Hangul: CJ 엔터테인먼트) is a South Korean film production and distribution company under CJ ENM. The company operates as a film production company, film publishing house, investment and exhibition. History During early 1 ...

gave the film a limited theatrical release to North American theaters where it grossed in 1 theater its opening weekend. After widening the release up to 19 theaters, the film grossed in the U.S. and Canada.

Reception

As of August 2013, six of six critics gave positive reviews on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

. One of those critics, Russell Edwards of ''Variety'', wrote, "Brutal violence dominates the dynamic Korean thriller ''The Man From Nowhere''. Local heartthrob

(''Mother'', ''Tae Guk Gui'') transforms himself into an action hero in writer-helmer

’s swift and blood-soaked yarn, about a mystery man who gets caught up in a gang war while trying to protect a child, recalling Luc Besson's '' The Professional''."

Awards

*2010: (19th)

Buil Film Awards The Buil Film Awards () is a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the ''Busan Ilbo'' newspaper. It began in 1958 as one of the earliest film awards in the country. During the 1950s and 1960s, it was the biggest film awards event in the B ...

– October 8 **Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung **Special Award (Buil Independence Judge): ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2010 (19th)

Philadelphia Film Festival The Philadelphia Film Festival is a film festival founded by the Philadelphia Film Society held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The annual festival is held at various theater venues throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area. Overview The annual f ...

– October 14–24 **"Graveyard Shift Special Mention": ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2010: ( 47th)

Grand Bell Awards The Grand Bell Awards (), also known as the Daejong Film Awards, is an awards ceremony presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards retains prestige as the oldest co ...

– October 29 **Best Actor:

**Popularity Award:

**Best Editing: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum **Best Visual Effects: Kim Tae-ui *2010: (8th)

Korean Film Awards The Korean Film Awards was a South Korean film awards ceremony hosted by the broadcasting network MBC from 2002 to 2010. History Originally named the MBC Film Awards, the ceremony was first established in 2002. It was renamed the Korean Film Aw ...

– November 18 **Best Actor:

**Best New Actress:

**Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon **Best Lighting: Lee Cheol-oh **Best Editing: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum **Best Visual Effects: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes) **Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung *2010: ( 31st)

Blue Dragon Film Awards The Blue Dragon Film Awards () is an annual awards ceremony that is presented by ''Sports Chosun'' (a sister brand of the ''Chosun Ilbo'') for excellence in film in South Korea. The Blue Dragon Film Awards considers only blockbusters and popula ...

– November 26 **Technical Award: Park Jung-ryul (for action scenes) **Popularity Award:

**Box Office Award: ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2010: (2nd) Korean Wave Industry Awards – December 4 **Popular Culture Award (Film section): ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2010: (6th) University Film Festival of Korea – December 13 **Best Director:

**Best Actor:

**Best Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon **Best Music: Shim Hyun-jung *2010: (13th)

Director's Cut Awards The Director's Cut Awards () is an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film in South Korea. It is presented by the Korea Film Director's Network (KFDN), a group of approximately 300 Korean filmmakers. The KFDN selects winners in the Korean f ...

– December 17 **Best Production: Opus Pictures (Lee Tae-heon) ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2010: (11th) National Assembly Society of Popular Culture & Media Awards (Korea) – December 20 **Movie of the Year: ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2011: (2nd) Film Journalists Association Annual Film Awards (Korea) – January 27 **Best Actor:

*2011: (8th) MaxMovie Awards – February 1 **Best Director:

**Best Actor:

**Best New Actress:

*2011: (3rd) Beaune International Thriller Film Festival – March 30 – April 3 **Grand Prize: ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2011: ( 47th)

Baeksang Arts Awards The Baeksang Arts Awards (), also known as the Paeksang Arts Awards, are awards for excellence in film, television and theatre in South Korea. The awards were first introduced in 1965 by Chang Key-young, the founder of the Hankook Ilbo newspap ...

– May 26 **Best Film: ''The Man from Nowhere'' *2011: (33rd) Golden Cinematography Awards – September 1 **Gold Medal Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon

Soundtrack

Soundtrack list: #The Man From Nowhere #In Tae - Sik s Memory #Trash Can #Mother In Danger #Chasing Her #Chain Of Mystery #Fights In Golf Club #Finding Clue #Dark Knight #Somi in Danger #Surviving Today #Agent. Tae - Sik #Dirty Cash - Mystery #His Path Of Life #There's No One But You #Shave Himself #Delivering Drug #Jump Off #Spit - Mystery #The Last Bullet #Ajussi #Dear - Mad Soul Child

Remake

In March 2012,

Dimension Films Dimension Films is an American film production company owned by Lantern Entertainment. It was formerly used as Harvey and Bob Weinstein's label within Miramax, which was acquired by The Walt Disney Company on June 30, 1993, to produce and relea ...

acquired the rights to do an English-language

of ''The Man From Nowhere''; plans are to have Shawn Christensen, who wrote and directed the 2012 short film ''

Curfew A curfew is a government order specifying a time during which certain regulations apply. Typically, curfews order all people affected by them to ''not'' be in public places or on roads within a certain time frame, typically in the evening and ...

'', write the adaptation. On August 5, 2020, it was reported that the remake will be produced by

John Wick ''John Wick'' is an American action thriller media franchise created by Derek Kolstad and centering around John Wick, a former hitman who is forced back into the criminal underworld he had abandoned. The franchise began with the release of ''J ...

director

Chad Stahelski Chad Stahelski (born September 20, 1968) is an American stuntman and film director. He is known for directing the 2014 film ''John Wick'' and directing its three sequels. Stahelski also doubled for Brandon Lee after the fatal accident involving L ...

and Jason Spitz with a script provided by

Derek Kolstad Derek Kolstad (born April 4, 1974) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He is the creator of the ''John Wick'' franchise, which began in 2014. He continued to write for the first two sequels of the franchise and is mainly known as a s ...

for

New Line Cinema New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after acq ...

. An Indian remake titled ''

'', directed by

Nishikant Kamat Nishikant Kamat (17 June 1970 17 August 2020) was an Indian filmmaker and actor. His debut film, ''Dombivali Fast'' earned him accolades in Marathi cinema, as it went on to become the biggest Marathi film of the year. He remade his film, in Ta ...

and starring

was released in March 2016.

References

External links

* * * * *
''The Man from Nowhere''
at

Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to in ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Man From Nowhere, The 2010 action thriller films 2010s chase films 2010 martial arts films 2010 films South Korean action thriller films South Korean chase films South Korean martial arts films South Korean neo-noir films Films about organized crime in South Korea Films about organ trafficking Films about drugs Films set in Seoul Films directed by Lee Jeong-beom CJ Entertainment films 2010s Korean-language films South Korean films about revenge 2010s South Korean films