''The Foul King'' () is a 2000

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 ...

comedy-drama Comedy drama, also known by the portmanteau ''dramedy'', is a genre of dramatic works that combines elements of comedy and drama. The modern, scripted-television examples tend to have more humorous bits than simple comic relief seen in a typical ...

film, written and directed by

Kim Jee-woon Kim Jee-woon (; born July 6, 1964) is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. Career Kim started out directing theater but has worked with increasing levels of success in cinema, showing accomplished acting and a detailed stylization in ...

. It was Kim's second feature-length film after ''

The Quiet Family ''The Quiet Family'' () is a 1998 South Korean black comedy horror film directed by Kim Jee-woon. The story centers on a family who owns a hunting lodge in a remote area, whose customers always happen to end up dying. Among the film's main cast ar ...

''. Like the director's debut film, ''The Foul King'' also stars

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 ...

, this time as an incompetent bank clerk who takes up a career in

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

, adopting the moniker "The Foul King" in the ring.http://www.cine21.com/news/view/mag_id/32284

Plot

Im Dae-ho (

) has been a huge fan of

since his childhood. In South Korea, a wrestler called Kim Il was a big star in the 1970s, but Dae-ho preferred a cheating fighter called Ultra Tiger Mask. Years later, when his job at a bank isn't going well, Dae-ho decides to try professional wrestling himself.

Cast

as Im Dae-ho *

Jang Jin-young Jang Jin-young (; June 14, 1972 – September 1, 2009) was a South Korean actress. Following Jang's time as a model and participation in the 1992 Miss Korea beauty contest, she began her acting career on television, in the drama ''Angel in My ...

as Jang Min-young *

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 ...

as Tae Baek-san *

Kim Su-ro Kim Soo-ro (born Kim Sang-joong on May 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career Early career Kim Soo-ro studied Theater at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and Dongguk University, then joined the Mokwha Repertory Company. In 1993, he made hi ...

as Yoo Bi-ho *

Jang Hang-sun Jang Hang-sun (born Kim Bong-soo on February 22, 1947) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Awards and nominations References External links * * * * 1947 births Living people 20th-century S ...

as Jang Gwan-jang *

Jung Woong-in Jung Woong-in (; born January 20, 1971) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film * ''Drive'' (TBA) as Na Jin-soo * '' Seoul Vibe'' (Netflix Film/ 2022) as Chief Prosecutor * ''Child for Children'' (2022) as Seung-won * '' The Prison' ...

as Choi Du-sik *

Shin Goo Shin Goo (; born Shin Sun-gi, ; August 13, 1936) is a South Korean actor. Filmography Film Television series Variety show Theater Awards and nominations State honors Notes References External links Shin Goo Fan Cafeat Daum ...

as Im Dae-ho's father

References

External links

* * *
Darcy Paquet's review
at koreanfilm.org 2000 films South Korean sports comedy-drama films 2000s sports comedy-drama films Professional wrestling films Films directed by Kim Jee-woon Films with screenplays by Kim Dae-woo Cinema Service films 2000s Korean-language films 2000 comedy films 2000 drama films 2000s South Korean films {{2000s-comedy-drama-film-stub