The Yellow Sea 2011

In the misty mountains of Yanji, a city nestled deep within Yanbian Prefecture, Gu-nam (Ha Jung-woo), an ethnic Korean with a worn-out soul, plies his trade as a taxi driver. When not navigating the city’s winding streets, he can be found at seedy gambling dens, where the neon lights and cacophonous sounds of chance are his only solace. However, Gu-nam’s fortunes have taken a drastic turn for the worse; crippling debt has become his constant companion, fueled by his wife’s prolonged silence from her job in South Korea. The weight of his worries is compounded by the haunting nightmares that plague him, whispers of infidelity swirling through his mind like a vortex. His troubles are further exacerbated when he is callously terminated from his job and the meager severance package is devoured by debt collectors.

It is against this backdrop of desperation that Gu-nam is approached by Myun Jung-hak (Kim Yoon-seok), a ruthless local gangster with an offer that seems too good to be true. He proposes that if Gu-nam travels to South Korea and eliminates a high-stakes businessman, he will be rewarded with a substantial sum of CN¥57,000 (US$10,000). The promise of financial salvation is enough to tempt Gu-nam into taking the plunge; driven by his determination to provide for his young daughter, who remains separated from her mother, he sets off on a perilous journey. A rickety fishing boat and a crowded train become his modes of transportation as he embarks on this ill-fated odyssey.

Upon arrival in South Korea, Gu-nam meticulously surveys the terrain, his eyes scanning the city’s bustling streets for any sign of his target or perhaps, more importantly, his wife. However, fate has other plans; a series of unforeseen events unfolds, leaving Gu-nam to struggle for survival as he becomes embroiled in a maelstrom of violence and deception. The authorities, the South Korean underworld, and even the ethnic Korean Chinese mafia are all hot on his heels, their search for him an ongoing and frantic pursuit. In this gripping action thriller, helmed by Na Hong-jin, director of the equally intense The Chaser, Gu-nam’s plight serves as a poignant reminder that the lines between good and evil can become increasingly blurred when desperation takes hold.