From ‘The Merciless’ to ‘Good News’: Director Byun Sung-hyun’s evolving use of Sul Kyung-gu

A scene from Netflix’s “Good News,” the fourth collaboration between director Byun Sung-hyun and actor Sul Kyung-gu / Courtesy of Netflix

In director Byun Sung-hyun’s filmography, Sul Kyung-gu is more than just a frequent collaborator — he is an indispensable creative partner.

Their relationship goes beyond that of a director and actor, representing one of the most enduring and dynamic pairings in contemporary Korean cinema.

Their collaboration began with the 2017 film “The Merciless,” a project that became a milestone for both. For Byun, it was a bold early statement as a filmmaker; for Sul, it was a striking reinvention. Despite his limited directing experience at the time, Byun did not rely on Sul’s veteran presence alone.

Instead, he drew out the actor’s subtler human qualities — the nuances in his gaze, rhythm and emotion — to reshape his image. Known largely for his tough, stoic characters, Sul transformed into Han Jae-ho, a conflicted man consumed by both ambition and vulnerability. “The Merciless” gained a cult following and remains one of Sul’s most discussed performances.

Their partnership deepened with “Kingmaker” (2022) and “Kill Bok Soon” (2023), in which Byun continued to push Sul into unexpected territory.

Rather than reiterating familiar traits of the middle-aged everyman, Byun distorted that image to explore contradictions — idealism versus pragmatism in “Kingmaker,” and power versus fragility in “Kill Bok Soon.”

His reinterpretation of Sul consistently avoided cliches, imbuing each story with freshness and psychological complexity.

Now, Netflix’s “Good News” marks a new chapter in Byun’s ongoing “Sul Kyung-gu experiment.” This time, the director stripped away the actor’s polished image, presenting him with a weary, disheveled look — worn-out suits, muted colors and a haunted face. Sul’s new character, a man known only as “Nobody,” embodies mystery and tension, once again anchoring the story at its core.

Director Byun Sung-hyun / Courtesy of Netflix

Byun’s films are often praised for their visual precision and contemporary sensibility. From prisons that paradoxically represent freedom to election battlegrounds of deceit and corporate offices masking quiet violence, his settings expose social contradictions with sharp clarity. Within those worlds, Sul injects vitality, grounding Byun’s aesthetic ambition in human emotion.

It is rare in Korean cinema for a director and actor to collaborate four times, but “Good News” feels less like repetition and more like creative evolution — a shared artistic language refined over nearly a decade.

Sul once joked after “The Merciless,” calling Byun his “film father,” but his admiration runs deep. “I trust him as a director,” Sul said in a recent interview. “I’ve watched him for almost 10 years. He gives everything to his films.”

Byun knows Sul better than anyone — which is precisely why he keeps making him look unfamiliar. That, in essence, is Byun’s method: to reveal new truths through reinvention. And as their partnership continues to evolve, anticipation grows for what they will uncover next.

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.