The following interview was originally published in KoreAm Journal (August 2005 Issue)

The Fists Of Ryu Seung Wan

While in the Big Apple for the New York Asian Film Festival last June, filmmaker Ryu Seung Wan talks about his art, Korean-style action, and dark alleys

By Goran Topalovic

By his appearance alone, no one would mistake Ryu Seung Wan for one of the hottest young filmmakers in Korea, or someone who could effortlessly deliver a powerful, 360-degree spin-kick. Boyish, unassuming, with relaxed and colorful attire, he could just as easily fit the profile of your average moviegoer.  

And yet this 32-year-old writer and director was responsible for one of the most impressive and critically acclaimed debuts in modern Korean cinema, “Die Bad,” in which Ryu seems to have channeled the raw energy and grit of Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets,” with its subject matter of underprivileged life. Then came “No Blood No Tears” and “Arahan,” the latter bringing him commercial success, on top of his already established indie credibility. His fourth and latest film, “Crying Fist,” is a boxing tour-de-force. It screened as part of the Directors’ Fortnight at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI critics’ award. 

The first thing you notice about Ryu’s films is his trademark mode of orchestrating and filming action scenes, with an underlying proletarian message that one’s worth is measured by one’s fists. His dramatic worlds are populated with complex characters caught in a whirlwind of adrenalin-driven violence, interspersed with moments of humor and sentimentality, and depicted through a noir-ish filter. The end result is cinema with a strong emotional impact.

Some, however, would accuse his films as being too violent, to which he simply responds: “Korean films are a lot less violent than reality.”

And others may dismiss his “excessive energy” as a simple stylistic element of his cinematic expression, but there’s nothing contrived, pretentious or artificial about his desire to communicate and connect with the audience. Even when the story requires fantastic settings, as in the high-kicking martial arts comedy “Arahan,” Ryu’s sincerity as a filmmaker is self-evident. At heart, he still carries the innocence of the 8-year-old who saw a Hong Kong kung fu film for the very first time and was instantly enchanted and transformed by the world of the moving image.

Why did you decide to become a filmmaker?

When I was young, my father would often take me to the movies, so I became very familiar with the cinema in a natural and organic way. My father liked Hollywood movies, but I preferred Hong Kong films. When I was 8, I saw “Drunken Monkey,” and decided to become a martial artist. Seeing that I probably didn’t have enough talent to become a martial artist, I decided to become an action film actor instead.

As I grew older, no one really wanted to cast me as an actor, and it seemed that the only way for me to be in the movies was to make my own. In the midst of thinking about all this, during my high school years, I also recognized that film is really the director’s medium, and I simply had to become a director. My resolve further strengthened after watching a lot of Sam Peckinpah and Martin Scorsese movies, and even by looking at photographs of John Ford.

How did you get your start in filmmaking?

When I was in high school, Park Chan Wook was a well-known critic, before he became a director (of films like “JSA” and “Old Boy”). I read one of his articles and decided that I should work for him. So, I went and met him. I ended up going to a lot of his sets, and finally, I got the chance to be one of his assistant directors, on a movie called “The Trio.” Unfortunately, this movie is considered the worst in his filmography. 

Back in those days, I was so poor that I couldn’t afford to work on films all the time. I would work maybe six months doing another job to make money, and then devote the rest of the year to be on the set. This continued for seven to eight years, before I made my debut as a director. I think I had around 30 different jobs. I made sandwiches and sold them on the street. I was a construction worker. Among the jobs I had during those years, the one that required the most intelligence was working at the post office.

Has working on all those different jobs and coming across all types of people influenced your filmmaking?

Most of the characters in my movies are based on the people that I’ve met directly, or indirectly. The most that I’ve learned from my life experiences is that a human being is extremely difficult to define. In a lot of movies, there are formulas to characters — they are defined by a singular trait, or a singular inclination, and their behavior is always consistent and fixed. However, in my movies, I understand that human beings are full of contradictions, they can change depending on circumstances. These are the types of directions I give to my actors. 

When you make a film, do you take into account certain commercial considerations?

Other people express themselves by talking. I communicate with the audience through my movies. I want them to understand and sympathize with the story and the characters, and this has nothing to do with the box office numbers.

The movie has to pass my test: It has to be entertaining to me before it can be entertaining to anybody else.

What are some of your upcoming projects?

I currently have two projects in development. The first one’s temporary English title is “City of Violence.” It is set in a small town in Korea. Three friends gather at a funeral and the whole town uncovers some sort of misdeed. This film will be full of crime, violence and true Korean-style action. The second project is a period piece: a martial arts movie, where martial artists fight zombies!

How would you define Korean-style action?

Real fighting! Korean action style would be defined by its messiness. Hong Kong cinema action is much more choreographed, with neat movements. Korean action style is messier and more realistic.

Do you wish to work in Hollywood one day?

For me personally, I don’t have a desperate need to make it in Hollywood. I think movies are a reflection of what kind of life you have led, and if I were to transplant and make a movie in Hollywood, I don't think I would be able to tell my personal story as well as I can do it in Korea. And, ultimately, I don’t want to have to make a movie with Jean-Claude Van Damme.

But now that I’m in New York, I thought it would be nice to make a movie that is set here. A lot of the American films that I’ve liked were made by New Yorkers, such as Martin Scorsese, Woody Allen and James Mangold.

Since this is your first time here, what is it about New York that appeals to you?

I like the back alleys. It would be nice to make a movie like “Big Trouble in Little China” in New York.

Perhaps New York would also be a good setting for “Arahan 2”?

(Laughs, shakes his head and says in English) Very hard work! (NOTE: Ryu has said that “Arahan” was the most difficult movie-making experience of his career.)

Another aspect of New York that I like is that you can feel this city’s rich spectrum of history. In Korea, it is hard to find cities that still pulsate with their history — there’s only past and future. Something is always being demolished, and something else is being built on it. I also love the colors of New York and the graffiti.

Translation by Chae Yun-Sun.