'The Outlaws' actors shine in crime action film

Actor Ma Dong-seok, center, plays police officer in "The Outlaws" / Courtesy of Mega Box

By Kim Jae-heun

The action crime genre has always guaranteed box office appeal to Korean moviegoers. Local moviegoers have never failed to love a story depicting a serious crime squad going after a gang, with a few funny moments in between.

“Veteran” (2015), the third highest-grossing film in the Korean movie scene, and “The Thieves” (2012), the fifth most-watched film, have proved the genre’s power.

The forthcoming “The Outlaws,” which opens Tuesday, is another highly anticipated crime action movie that is based on a real event that occurred in 2007 in Guro District, Seoul. Better known as the “Heuksapa Incident,” the story follows a turf war growing between a local gang and the new villains from Yanbian, China, called “Heuksapa.” The police are called in to attempt to bring peace to the neighborhood, under the lead of veteran officer Ma Seok-do, played by Ma Dong-seok, and actor Yoon Kye-sang in the role of Heuksapa boss, Jang Chen.

The movie director Kang Yoon-sung and Ma first shared their thoughts on making a thrilling crime action film while drinking together at Kang’s house. It took a long time for them to do the research for the story and write the scenario, but after four years, the movie has finally been introduced to the world.

“When I was young, my dream was always changing,” said Ma during the press conference for the film at Mega Box Theater in Dongdaemun, Seoul, last month. “At first, I wanted to become a baseball player, then a boxer and then a police officer. My dreams to be a baseball player and a boxer slowly faded away but I still want to be a police officer and run after villains.

“The most important thing I considered while making this film together with Kang was that this story should not harass police officers. Even at this moment, there are officers who are fighting against criminals with life-threatening risks, and we did not only want to emphasize the entertainment factor. We focused on making a delightful and thrilling character that suits this film,” said Ma.

Director Kang agreed that when he first talked about making a crime action film, they did not want to show a detective running after clues to solve the case, but rather a wild and hardcore fighter.

“Our movie is more like a one-punch action movie like how a sniper kills with one shot. This film is like a hero series for Ma,” Kang said.

Another point to pay attention to is Yoon acting as the villain.

Although he has portrayed dark roles in previous works like “Poongsan” (2011), it is his first time adopting a proper vicious character and without a doubt, it suits him better than any of the naive characters he played in TV dramas and films.

“With Yoon, I received a strong image of him while watching Poongsan,” Kang said. “I thought he would suit a villain role because it is not typical for a person like Yoon with a naive image to play an evil character.”