Director Yim Soon-rye recounts her first venture into blockbuster filmmaking

Director Yim Soon-rye / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

'The Point Men' inspired by true story of Koreans taken hostage in Afghanistan in 2007

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Director Yim Soon-rye, well known for making carefully observed movies on characters considered as social misfits, has made her first venture into blockbuster filmmaking with the action film, "The Point Men."

However, the film is more introspective than many other big-budget action films. There is only one death scene because the director is against making movies that kill off too many people for no reason.

"There is certainly a lot of pressure because 'The Point Men' is comparably a big budget film (14 billion won). This film cost more than all of my previous films combined," she said during an interview with The Korea Times, Monday.

"The Point Men" is inspired by the true story of 23 Korean Christian volunteers taken hostage by Taliban militants in Afghanistan in 2007.

The director made it clear that the film takes inspiration from a real event, but much of the drama and the characters are fictional.

The film follows Jeong Jae-ho (Hwang Jung-min), a foreign ministry official specializing in overseas negotiations, and Park Dae-shik (Hyun Bin), a National Intelligence Service agent with expertise in the Middle East and Central Asia, as they team up for the mission to save Korean hostages in Afghanistan.

The 43-day hostage situation that left two men dead in 2007 was caused by the clash of two extreme religious beliefs, but the film focuses on the humane acts of the two main characters who try to rescue the kidnapped Koreans safely, at any cost.

"I'm aware that the film can generate a lot of buzz and lead to unwanted debate for its controversial subject matter. However, I eventually decided to make this film because a story like this is extremely rare in Korean films and I wanted to talk about the most fundamental things, such as 'to what extent should a country protect its people?' and 'is there an absolute good?'" she said.

Yim revealed that she never got the chance to meet the real-life inspirations of fictional characters because those involved in the hostage rescue operation signed a non-disclosure agreement.

"The film revisits a true story, but the negotiations behind the scenes are largely unknown to the general public," she said. "Government documents were classified and hostages' memos were written strictly from their point of view."

Actor Hwang Jung-min, right, in a scene from the film "The Point Men" / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

On reuniting with Hwang more than 20 years after "Waikiki Brothers" (2001), Yim said she was deeply moved when the actor signed up for "The Point Men" without even reading the script.

"I originally imagined Jeong Jae-ho as a cool, calm and level-headed man. Thanks to Hwang's performance, the character turned out to be more energetic and lively," she said.

"We worked together during Hwang's big screen debut. Back then, he was extremely chatty on the set. After 20 years or so, he has become the highest-grossing actor in Korea. His unparalleled passion and work ethic are admirable. I received a lot of help from him this time."

About Hyun's role, Yim said she was tempted to add more thrilling action sequences to satisfy female audiences. But those scenes were not included because they were just unnecessary.

"Hyun is a genius at digging into his characters. He suggested many ideas about Park Dae-shik's appearance in terms of his beard, hair style and fashion," she said. "He performed a motorcycle stunt, high-speed car chase, shootouts and hand-to-hand combat."

Actor Kang Ki-young, who rose to fame through "Extraordinary Attorney Woo," brings a much needed comic relief to the film. Having to star as Afghanistan's only translator of Pashto, one of the two official languages spoken in Afghanistan, Kang memorized Pashto lines.

"There was a Pashto language instructor on set who checked his accents and lines," Yim said.

Yim recalled that the production team was lucky to shoot the film in Jordan from July to September in 2020, because Korea, at that time, was lauded for its COVID-19 response policies.

"We were the only ones at the airport and the hotel. It was a bizarre experience," she said.

Actor Hyun Bin in a scene from the film "The Point Men" / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

For "The Point Men," she had to work closely with a Jordanian film crew and cast. Asked about the process, Yim said there was no challenge of a language barrier. "The heat wave was the biggest challenge," she said.

The 62-year-old director went on to explain how her production team had to make fake bombs with limited resources and look for a vintage bus for the kidnapping scene. Since they were not allowed to film in Kabul, Afghanistan, Yim asked the local film crew to capture the landscape and ambience of the city.

Yim shared that she studied the history and culture of Afghanistan extensively as she prepared for the film.

"Prior to the 1970s, Afghanistan was richer than Korea and women wore miniskirts. I'm saddened by what's happening to young women in Afghanistan and some other parts of the world. Women who are covered from head to toe are portrayed in our film," she said.

She helmed several films based on true stories, including "Forever the Moment" (2008) about a women's handball team that competed at the 2004 Athens Olympics and "Whistle Blower" (2014) about the cloning scandal involving Hwang Woo-suk.

Yim described movies based on actual events as a "double-edged sword."

"True story movies are both compelling and challenging. It's difficult to tell a true story from a fresh perspective. In contrast, the appeal of a true story is that it is easier to connect with the audiences emotionally," she said.

The auteur said she wants to make a positive impact on society through her contemplative films.

"I want to make sure everyone does their part in the community, just like a researcher and a journalist go against all odds to expose the truth in 'The Whistleblower' and government officials do their best to protect its people in 'The Point Men,'" she said.

"The Point Men" hit local theaters, Wednesday.