''The Face Reader'' (; lit. "Physiognomy") is a 2013

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

n film starring

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 ...

as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon and a ''gwansang'' expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at his or her face. His talents bring him to the royal courts where he becomes involved in a power struggle between Grand Prince Suyang and general Kim Jong-seo, a high-ranking loyalist to King Munjong. It is the first installment of the Jupiter Film's three-part film project on the Korean fortune-telling traditions and was followed by two sequels, ''

The Princess and the Matchmaker ''The Princess and the Matchmaker'' is a 2018 South Korean period romantic comedy-drama film directed by Hong Chang-pyo. The film stars Shim Eun-kyung, Lee Seung-gi, Kim Sang-kyung, Yeon Woo-jin, Kang Min-hyuk, Choi Woo-shik and Jo Bok-rae. ...

'' and '' Feng Shui'' in 2018. ''The Face Reader'' became one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea in 2013, with 9.1 million admissions. It won six awards at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for

Han Jae-rim Han Jae-rim (born July 14, 1975) is a South Korean film director. He directed '' Rules of Dating'' (2005), ''The Show Must Go On'' (2007), '' The Face Reader'' (2013), '' The King'' (2017), and '' Emergency Declaration'' (2021). Career Born in ...

, and Best Actor for

. This film is

Lee Jong-suk Lee Jong-suk (, born 14 September 1989) is a South Korean actor and model. He debuted in 2005 as a runway model, becoming the youngest male model ever to participate in Seoul Fashion Week. Lee's breakthrough role was in '' School 2013'' (2012) ...

's only historical project to date.

Plot

Nae-gyeong, the most skillful face reader in the Joseon dynasty, was living in seclusion when he was offered a lucrative partnership by Yeon-hong, a gisaeng. Nae-gyeong accepts the proposal to read the faces of Yeon-hong’s guests only to get involved in a murder case. With his face reading skills, Nae-gyeong successfully identifies the murderer and his skills are soon acknowledged by King Munjong who orders him to identify the potential traitors who threaten his reign. However, after the unexpected death of Munjong, Nae-gyeong is courted by Grand Prince Suyang who yearns to become King himself by killing the young successor Danjong. Nae-gyeong decides to keep his loyalty to the late King and help Kim Jongseo protect the young King which forces him into the biggest power struggle in the history of the Joseon dynasty.

Cast

as Nae-gyeong *

Lee Jung-jae Lee Jung-jae (; born December 15, 1972) is a South Korean actor and filmmaker. Considered one of the most successful actors in South Korea, he has received various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Cri ...

as Grand Prince Suyang *

Baek Yoon-sik Baek Yoon-sik (born 16 March 1947) is a South Korean actor. He is known for his characteristic near-expressionless facial acting. Career Baek Yoon-sik made his debut in 1970 on KBS TV. In the coming years he would appear in four films, taking l ...

as Kim Jongseo *

Jo Jung-suk Jo Jung-suk (born December 26, 1980) is a South Korean actor. He began his career in theater, starring in '' Spring Awakening'', '' Hedwig and the Angry Inch'', and the stage adaptation of '' The Harmonium in My Memory'', among many other musi ...

as Paeng-heon, Nae-gyeong's brother-in-law and assistant *

as Jin-hyeong, Nae-gyeong's son *

Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo (; born September 5, 1970) is a South Korean actress. Kim was one of the most popular teen stars in the 1980s and 1990s. She is known for her headstrong independence and regularly playing strong-willed, sophisticated women. Kim bega ...

as Yeon-hong *

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 Han Myung-hoi *Jung Gyu-soo as Park Cheom-ji *

Chae Sang-woo Chae Sang-woo (born March 31, 1999) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in 2008 as a child actor, notably in ''Deep Rooted Tree'' (2011). Filmography Film *''Wretches'' (2018) - Jo Seong-woo *'' The Huntresses'' (2014) - Sa-hyun ...

as Danjong *Lee Yoon-geon as Jo Sang-yong * Lee Do-yeob as Kim Seung-kyu *Yoo Sang-jae as Hong Yun-seong *Lee Ae-rin as Hong-dan *Lee Yong-gwan as Yang-jeong * Yoon Kyung-ho as Im-woon * Seo Hyun-woo as Jin-moo *Lee Chang-jik as Hwangbo In * Kim Tae-woo as King Munjong *

Ko Chang-seok Ko Chang-seok (born October 13, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Ko began his career on stage, performing in plays and musicals for many years before moving on to bit parts in films. He once earned his living by working on farms and in iron foundri ...

as His Excellency Choi *Kim Kang-hyeon as Suspect 3

Production

Kim Dong-hyuk's screenplay won the grand prize at the 2010 Korean Scenario Contest held by the Korean Film Council.

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Face Reader, The 2013 films 2010s Korean-language films Films set in the Joseon dynasty Films set in the 1450s South Korean historical films Films directed by Han Jae-rim Showbox films 2010s South Korean films