The Divine Move

This article is about a 2014 film. For the Go term, see Divine move.
The Divine Move
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJo Bum-gu
Written byYu Seong-hyeop
Produced byPark Mae-hee
Yu Jeong-hun
Hwang Geun-ha
StarringJung Woo-sung
Lee Beom-soo
Ahn Sung-ki
Kim In-kwon
Lee Si-young
Ahn Gil-kang
Choi Jin-hyuk
CinematographyKim Dong-young
Edited byShin Min-kyung
Music byChang Hyuk-jin
Production
companies
Showbox/Mediaplex
MAYS Entertainment
Azit Film
Distributed byShowbox/Mediaplex
Release date
  • July 3, 2014 (2014-07-03)
Running time
117 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$27.9 million[1][2]

The Divine Move (Korean: 신의 한 수; RR: Sin-ui Hansu) is a 2014 South Korean neo-noir action crime film directed by Jo Bum-gu. It stars Jung Woo-sung as a former baduk player, and revolves around his quest for revenge.[3][4][5][6]

The title refers to a particularly brilliant move, considered to be a "once in a lifetime" experience for only the best professionals, in the board game baduk (called Go in the West) which often turns what was a losing or close game into a winning effort at the most crucial moment.

A prequel spin-off, The Divine Move 2: The Wrathful, was released on November 7, 2019.[7]

Plot

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Professional baduk player Tae-seok loses a high-stakes game to infamous underground gambler Sal-soo, and ends up framed for the murder of his own brother and locked up in prison. He vows revenge and trains ferociously. After serving his seven-year sentence, he gets in touch with his brother's former associate "Tricks," hermit and blind master player "The Lord," and skillful junkyard owner Mok-su, "the Carpenter"; together, they begin formulating a plan to get back at Sal-soo and his men. Tae-seok slowly penetrates Sal-soo's inner circle and his gambling joint, and eliminates Sal-soo's men one by one. But Sal-soo discovers Tae-seok's true identity and engages him in one final game that will seal the fates of the two men involved.

Cast

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  • Jung Woo-sung as Tae-seok[8]
  • Lee Beom-soo as Sal-soo
  • Ahn Sung-ki as Joo-nim ("The Lord")
  • Kim In-kwon as Kkong-soo ("Tricks")
  • Lee Si-young as Bae-kkob ("Belly button")[9]
  • Ahn Gil-kang as Carpenter Heo
  • Lee Do-kyeong as Master Wang
  • Choi Jin-hyuk as Seon-soo ("Player")[10]
  • Jung Hae-kyun as Adari
  • Ahn Seo-hyun as Ryang-ryang
  • Kim Myung-soo as Tae-seok's older brother
  • Hwang Choon-ha as Hunchbacked minion
  • Lee Il-seop as Master Noh
  • Kim Se-dong as Master Lee
  • Kim Joo-myeong as Chinese top
  • Lee Yong-nyeo as "Open tail"
  • Yoo Soon-cheol as 70-year-old boss
  • Hong Seong-deok as Professional cutter
  • Park Ji-hoon as Acting general
  • Yoon Hee-cheol as Elderly senior
  • Kim So-jin as Young-sook
  • Yoo Jae-sang as Tae-seok's nephew
  • Choi Il-hwa as Mob leader
  • Kim Hong-pa as Warden
  • Kwon Tae-won as Soft touch president
  • Bae Seong-woo as Mahjong man

Box office

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Since opening in South Korea on July 3, 2014, the film has grossed ₩28.3 billion (US$27.6 million) on 3.5 million admissions.[11][12][13]

International release

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The Divine Move received a limited theatrical release in the United States on July 25, 2014. It was screened in seven major cities in Germany from August 27 to September 21, 2014 as part of the local Fantasy Filmfest's lineup.[12][14]

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Recipient Result
2014
51st Grand Bell Awards[15][16]
 Best Actor Jung Woo-sung Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Kim In-kwon Nominated
Best New Actor Choi Jin-hyuk Nominated
Best Editing Shin Min-kyung Won
35th Blue Dragon Film Awards
 Best Actor Jung Woo-sung Nominated
Best New Actor Choi Jin-hyuk Nominated
Best Editing Shin Min-kyung Nominated
Technical Award Choi Bong-rok (martial arts) Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "The Divine Move". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
  2. ^ "The Divine Move (2014)". Archived from the original on 2015-10-10. Retrieved 2017-02-16.
  3. ^ Tae, Sang-joon (3 September 2013). "JUNG Woo-sung and LEE Beom-su Headline New Action Noir GOD'S TRICK". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  4. ^ Jin, Eun-soo (30 May 2014). "The Divine Move an action twist on baduk". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-05-30.
  5. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (27 June 2014). "High stakes set in risky baduk flick". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  6. ^ Ahn, Sung-mi (2 July 2014). "Herald Review: When go meets fierce action". The Korea Herald. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  7. ^ Pierce Conran (28 October 2019). "THE DIVINE MOVE 2: THE WRATHFUL Angles for November Release". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  8. ^ Jang, Sung-ran (10 July 2014). "Jung muses latest move". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2014-07-15.
  9. ^ Lee, Hye-ji (21 August 2013). "Lee Si-young Joins Kang Chi Star Choi Jin-hyuk's Film". TenAsia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  10. ^ Jung, Si-woo (25 July 2013). "Choi Jin-hyuk to Join Jung Woo-sung's Upcoming Pic". TenAsia. Archived from the original on 28 March 2014. Retrieved 2014-05-22.
  11. ^ Cremin, Stephen (8 July 2014). "Market share of South Korean films plummets". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
  12. ^ a b Lee, Hyo-won (18 July 2014). "South Korean Hit The Divine Move to Get U.S. Release". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  13. ^ Ma, Kevin (28 July 2014). "Kundo breaks 3m admissions in South Korea". Film Business Asia. Archived from the original on 29 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  14. ^ "Baduk action movie to make global debut". The Korea Herald. 20 July 2014. Retrieved 2014-07-22.
  15. ^ Kim, June (12 November 2014). "The 51st Daejong Film Awards Nominations Announced". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
  16. ^ Conran, Pierce (24 November 2014). "ROARING CURRENTS Tops 51st Daejong Film Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2014-11-25.
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