The Scam (film)

The Scam (Korean: 작전; RR: Jak jeon) is a 2009 South Korean crime thriller film, it was the first South Korean film to tackle the stock market.[1][2]

For the 1993 television film, see Scam (film).
The Scam
Directed byLee Ho-jae
Written byLee Ho-jae
Produced byKim Su-jin
Yoon In-beom
David Cho
StarringPark Yong-ha
Kim Min-jung
Park Hee-soon
CinematographyGi Se-hun
Edited byShin Min-kyung
Music byMok Young-jin
Production
companies
Sponge Entertainment
Bidangil Pictures
Silk Road
Distributed byShowbox
Release date
  • February 12, 2009 (2009-02-12)
Running time
119 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean

Plot

After losing everything, Hyun-soo (Park Yong-ha) spends five years glued to the computer screen as an unshaven, full-time "ant" (individual investor). He eventually reaches the top of the game after a painful diet of instant noodles and sacrificing the cost of three luxury sedans. He vows to quit once and for all when he achieves his goal, a nine-digit savings account that will support his mother and studious younger brother.

One day he hits the jackpot, not knowing that there are repercussions to disrupting a stock market scam. He ignites the fury of Hwang Jong-gu (Park Hee-soon), a gangster-turned-financier bidding for entry into the top percentile of the rich and powerful. A fresh mobster persona, Hwang feigns elegance in his initialized Italian shoes, only to resort to kicking people for dramatic effect. He also begins every sentence with an `"OK" even though he cannot tolerate the full English phrasings of his Korean-American partner.

Hwang, however, doesn't dwell on past indiscretions. He recognizes Hyun-soo's talents and employs him for the biggest scam yet, also giving him a nice makeover. Hyun-soo joins the other members of Hwang's dream team for the 60 billion won heist: Jo Min-hyeong, an elite stock broker who doubles as the think tank of fraudulent trades (musical star Kim Mu-yeol makes his big screen debut); sexy private banker Yoo Seo-yeon (Kim Min-jung); Park Chang-joo, a second-generation chaebol CEO facing a management crisis (veteran supporting actor Jo Deok-hyun); and Bryan Choi (Kim Jun-seong), a Korean-American fund manager who fakes foreign investment as a "black-haired foreigner."

These are professional stock gamblers who win the house by reading everyone else's cards. They opt for new scientific technology, the cream of the crop for stock scams. Park's chaebol company invests heavily in a friend's new environmental research and Seo-yeon has one of her clients buy the company's shares. They have a famous broadcaster hype public attention while Bryan creates the illusion of foreign investment, and the cash starts flowing in from blind "ants."

A bigger scam, however, unfolds within the ring of scam artists. Outsider Hyun-soo becomes the ultimate insider as he becomes the pawn in a tangled web of backstabbing intrigue.[3]

Cast
  • Park Yong-ha ... Kang Hyun-soo, individual investor
  • Kim Min-jung ... Yoo Seo-yeon, financial planner
  • Park Hee-soon ... Hwang Jong-gu, gangster-turned-financier
  • Kim Mu-yeol ... Jo Min-hyeong, bond broker
  • Jo Deok-hyun ... Park Chang-joo, big stockbroker
  • Kim Jun-seong ... Brian Choi, Korean-American fund manager
  • Lee Dong-yong ... Department chief Han
  • Jo Jae-yoon ... Deputy Lee
  • Park Jae-woong ... Deok-sang
  • Shin Hyun-jong ... Scholar Woo
  • Kwon Hyung-joon ... Kin Seung-beom
  • Yoo Seung-mok ... Yoon Sang-tae
  • Kim Seung-hoon ... Lee Jae-hak
  • Jeon Gook-hwan ... Masan Chang-too
  • Lee Yeong-ih ... Hyun-soo's mother
  • Park Yong-yeon ... Kang Joon-soo
  • Bae Ho-geun ... Park Ji-hyeok
  • Kim Young-hoon ... Secretary Nam

Critical reception

References
  1. Lee, Hyo-won (7 January 2009). "Park Yong-ha Returns as Scam Artist". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  2. Song, Woong-ki (7 January 2009). "First Korean film to tackle the stock market". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  3. Lee, Hyo-won (29 January 2009). "Scam Is Smart Investment". The Korea Times. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
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