The first official look at the upcoming period noir Korean gangster movie Gangnam Blues is out. It likely wouldn’t be high on most viewers’ radar if the drama wasn’t starring Lee Min Ho and would marked a major shift in his acting repertoire. But for fans of K-cinema this movie is high on the must-check-out list because it’s helmed by critically acclaimed movie director Yoo Ha. He isn’t just the creative mind and vision behind box office hits, he also helmed one of the most popular gangster noir K-movies in the last decade with A Dirty Carnival. That’s the movie which transitioned Jo In Sung from soft pretty flower boy to dark gritty gangster. Later Yoo Ha re-teamed with Jo In Sung for A Frozen Flower which is as envelope pushing as it gets in discussing taboo subjects and indulging in very explicit cinematography.
I think Yoo Ha is as good a directorial guide for Lee Min Ho finally breaking out of his safe comfortable acting zone, in addition to having as his costar Kim Rae Won who I think actually has the dark acting streak in him despite his sunshine smile and nice guy onscreen image. Gangnam Blues tells the story of land development in the Gangnam district of Seoul during the 1970s and how a group of gang rivals battled it out for territorial supremacy. I’m expecting lots of blood and fights to unfold onscreen, and the first peek at Lee Min Ho shows him bloodied in a seemingly post-fight stance. I actually find Kim Rae Won’s first movie still much more riveting than Lee Min Ho, better capturing the coiled intensity of a dangerous gangster. Gangnam Blues has wrapped filming already and is scheduled for a year end release.
all pretty boys hmmmm…
Ooh i like the way LMH looks in that first pic…in a sense it reminds me of GJP in the early half of BoF, quite villainous…maybe slightly twisted characters suit him the best considering how I haven’t liked most of his characters or portrayals sin BoF?
Wahhh!!! Can’t wait. I loved A Dirty Carnival and Frozen Flower. Good luck LMH.
I hope Minho announce new drama soon now. Maybe early next year.
You had me at Yoo Ha and Kim Rae Won
can’t exactly imagine LMH as a gangster and the stills don’t look convincing but we shall see…
KIm Rae Won ♥ my first K-actor crush (after watching My Little Bride)….he looks so good and intense…
I think Lee Min Ho has already broken his pretty boy image through City Hunter and was awesome in it…anyway, I’m glad he is doing something totally opposite to Heirs….role/ genre/ quality/ a movie!
KRW was my first K-actor crush, too!. I’ve really been missing him lately.
I hope Yoo Ha is able to help LMH break out of his shell. I love the guy, but his acting has been rather staid lately.
Glad that both actors chose this project. It’s not my cup of tea, but I’ll definitely check out the acting.
Meh. Doesn’t seem all that exciting. Seems like another crime/gangster movie that is like a “rite of passage” for young actors, like Jo In Sung in Dirty Carnival or Jang Dong Gun in Friend or Hyun Bin in Friend (the drama version).
Do we know if the movie will have a US release and when??
LMH and KRW is a must for me.
KIM RAE WON!!!! i’ve missed him!!!!!!!! <3 <3 <3
i think this must be his third or fourth gangster movie already? nevertheless, i'm already looking forward to it…
Omg lee min ho looks so manly in that first pic hes my first actor crush lol
I loooove him and trust he can pull this off ! GO OPPA
oh and I dont think hell be announcing any dramas soon and I really feel like crying when I say hes gonna be off to mandatory inlistment by this year or so omggggg my baaae out of my sight for two years total death
Lol. This absolutely cool. To think Lee Min Ho is starring in this drama. I can’t wait to see it.