''The Unjust'' (; lit. "Bad deal" or "Unfair trade") is a 2010

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 ...

action crime Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...

film by

Ryoo Seung-wan Ryoo Seung-wan (born December 15, 1973) is a South Korean film director. Early life Ryoo Seung-wan was born in 1973 in Onyang, a small town in South Chungcheong Province. With the choice of domestic films mostly limited to propaganda and hostes ...

. It is a dark and bitter denunciation of corruption in the South Korean justice system. It was a critical and commercial success, with 2.7 million admissions at the box office and winning several awards, including Best Film, Best Director and Best Screenplay at the 2011 Blue Dragon Film Awards. This is director Ryoo Seung-wan's fifth collaboration with his younger brother, actor

Ryoo Seung-bum Ryoo Seung-bum (born August 9, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He made a name for himself in his older brother director Ryoo Seung-wan's eclectic films, notably '' Die Bad'' (his acting debut in 2000), ''Arahan'' (2004), '' Crying Fist'' (2005), ...

. Lead actors

Hwang Jung-min Hwang Jung-min (born September 1, 1970) is a South Korean actor. He is one of the highest-grossing actors in South Korea, and has starred in several box office hits such as ''Ode to My Father'' (2014), ''Veteran'' (2015), ''The Himalayas'' (2015 ...

and Ryoo Seung-bum previously worked together in ''

Bloody Tie ''Bloody Tie'' (; lit. "A Life-or-Death Decision") is a 2006 South Korean action crime film directed by Choi Ho, it stars Hwang Jung-min as a detective trying to track down a drug lord by cooperating with a mid-level drug dealer, played by Ryoo Seu ...

'' (2006).

Plot

After the rape and murder of 5 elementary schoolgirls, a crime which deeply upsets the entire country, a fleeing suspect is shot and killed by the police. This leads to bad publicity because the guilt of the suspect cannot be proved, and the real attacker may still be at large. Under pressure from the Blue House, a senior police official assigns Choi, a police captain, on a highly sensitive mission, namely to find a former child rapist who can take the blame. Choi, in return, is promised a promotion and the dismissal of an internal investigation against him, which was caused by his brother-in-law receiving money from Jang, a corrupt businessman. Meanwhile, a corrupt prosecutor named Joo cancels the criminal charges, brought about by an investigation lead by Choi, against a corrupt businessman named Kim, who is also Jang's rival in a bid for a construction deal. Choi searches through several profiles of rapists, and having settled upon Lee, a school-bus driver, he enlists Jang and his henchmen to kid-nap Lee and coach him in how the confession should be delivered. At the same time Jang takes photographs of Kim and Joo playing golf, and has a henchman approach Kim and murder him. The photographs are mailed to Joo to ensure that Jang will never be prosecuted. At the police station, Lee is denied immunity to the death penalty, and as such, reneges on the deal and tells Joo the truth. In response, Jang sends the earlier henchman to suffer arrest and murder Lee from within the jail. This makes Joo furious and he investigates Choi, with the help of a corrupt journalist, finding evidence of his and Jang's partnership. Choi, in response, pleads with Joo not to dismantle his career, and the two agree on a truce. Meanwhile, Jang, who is tired of being black-mailed by Choi, has saved recordings of Lee's coaching session, and black-mails Choi in return. Choi reacts by murdering Jang using a rigged elevator, and pretends to make peace with Jang's assistant before murdering him as well. However, this incident is seen by Choi's lieutenant, who wrestles with Choi and tries to stop him. During the struggle, Choi accidentally kills his lieutenant, and afterward stabs the dead body with a knife, so that the police will assume that Jang's assistant and the lieutenant killed each other. As Choi receives his promotion and the lieutenant's family mourns, Choi's subordinates become suspicious and privately capture another one of Jang's henchmen, who served as Jang's videographer and who recorded Jang's death and the ensuing fight. Ironically, DNA testing finally succeeds on the body of one of the girls mentioned earlier, and Lee is proved as the real attacker all along. Nonetheless, the subordinates release the video of the coaching to prove Choi's connection with Jang, and what is more, they order Jang's henchman to ambush Choi at a charnel house and murder him in revenge. The final segment shows that they also released the golf photographs, but in spite of the media reporting that charges will be filed, Joo meets with his father-in-law, a senior official who calmly assures him that everything will be alright.

Cast

... Police captain Choi Cheol-gi *

... Public prosecutor ( D.A.) Joo Yang *

Yoo Hae-jin Yoo Hae-jin (born January 4, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career As a child, Yoo Hae-jin would often slip in through the backdoor of a cultural center near his home to watch events that were being held there. After seeing a play in eighth gra ...

... Gangster/businessman Jang Seok-gu *

Chun Ho-jin Chun Ho-jin (born September 9, 1960) is a South Korean actor. Early life Chun studied chemistry at Inha University but dropped out to pursue acting. His father Chun Gyu-deok was among the first generation of professional wrestlers in the countr ...

... Police bureau chief Kang *

Shin Soo-yeon Shin Soo-yeon is a South Korean actress and model. She is known for her roles in dramas such as ''Hi Bye, Mama!'', ''Graceful Family'' and ''The World of the Married ''The World of the Married'' () is a 2020 South Korean television series st ...

... Tae-ra *

Ma Dong-seok Ma Dong-seok (born Lee Dong-seok on March 1, 1971), also known as Don Lee, is a South Korean–American actor. With his breakout performance in '' Train to Busan'' and subsequent leading roles, he has become one of South Korea's most successful ...

... Police lieutenant Ma Dae-ho *Woo Don-gi ... Lee Dong-seok, the scapegoat *Jo Yeong-jin ... TK chairman Kim Yang-su *

Jung Man-sik Jung Man-sik (; born December 11, 1974) is a South Korean actor. His name is also romanized as ''Jeong Man-sik'' or ''Joung Man-sik''. Filmography Film Television series * ''Jungle Fish 2'' (KBS2, 2010) * '' Athena: Goddess of War'' (SBS, ...

... Assistant D.A. Gong * Lee Sung-min ... Chief prosecutor/D.A. * Kim Su-hyeon ... Soo-il *Gu Bon-woong ... Yoon-jjang * Kim Min-jae ... Detective Lee *

Lee Hee-joon Lee Hee-joon (born June 29, 1979) is a South Korean actor. Personal life Lee Hee-joon and model Lee Hye-jung confirmed their relationship in August 2015. They registered their marriage prior to the ceremony and had their private wedding ceremon ...

... Detective Nam *

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) ...

... Reporter Kim *Lee Jong-ju ... Representative Goh *Baek Seung-ik ... killer *

Song Sae-byeok Song Sae-byeok (born December 25, 1979) is a South Korean actor. After gaining attention as a supporting actor in '' The Servant'' (2010), Song played the leading roles in the comedies '' Meet the In-Laws'' (2011) and ''The Suck Up Project: Mr. ...

... Cheol-gi's brother-in-law *Go Seo-hee ... Cheol-gi's younger sister *Kwak Ja-hyeong ... Detective Kwak *Jo Jong-geun ... Detective Jo *Kim Gi-cheon ... old inspector *Lee Do-hyeon ... young inspector *Hwang Byeong-guk ... defense counsel *

Lee Kyoung-mi Lee Kyoung-mi ( ; born December 1973) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Lee Kyoung-mi was born in Seoul, and graduated with a Russian degree from Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. After working at a company for thr ...

... forensic examiner *Kim Weon-beom ... squad leader Park *Kang Hyeon-joong ... squad member *Jo Ha-seok ... squad members *

Lee Mi-do Lee Mi-do (born Lee Eun-hye on 25 May 1982) is a South Korean actress. Career In 2012, she also moved into the TV arena, while remaining active in her film career. Her notable TV credits include ''The Queen of Office'' (2013) and '' You Are ...

... Dong-seok's wife *Park Ha-yeong ... Dong-seok's daughter *Kim Seung-hun ... Yu Min-cheol *Jung Jin-gak ... President of South Korea *Kim Hye-ji ... Joo Yang's wife *Park Seo-yeon ... Joo Yang's hostess *Kang Hae-in ... Reporter Kim's hostess *

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' ...

... team leader *Lee Chun-yeon ... National Police Agency head *

Lee Joon-ik Lee Joon-ik (born September 21, 1959) is a South Korean film director and producer. He is best known for directing and producing ''King and the Clown'' (2005), one of the highest grossing Korean films of all time. Other notable films include ' ...

... President Jeong *Jo Cheol-hyeon ... Haedong investor *Oh Seung-hyeon ... Haedong investor

Film festivals

''The Unjust'' has screened at numerous film festivals around the world, including the Panorama section of the

61st Berlin International Film Festival The 61st annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 10 to 20 February 2011, with actress Isabella Rossellini as the President of the Jury. The Coen Brothers film ''True Grit'' opened the festival. 300,000 tickets were sold in total ...

, the

Hong Kong International Film Festival The Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF), is one of Asia’s oldest international film festivals. Founded in 1976, the festival features different movies, filmmakers from different countries in Hong Kong. HKIFF screens around 230 films ...

, the

Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...

, the

New York Asian Film Festival The New York Asian Film Festival (NYAFF) is a critically acclaimed film festival held in New York City, dedicated to the display of Asian Film Culture. The New York Asian Film Festival generally features contemporary premieres and classic titles ...

, the

Fantasia Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

, the

Hawaii International Film Festival The Hawai'i International Film Festival (HIFF) is an annual film festival held in the United States state of Hawaii. HIFF has a focus on Asian-Pacific cinema, education, and the work of new and emerging filmmakers. HIFF’s primary festival is h ...

, the Vladivostok International Film Festival - Pacific Meridian, the Sitges Film Festival, the London Korean Film Festival, and the

Udine Udine ( , ; fur, Udin; la, Utinum) is a city and ''comune'' in north-eastern Italy, in the middle of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, between the Adriatic Sea and the Alps (''Alpi Carniche''). Its population was 100,514 in 2012, 176,000 with t ...

Far East Film Festival.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

*
''The Unjust''
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 ...

''The Unjust''
at

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 ...

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Unjust, The 2010 films 2010 crime thriller films 2010 action thriller films South Korean crime thriller films South Korean action thriller films South Korean serial killer films Police detective films Films shot in Busan Films directed by Ryoo Seung-wan 2010s Korean-language films Best Picture Blue Dragon Film Award winners South Korean crime action films 2010 crime action films 2010s serial killer films 2010s South Korean films