Windstruck

Plot

The film stars Jun Ji-hyun as Officer Yeo Kyung-jin, an ambitious young female police officer serving on the Seoul police department. One day while chasing a purse snatcher, she accidentally captures Go Myung-woo (played by Jang Hyuk), a physics teacher at an all-girls school, who was actually trying to catch the thief. Later, Myung-woo discovers the stolen purse, but just as he picks it up, Kyung-jin spots him and tries to arrest him again. Kyung-jin is then given the job of escorting Myung-woo through a dangerous district, only to be distracted when she tries to break up a meeting between Russian Mafia and Korean gangsters. With Myung-woo handcuffed to her, Kyung-jin almost single-handedly brings down the two rival gangs (although she is helped when she accidentally causes the groups to start shooting at each other).

The first half of the film, told from Myung-woo's point of view, details the couple's growing attraction and love for each other, which climaxes with a trip to the countryside where Myung-woo tells Kyung-jin that if he were ever to die, he wanted to come back to earth as the wind. Soon after, he is almost killed in a freak automobile accident, but Kyung-jin saves his life.

The film takes a turn into the fantasy genre in its second half after Myung-woo is accidentally shot and killed by another officer (although the situation is such that Kyung-jin thinks that it was her shot that killed him) as Kyung-jin chases after a criminal. Kyung-jin falls into a suicidal depression over his death and attempts to kill herself several times, almost succeeding when she throws herself off a building, only to be saved when a giant balloon floats under her. Soon after, she experiences visitations from Myung-woo, who appears as the wind, sending her messages and, at one point, he even appears in her dreams in order to give her the will to live after she is nearly shot to death by a criminal.

Ultimately the film follows a similar path set out by the American film Ghost with Myung-woo and Kyung-jin communicating and sharing one final gesture of love before he moves on to the afterlife. Myung-woo said that he will whisper, when she hears him whisper in the wind, she will meet someone with a soul like him. Myung-woo told Kyung-jin that he will always be beside her inside a book with a photo left by Myung-woo in the restaurant before he rushed to meet Kyung-jin who was chasing the insane criminal.

In the first half of the film, Myung-woo told that his only memory of high school was his high school trip. The book and the photo is found and returned to Kyung-jin in the police station. The photo showed that on Myung-woo's trip, Kyung-jin was nearby. This proved Myung-woo's "I'm always beside you" was true to Kyung-jin. Kyung-jin rushed out to locate the finder of the book, ultimately ending up in the train station, where she is saved by Cha Tae-hyun's character (credited as The Guy). Myung-woo whispered that The Guy is the one with the soul like him. Kyung-jin whispers that "he is always beside her."

Cast

Connections to My Sassy Girl

Windstruck shares the same leading actress and director as an earlier popular South Korean film, My Sassy Girl. As a result, Windstruck contains several subtle references to the previous film. For example, a photo of Jun Ji-hyun from My Sassy Girl is visible on Kyung-jin's piano (while playing the piano). Plus the final scene of Windstruck, in which Kyung-jin meets her new soul mate (played by Cha Tae-hyun, the male lead from My Sassy Girl) on a train platform, is similar to the beginning of My Sassy Girl and her character from My Sassy Girl is distraught over the death of her true love. It is also worth noting that Jun Ji-hyun has an overall cheerful and sassy personality throughout both movies. As both movies progress, however, she tends to reveal a more sad and emotional character.

Also, when Kyung-jin is chasing Sin Chang-su she tells a random citizen to act as a steppingstone to climb over the wall just like when she accidentally steps on a runaway soldier (played by the same actor) when she and Tae-hyun visited the amusement park during her birthday.

Jun Ji-hyun also plays the piano in both movies.

In My Sassy Girl she say that she had a boyfriend that died before meeting Cha Tae-hyun and in Windstruck her boyfriend (Myung-woo) died due to hunting Sin Chang-su and in My Sassy Girl the reason why he died was never told.

However, despite all these similarities, "Windstruck" is not a full 'prequel' to "My Sassy Girl" in the literal sense of the term.

Soundtrack listing

There are several editions of the OST CD made for release in Korea, Japan, and other countries. The original 2005 Korea & Japan versions issued by Trax contains 23 tracks, 17 on disc 1 and the 5 by YouMe on disc 2. Other versions may not have all tracks.

1. Jae hwe eh theme [Reunion Theme]
2. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Orchestra Version)
3. Myung-woo eh soo nan [The Passion of Myung-woo]
4. Ot ba ggwuh ib gi [Changing Clothes](Stay Pizzicato Ver.)
5. Il ha ja [Let's Begin!](Le Piccadilly) - Erik Satie
6. Cafe eh suh [At the Cafe]
7. Stay - Maurice Williams & Zodiacs
8. Off road [The Road Trip](Stay String Version)
9. Da sut bun jjae chung hon ja [The Fifth Suitor]
10. Sae ggi son ga rak eh jun sul [Legend of Joining Pinkies]
11. Gang mool sok eu ro [Into The River]
12. Guh gi uh di ya? [Where are you?]
13. BK Love - MC Sniper
14. Tears - X Japan
15. Ad balloon-geu eh son [An Ad-balloon-His Hand]
16. Jong ee bi haeng gi [Paperplane]
17. Jae hwe eh theme [Reunion Theme](Fast Version)

On CD2:

1. Tears TRAX version - bonus track (YouMe)
2. Knockin' On Heaven's Door ノッキン・オン・ヘブンズ・ドア/ ユミ (YouMe)
3. Shikyerul Dolreemyon (YouMe)
4. Wind Of Soul [I Will Stay For You] (YouMe)
5. Going Back To The ... [Piano version] (YouMe)

Reception

The film was ranked 8th best-selling Korean film of 2004, selling 2,199,359 tickets. In Japan, the film was released on November 12, 2004 and grossed US$17,773,061.