Unbowed - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

Unbowed full movie

Convicted of a crime he did not commit, a professor (Sung-kee Ahn) and his attorney (Won-sang Park) go up against a corrupt Korean judicial system to try to get the verdict overturned.

Unbowed (Hangul: ; RR: Bureojin Hwasal; lit. "Broken Arrow") is a 2011 South Korean courtroom drama film starring Ahn Sung-ki and Park Won-sang. It was inspired by the true story of Kim Myung-ho, a math professor who was arrested for shooting a crossbow at the presiding judge of his appeal against wrongful dismissal.

This was director Chung Ji-youngs first film after a 13-year hiatus and it received a 13-minute ovation at its 2011 Busan International Film Festival premiere.

Unbowed was produced and distributed by Aura Pictures on a low budget of ?1.5 billion which included marketing and ?500 million for production. Ji-yeong said making the film would not have been possible without the actors willingness to work for very little pay, commending their passion.

After it was released in theaters on January 18, 2012, the outrage resonated with South Korean viewers, and word of mouth turned it into an unexpected box office hit with 3.4 million tickets sold.

Inspired by the true story of Kim Kyung-ho, a math professor who was arrested for shooting a crossbow at the presiding judge of his appeal against unfair dismissal.

Tender moments from unbowed 1999

Plot

Kim Kyung-ho (Ahn Sung-ki) is a math professor who was fired by his university in 1995, after he questioned the validity of a math question in its entrance exam. Kim files a lawsuit for wrongful dismissal but it is ruled in favor of the university. In 2007, after his appeal was dismissed, Kim out of frustration confronts the presiding judge outside his apartment with a crossbow. A physical struggle ensures and Kim is arrested but maintains that he did not shoot the judge, while the judge claims he was shot by an arrow. The media is whipped into a frenzy over the incident.

Meanwhile Park Jun (Park Won-sang), a lawyer heavily in debt, is approached by Kims wife to take on the case. He has a good hunch about the case but she changes her mind when she notices his drinking problem. Later, Kim and Park are introduced but Park refuses to take on the case when confronted with the obstinate yet principled Kim. But faced with increasing debt problems, Park decides to quit drinking and takes on the case. Both with strong characters, they start the trial at loggerheads. Nevertheless, they cooperate and go on to fight the case.

Cast

Ahn Sung-ki - Professor Kim Kyung-ho

Park Won-sang - Lawyer Park Jun

Na Young-hee - Kim Kyung-hos wife

Kim Ji-ho - Journalist Jang Eun-seo

Moon Sung-keun - Judge Shin Jae-yeol

Lee Geung-young - Judge Lee Tae-woo

Kim Eung-soo - Judge Park Bong-joo

Jin Kyung - Park Juns wife

Kim Joon-bae - Section chief Lee

Park Soo-il - Prosecutor Shim Joon-bok

Jung Won-joong - Park Jae-ki

Han Ki-joong - President of foundation

Park Gil-soo - Chairman Choi

Lee Seung-hoon - Lawyer Lee

Reception

When Unbowed was released on January 18, 2012, it was shown in 245 screens, the second lowest number among films released that day. But thanks to its steady popularity, by January 24 the film was shown on 456 screens before the number decreased to 389 the next day. By January 26, the film had attracted 1.4 million admissions. According to data provided by Korean Film Council (KOFIC) it was the third most-watched film in South Korea in the first quarter of 2012, with a total of 3.4 million admissions.

The film ranked #2, but rose to #1 in the second week, and grossed ?6.8 billion in its first week of release, and grossed a total of ?24 billion after five weeks of screening.