Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time

South Korea, 13 October 1990. Following President Roh Tae-woo's declaration of a crackdown on organized crime, Busan businessman Choi Ik-hyun (Choi Min-sik) is arrested for embezzling billions of won from hotel construction companies, and is also charged with intimidation, kidnapping and assault. Busan public prosecutor Jo Beom-seok (Kwak Do-won) is in charge of the investigation, and especially the murder of hotel owner Heo Sam-shik (Kwon Tae-won) by mobster Kim Pan-ho (Cho Jin-woong), with whom Ik-hyun allegedly was connected.

Back in March 1982, Choi was a Busan customs officer who, along with colleagues, was already taking bribes and pilfering goods. After discovering 10 kilograms of hiropon (crystal meth) in a warehouse one night, he and colleague Mr. Jang (Kim Jong-soo) approach a friend of Jang's, gangster Choi Hyung-bae (Ha Jung-woo), to sell it to Japan's yakuza, with whom Hyung-bae has ties. Ik-hyun discovers that the younger Hyung-bae is also a member of the same Choi family clan from Gyeongju and the two form a close relationship. Ik-hyun leaves his customs job and becomes a full-time businessman, with Hyung-bae taking care of the underworld side and Ik-hyun protecting him with his high-level contacts.

In the mid-'80s the two forcibly take over a nightclub run by Miss Yeo (Kim Hye-eun) that is on the turf of Pan-ho. Following his humiliation, Pan-ho has the club raided by the police and Hyung-bae arrested, though Ik-hyun gets Hyung-bae released by using the Choi clan connection with Seoul public prosecutor Choi Joo-dong (Kim Eung-soo). In May 1987, Ik-hyun and Hyung-bae take their business to the next level, formally linking up with Japan's Yakuza and having a connection with a hotel-casino, the Daedong, that is also on Pan-ho's turf. Pan-ho puts a hit out on Hyung-bae and Ik-hyun and threatens a gang war, and Ik-hyun is forced to decide where his loyalties and self-survival lie.[4]

Out of desperation, Ik-hyun meets up with Pan-ho without Hyung-bae's knowledge to solve the issues between the two gangs, and one of Pan-ho's men tries to kill Hyung-bae shortly after. A paranoid Hyung-bae, who has become increasingly annoyed by Ik-hyun trying to overpower him, has Ik-Hyun beaten up and kicked out of the gang with a stern warning. When Ik-hyun is arrested by the prosecutor, he finally reveals all his connections to the underworld in order to save himself. However, he seemingly only reveals the whereabouts of Pan-ho, who has been hiding away from the authorities. In order to survive, Hyung-bae reconciles with Ik-hyun and they plan to escape together after Ik-hyun has his family sent away to America. However, as they are escaping Busan, the authorities catch up to them. It turns out that Ik-hyun had revealed Hyung-bae's whereabouts as well and has been playing him all along. Hyung-bae tries to kill Ik-hyun out of frustration but he is arrested and taken away. The prosecutor is given an award by the president for bringing down organized crime in Busan.

Twenty years later, Ik-hyun's son is now a law graduate from Seoul University and has joined the prosecutor's office. Despite having escaped the law and living a life of luxury, Ik-hyun is still suffering from guilt over how he betrayed Hyung-bae. While Ik-hyun is celebrating his first grandson's birthday with the rest of the family, Hyung-bae's voice is heard. Ik-hyun turns to face the camera and the screen turns to black.

Choi Min-sik reportedly put on 10 kilograms for his role and Ha Jung-woo spent 8 hours putting on the fake body tattoos featured in the film.[8]

The film's soundtrack was released on February 20, 2012.[9] Jo Yeong-wook, whose credits include Thirst, Oldboy, and Public Enemy, served as the music director, and composed 22 score tracks.[10] Also included was an old K-pop song that was reflective of the era in which the film is set, "I Heard a Rumor" (Korean: 풍문으로 들었소), which was originally sung by 1980s rock band Hahm Joong-ah and the Yankees (Korean: 함중아와 양키스).[11] The cover version sung by rock band Jang Ki-ha and the Faces played during the end credits sequence of the film, and was released on January 13, 2012 as a single.[12][13]

Nameless Gangster attracted over 4 million admissions in 26 days of release. It drew 1 million in four days, 2.5 million in 11 days, 3 million in 17 days, and 3.5 million in 20 days.[14] According to data provided by Korean Film Council (KOFIC) it topped the list of ten most-watched films in South Korea in the first quarter of 2012, with a total of 4.6 million admissions.[15]

Its success is notable as it was screened in February (traditionally a low season for movies), rated R, and screened less frequently due to its long running time of 133 minutes. Korean Film Biz Zone stated "the film has elements working against it for box office success. Despite that, "the return of" Choi Min-sik melded with top-rated actor of the day Ha Jung-woo is impressive. The two actors' presence is backed up by a solid supporting cast, giving the film a distinct flavor of a gangster classic."[16]

The film ranked #1 for three weeks, two of which were consecutive. It grossed ₩8 billion in its first week of release,[17] and grossed a total of ₩36 billion after nine weeks of screening.[18]

On review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes the film has 4 reviews, all are positive.[19]

The film spawned many memorable scenes and lines and has been parodied in many popular variety shows on TV, such as Gag Concert and Infinite Challenge. Comedians would mimick the film characters' hairstyle and fashion and the phrase sara itne (Korean: 살아 있네, akin to meaning 'fresh') used by Choi Min-sik's character. The song "I Heard a Rumor" also became popular.[20] It was also parodied by members of the boy band Shinhwa in their 2013 Shinhwa Grand Finale: The Classic in Seoul concerts in August 2013.[21]

The overt use of the Busan dialect in dialogs, particularly by gangsters and their associates, gained much attention and increased viewers' interest in regional dialects. The use of regional dialect has historically been frowned upon and viewed as being "backwards", especially in media and broadcasting, and the Seoul dialect is the standard and prestige dialect. Most of the lead and supporting actors portraying the gangsters, aside from Cho Jin-woong, were not from the Busan metropolitan area and had to learn the dialect from scratch for several months prior to filming. Choi and his co-star Ha Jung-woo later compared learning the dialect to learning a foreign language.[22][23]

• Official website (in Korean)
• Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time at IMDb
• Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time at the Korean Movie Database
• Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time at HanCinema