ID 1358782638 The General's Son Trilogy Boxset (Blu-ray) (3-Disc) (4K Remastering First Press Limited Edition) (Korea Version)
Although Korea was slowly coming to terms with democratization in the early 90s, Korean cinema was suffering its worst crisis to date: theater admissions were touching an all-time low, and the rapid growth of Hollywood's influence on the market after its liberalization in 1988 led many people to consider the film industry in Korea a lost cause. But one of the first signs of what would become an impressive boom came with a trilogy of films centered around a legendary figure, folk hero Kim Doo Han. For the first time since 1977's Winter Woman, a Korean film was finally able to reach 700,000 admissions in Seoul: it was Im Kwon Taek's The General's Son, the first of a famous trilogy that rewrote the book on commercial cinema and action films in Korea. Kim Doo Han was a very familiar subject to Koreans even on the big screen, as Lee Dae Geun was protagonist of a long series about him in the 70s. Adapted from Hong Sung Yoo's novel of the same name, The General's Son trilogy is centered around a young man who leaves the dark alleys of Cheonggyecheon to become the king of Jong-ro during the colonial period, eventually rising in the ranks of the independence movement and fighting against the yakuza led by the ruthless Hayashi (Shin Hyun Joon). But more than a political drama looking at Korea's folk heroes during the Japanese occupation, the trilogy marked a breakthrough in Korean action cinema. Jung Doo Hong, the best action director in Korea, took his first steps here, and many stars like Kim Seung Woo (Woman on the Beach), Shin Hyun Joon (Marrying the Mafia 2) and Park Sang Min (Tube) made their debuts. The three films brought Director Im back to his roots, as he used to direct commercial fare in the the 60s and 70s before turning into one of the most famous and acclaimed arthouse directors in Asia. Im proved once again that he hadn't lost his touch for creating fun, adrenaline-filled action films. This boxset includes all three films in the trilogy as well as a 36-page photobook and 12 postcards.