I, the Executioner (2024 film)

2024 film by Ryoo Seung-wan

I, the Executioner

Theatrical release poster

Hangul|

베테랑2

Literal meaning| Veteran 2
Revised Romanization| Beterang 2
McCune–Reischauer| Pet'erang 2
Directed by| Ryoo Seung-wan
Written by|

* Lee Won-jae
* Ryoo Seung-wan

Produced by| Kang Hye-jung
Jo Seong-min
Ryoo Seung-wan
Starring|

* Hwang Jung-min
* Jung Hae-in

Cinematography| Choi Young-hwan
Edited by| Bae Youn-tae
Music by| Chang Kiha

Production
company

Filmmaker R&K

Distributed by| CJ ENM

Release dates

* May 21, 2024 (2024-5-21) (Cannes)
* September 13, 2024 (2024-9-13) (South Korea)

Running time

| 118 minutes
Country| South Korea
Language| Korean
Budget| ₩10 million[1]
Box office| US$53.5 million[2][3]

I, the Executioner (Korean: 베테랑2; RR: Beterang 2; lit. Veteran 2) is a 2024 South Korean action crime film co-written, directed and produced by Ryoo Seung-wan, starring Hwang Jung-min and Jung Hae-in. The sequel to Ryoo's 2015 film Veteran, it follows veteran detective Seo Do-cheol teaming up with a young detective, Park Sun-woo, in a high-stakes pursuit of a serial killer.

The film premiered in the Midnight Screenings section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2024. It was released theatrically in South Korea on September 13, 2024.

## Plot

[edit]

Veteran detective Seo Do-cheol and his team in the Violent Crimes Investigation Unit dedicate their lives to fighting crime, often at the expense of their personal lives.

When a professor's death is linked to a series of previous murders, the entire nation is shaken by the emergence of a serial killer. As the detectives race to piece together clues, the killer taunts them by releasing a video online, revealing his next intended victim and plunging the country into further chaos.

Amidst the turmoil, the unit enlists the rookie detective, Park Sun-woo, whose strong sense of justice quickly catches Do-cheol's attention.

## Cast

[edit]

* Hwang Jung-min as Seo Do-cheol
* Jung Hae-in as Park Sun-woo
* Oh Dal-su as Captain Oh
* Oh Dae-hwan as Detective Wang
* Jang Yoon-ju as Detective Bong
* Kim Si-hoo as Detective Yoon
* Jin Kyung as Lee Joo-yeon
* Shin Seung-hwan as Park Seung-hwan
* Jung Man-sik as Jeon Seok-woo
* Kwon Hae-hyo as Kang Soo-dae
* Kim Jae-hwa as Buti Samo
* Kim Won-hae as Former team leader
* Ahn Bo-hyun as Min Kang-hoon
* Huh Joon-ho as Kang Hang-jo
* Lee Bong-ryun as Announcer
* Oh Yoon-hong as Current Affairs critic[4]
* Jo Kwan-woo as Chi-hoon's father

## Production

[edit]

In September 2015, a month after the release of his film Veteran, Ryoo Seung-wan and production company Filmmaker R&K confirmed that they agreed to make a sequel, which they originally expected to be made within two to three years.[5][6][7] In December 2021, Ryoo revealed that he had finished the script for the sequel and planned shoot it at the end of the following year.[8]

In July 2022, FNC Entertainment announced that Jung Hae-in was offered a role in the film, succeeding Yoo Ah-in as the antagonist.[9][10] In December 2022, Jung Hae-in was confirmed to have joined the cast, which would include Hwang Jung-min, Oh Dal-su, Jang Yoon-ju, Oh Dae-hwan and Kim Shi-hoo reprising their roles from the original film.[11][12]

Principal photography began in December 2022.[13][11][12] Filming took place at the Daejeon City Hall on January 8, 2023.[14] In July 2023, Ryoo announced that the project recently completed filming and had entered post-production.[15] The film is produced by Filmmaker R&K, which Ryoo owns with wife Kang Hye-jung.[16]

## Release

[edit]

I, the Executioner was selected to be screened out of competition in the Midnight Screenings section at the 77th Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on May 21, 2024.[17] The film was also screened in the Special Presentations section at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 5, 2024.[18] CJ ENM released the film in South Korea on September 13, 2024.[16][19]

## Reception

[edit]

### Box office

[edit]

I, the Executioner opened in South Korea on September 13, 2024. It grossed US$30 million from more than 4 million admissions over its first six days of release.[20] As of 1 November 2024, the film has grossed US$53.7 million at the local box office and accumulated 7,248,584 admissions.[3]

### Critical response

[edit]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 100% of 15 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.5/10.[21]

## Accolades

[edit]

Name of the award ceremony, year presented, category, nominee of the award, and the result of the nomination  Award ceremony  | Year  | Category  | Nominee / Work  | Result  | Ref.

|
|
|
|
|

Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2024 | Best Film | I, the Executioner | Nominated  | [22]
Best Director | Ryu Seung-wan  | Nominated
Best Supporting Actor | Jung Hae-in  | Won
Best Editing | Bae Yeon-tae  | Nominated
Best Cinematography and Lighting | Choi Yeong-hwan, Lee Jae-hyuk  | Nominated
Best Music | Chang Kiha  | Nominated
Technical Award | Yoo Sang-seob (Stunt) | Won

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Kim Yoo-tae (January 2, 2024). 봉준호 2천억 대작 '미키17' 천만 감독 류승완 '베테랑2' 출격. Maeil Business Newspaper (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
2. ^ "I, the Executioner". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved November 15, 2024.
3. ^ a b "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2024". KOFIC. Archived from the original on July 8, 2024. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
4. ^ "동양대 공연영상학부 오윤홍 교수 '미생' 출연 배우들과 '사랑의 연탄 나눔' 봉사활동 실시". Veritas Alpha. November 24, 2023.
5. ^ Lim, Jeong-yeo (September 10, 2015). "Director Ryoo Seung-wan mulls sequel to Veteran". The Korea Herald. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
6. ^ "Veteran sequel confirmed". The Korea Times. September 10, 2015. Archived from the original on September 13, 2015. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
7. ^ Jin, Min-ji (September 11, 2015). "Actors, producers talk Veteran sequel". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on November 18, 2018. Retrieved September 12, 2015.
8. ^ Jeon Hyeong-hwa (December 14, 2021). [단독]류승완 "'모가디슈' 모든 관객에 감사..'밀수' 차기작은 '베테랑2'" [★FULL인터뷰]. starnewskorea.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
9. ^ Kim Seong-hyeon (July 5, 2022). 정해인 측 "'베테랑2' 제안 받고 검토 중"… 황정민 만나나(공식). YTN (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
10. ^ Lee Chang-gyu (July 5, 2022). 정해인, 황정민과 호흡?…"'베테랑2' 제안 받고 긍정 검토 중" [공식입장]. xportsnews.com (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
11. ^ a b Kang Min-kyung (December 2, 2022). [공식] 류승완 '베테랑2', 12월 크랭크인…황정민→정해인 출연 확정. tenasia.hankyung.com (in Korean). Retrieved May 21, 2024.
12. ^ a b Kang Hyo-jin (December 2, 2022). '베테랑2', 황정민·정해인·오달수·장윤주 캐스팅 확정…'12월 크랭크인'[공식]. spotvnews.co.kr (in Korean). Archived from the original on May 22, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
13. ^ Kim Jeong-min (December 2, 2022). '베테랑2' 황정민·정해인→장윤주, 다시 뭉쳤다…12월 크랭크인. MBC News (in Korean). Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
14. ^ Lee Tae-hee (January 4, 2023). '우영우'부터 '베테랑2'까지…대전시, k-컬처 메카로. Daejeon Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved May 21, 2024.
15. ^ Kwak Myeong-dong (July 26, 2023). '밀수' 류승완 "'베테랑2' 내년 겨울 개봉, '베를린2' 계획 없어"[MD인터뷰①]. mydaily.co.kr (in Korean). Retrieved May 21, 2024.
16. ^ a b Frater, Patrick (April 12, 2024). "'I, the Executioner,' Cannes Midnight Screening Thriller, Picked Up by Korea's CJ ENM". Variety. Archived from the original on May 21, 2024. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
17. ^ "The Screenings Guide of the 77th Festival de Cannes". Festival de Cannes. May 8, 2024. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved May 8, 2024.
18. ^ "I, the Executioner". Toronto International Film Festival. Archived from the original on August 19, 2024. Retrieved August 18, 2024.
19. ^ 큰 거 온다..'베테랑2', 9월 13일 개봉 확정 [공식]. ChosunBiz (in Korean). July 3, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
20. ^ Frater, Patrick (September 17, 2024). "'I, The Executioner' Passes $30 Million Box Office on Sixth Day of Release in Korea". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
21. ^ "I, the Executioner". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved January 30, 2025.
22. ^ [청룡영화상] 1312만 '서울의 봄'부터→ 컴백 '베테랑2'까지..스크린 빛낸 韓영화 청룡으로 집결 [[Blue Dragon Film Awards] From 13.12 million 'Spring in Seoul' → Comeback 'Veteran 2' Korean films that lit up the screen gather at Blue Dragon]. Sports Chosun (in Korean). October 30, 2024. Retrieved October 30, 2024 - via Naver.

## External links

[edit]

* I, the Executioner at IMDb
* I, the Executioner at HanCinema

* v
* t
* e

Films written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan

* Die Bad (2000)
* No Blood No Tears (2002)
* Arahan (2004)
* Crying Fist (2005)
* The City of Violence (2006)
* Dachimawa Lee (2008)
* The Unjust (2010, directed only)
* The Berlin File (2013)
* Veteran (2015)
* The Battleship Island (2017)
* Escape from Mogadishu (2021)
* Smugglers (2023)
* I, the Executioner (2024)

*[lit.]: literal translation
*[Ref.]: Reference(s)
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