Believer (Korean Movie)

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Movie: Believer (English title)
Revised romanization: Dokjeon
Hangul: 독전
Director: Lee Hae-Young
Writer: Jung Seo-Kyoung, Lee Hae-Young
Producer: Jung Hee-Soon, Han Seung-Hee, Yoon Suk-Chan
Cinematographer: Kim Tae-Kyung
Release Date: May 22, 2018
Runtime: 123 min.
Genre: Action / Crime
Distributor: Next Entertainment World
Language: Korean
Country: South Korea

Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

Teacher Lee is the boss of the biggest drug ring in South Korea. To catch him, Detective Won-Ho (Cho Jin-Woong) works with a member of his drug ring, Seo Young-Rak (Ryoo Joon-Yeol).

Notes

"Believer" is a remake of 2013 Hong Kong film "Drug War."
Filming began July 1, 2017 and finished November 16, 2017.
Movie is the last film that actor Kim Ju-Hyeok appeared in before he passed away in a car accident on October 30, 2017
Related titles:
1. Believer | Dokjeon (2018)
2. Believer 2 | Dokjeon 2 (2023)

Cast



Cho Jin-Woong	Ryoo Joon-Yeol	Cha Seung-Won	Kim Ju-Hyeok	Jin Seo-Yeon
Won-Ho	Seo Young-Rak	Brian	Jin Ha-Rim	Bo-Ryung



Park Hae-Joon	Kim Sung-Ryoung	Kim Dong-Young	Lee Joo-Young	Seo Hyun-Woo
Park Sun-Chang	Oh Yeon-Ok	Dong-Young	Joo-Young	Jung-Il



Kang Seung-Hyun	Jung Joon-Won
Kim So-Yeon	Kang Duk-Cheon

Additional Cast Members:

Keum Sae-Rok - Soo-Jung
Nam Moon-Chul - Department Head
Jung Ga-Ram - Dong-Woo
Park Eun-Young - Yook Pil-Soon
Park Sung-Yeon - sign language interpreter
Lee Ji-Min - staff woman with cart
Na Ki-Soo - Lee Hak-Seung
Kim Tae-Joon - Young-Bae
Geum Kwang-San - Ha-Rim's subordinate
Yoon Tae-In - Ha-Rim's subordinate
Kim Dae-Geun - Ha-Rim's subordinate
Hwang Bo Jung Il - Ha-Rim's subordinate
Lim Wook-Jin - Ha-Rim's subordinate
Cha Soon-Hyoung - Brian's entourage
Ahn Seong-Bong - Brian's entourage
Jung Jong-Woo - Brian's entourage
Kwon Hyuk-Sung - Incheon factory executive
Kim Young-Joo - Incheon factory executive
Shin Hee-Gook - laboratory employee
Chu Yeon-Gyu - laboratory employee
Park Jin-Soo - bully girl
Seo Jin-Won - SWAT team
Choi Young-Min - ER doctor 2
Jang Tae-Min - veterinarian
Heo Na-Kyung - emergency room nurse 1
Ok Il-Jae - security point employee
Kim Si-Kook - security guard
Hyun Young-Gyun - gatekeeper plain clothes

Trailers

Awards

2019 (55th) BaekSang Arts Awards - May 1, 2019
- Best Supporting Actor (Kim Ju-Hyeok)
2018 (39th) Blue Dragon Film Awards - November 23, 2018
- Best Supporting Actor (Kim Ju-Hyeok)
- Best Music (Dalpalan)
2018 (55th) Daejong Film Awards - October 22, 2018
- Best Supporting Actor (Kim Ju-Hyeok)
- Best Supporting Actress (Jin Seo-Yeon)

Comments

yourmjsty Dec 10 2023 10:28 am This movie was lit, the upsetting part is they made the part 2 which is trash srsly, part 1 is the best with the ending is enough srsly why tho they change ryu jun yeol in part 2

KST Nov 20 2023 9:51 am Superb acting...Almost all actors actors have done their best

Produce Maven Jul 20 2023 9:10 am Great movie! (SPOILERS)

It does not rely on the intensity of the main subject (dr*gs) and the action scenes. You'll get hook throughout the movie even though you already figured out who is Mr. Lee. The pacing and acting is superb.

Perfect Ending. Why? Even though it is open-ended, it suits the entirety of the story. Unlike other movies or series, this movie does not make it like it's just another lazy excuse to make it cool. It is justified. I want to lay out all the possible endings that I think what indeed happen (even though its the director(?) choice not to do it lol).

1. Rak (Mr. Lee) shoot Wonho (the police) to end his now pointless life and as a "reward".

2. Even though Rak is just another lost soul, his actions would not justify its aftereffects to lots of innocent people. So, Wonho shoot Rak because he's still the demon.

3. Wonho shot himself because after knowing the real Mr. Lee, it's all pointless. Rak, even though he turned to a demon who ruined lives by selling dr*gs, he's still also a victim of a cruel world. Also, Rak probably did not kill the girl at the beginning of the movie, some person who pretended to be Mr. Lee may be the one who killed the girl. Rak also said he did not intend to kill the junior cop by the explosion. Rak is the demon, but still has the clarity of mind to see who are the good people.

4. It is out of character to be honest if Rak shot himself, so I won't believe that. He is a lost soul who turned into a demon, a well-functioning sociopath who dealt with dr*gs. As Wonho said to his chief: "The world's gone to sh*t, so I do dr*gs." Rak is the same, but he's not a user. In the end, Rak found peace with the two deaf siblings and will now look that as part of his journey to find who he really is.

wayer Sep 30 2021 7:18 am Late Kim Juhyeok gave an all out performance in Believer. And Jin Seoyeon.. that was surprising since I'm currently seeing her in One The Woman. Total polar acting *claps hard* Great ensemble!

linuxisme Dec 08 2020 2:49 pm Great movie, kinda predictable cuz of the opening scene and the first act when Won Ho's superior said that Won Ho is always chasing a kingpin that no one ever saw.. The opening scene should've been deleted, as it would make the twist more impactful.. JunYeol is top notch as an unknown kingpin, his character is so similar with Keyser Soze, who's also an unknown kingpin..

To those who says he's not fit and should be more psychotic, think about this, would a frantic dissociative lunatic character like Ha Rim is better suited for Mr. Lee..? Nope, or course not, just like Keyser Soze, Mr. Lee is a manipulative, calculative and at the same time, sensitive to people who has clear drive & empathy, in other words, a well-functioning sociopath.. Hence, after his memorable role as Choi DooIl in The King (2017), who's better at delivering a dead-pan poker-face villain character other than JunYeol..

JustForRyu Sep 15 2020 8:55 pm

awesome plot twist
great acting
remarkable characters

Ryu Junyeol is really one of the most impressive and talented actors in South Korea.

JustForRyu Sep 15 2020 8:54 pm

awesome plot twist
great acting
remarkable characters

Ryu Junyeol is really one of the most impressive and talented actors in South Korea. ???

Fluffy Aug 11 2020 9:54 am I hope more people will watch this movie. Awesome

Ryu gf Aug 11 2020 9:53 am Fall in love with the stories.. it’s so amazing and awesome. Ryu Jun Yeol acting was so good too.. I like how the way he act as Rak.. good job ryu jun yeol and hope to see your next movie..

Ira Jan 27 2020 6:24 am I just finished this movie and wow I’m so impressed with all the hardwork that was put here the cast was remarkably amazing and the plot is shocking if you don’t pay attention to details (but even though youll still be shocked) Wahh why does all Junyeols movie so freaking good

ogenah Jul 29 2019 7:25 pm The movie was great and touching in many ways. Just wondering if anyone knows where was the last scene filmed

Anon May 05 2019 8:24 am I love the plot twist. Regret because didn’t see this sooner.

Hani Apr 29 2019 8:00 am SPOILER!!

Just by seeing the poster, we know that b&w color use for the casts those finally dead. We know that Wonho is killing Rak. Case closed. ?

esther Apr 04 2019 3:41 am spoiler alert i really fall in love with rak in this movie. he is so charming even... great plot even i already knew in the beginning who is mr lee.

Alex Mar 29 2019 9:11 am good film, good acting, good music, but I find the ending part in the snow a bit out of place??... 4/5 stars and defintely top 10 korean films for 2018

alifamil Feb 24 2019 2:26 am Spoiler alert!!!

in extended version the final scene won-ho come out that house holding a gun that means he kill rak aka mr lee

Lois Jan 14 2019 3:09 pm Awesome movie! ? The cast was great and all but to me the either deaf or mute siblings were the highlight. ? Their tattoos and all + I would've never thought that 1 of them is actually a woman irl. ?

Violet Jan 01 2019 1:15 pm @sean the real name of the dog is Leica. that's why the dog respond to the cops.

Anh Vu Nov 24 2018 7:04 am I don’t know why some people said Ryu Joon Yeol doesn't suit this movie. Because of his acting, from the beginning, I knew this movie would be fantastic. Everyone in this movies did very well. They portrayed their role so real (especially Kim Joo Hyuk, I respect him). the plot twisted is easy to find out if you focus on the storyline. But it doesn't matte (because this movie is so charming omg I don't know why I used this word) =))) anw highly recommended to everyone ^^

Migthy Thor Aug 27 2018 9:00 pm WoW-WoW-wee! Such a FANTASTIC movie! Super-duper recommended!!! Great cast, story, directorial, cinematography, stunts, effects and everything else!

michael Aug 27 2018 7:18 am i knew from the moment i saw him that he is mr lee hahaha im used to plot twists watching k movies really help expecct the unexpected

Mariem Aug 04 2018 11:18 am wow the plot twist omg! Junyeolie slay again his role love it

Marcos Jul 20 2018 10:52 am Anyone knows where is the location there the last scene is filmed ?

black coffee Jul 15 2018 8:38 pm I disagree with whomever said that ryu junyeol doesn't suit this movie because his act isn't more twisted XD that would be boring. Kim Juhyuk and girlfriend character are twisted because they're influenced by drugs. But Seo young rak is calm and composed, even though he's the drug dealer, er doesn't use it because in the movie *spoiler alert* the police said no indications of drugs in his blood. And I believe he's more of a sociopath. Sociopaths are manipulative, calm, and charming. I think he portrayed the Seo Young Rak role perfectly fine. And the ending scene, the gun *spoiler* that both use are different. So, anyone who can differentiate the gun sound would know who's pulling the trigger I think. Anyone who have seen or fans of 90s cinema, fincher or Kevin spacey fans perhaps would find the twist boring. But this is a well made movie to me. The story, the twist, all of it were cohesive if we pay more attention to it.

Tamara Jul 13 2018 10:49 pm OMG i hate open endings like this, but i guess i know what happened. First i must say this movie is really good, despite its ending i loved the action, the mistery and the thrilling. Its very good. And the acting OMG its superb!! And we got the very best of acting in korea. Everyone nailed their parts.

10/10

SPOILER ALERT****

So about the ending, some said it was confusing. But i didn't think so. It is open to interpretations but if we take in consideration some facts we can say the cop killed himself. Mr Lee (Rak) had no reason to do so. Won Ho lived his life pursuing a villain that was in fact a young man, who was somehow a nice guy, and only harmed and killed other villains worst than him. In the begining that cop say junkie kids thought of Mr Lee as Steve Jobs, and we know Steve Jobs was a nice guy who helped a lot of kids and inspired an entire generation of us. So Mr. Lee was somehow a nice guy but he was drugdealer and a major criminal boss. Wonho devoted his life into finding who Mr Lee was and missed his own life. When he found out who Mr Lee really was he understood that. So my guessing is Wonho killed himself after realising Rak was just a boy who lost his parents and was trying to find a way to live. Rak survived on his own and prevailed. And he finally seems to have found peace with the deaf sister and brother, at a distant and isolated place far away from everything and everyone. And Wonho noticed that. His pursuit was finally over so he had no more meaning to live. That's what i think it hapenned.

Also i must say half way through the movie i found out Rak was actually Mr Lee cause i connected some dots but i didn't expect him to be kind of nice as he was. So i figure he was working with the cops to find out who was behind the explosion and tried to kill him and everyone else. I'm getting good at these kinds of movies And i love Ryu Jun Yeol so much his acting is so good and he's so damn cute OMGG

ps: Kim Joo Hyuk was also a master in acting. Too sad he had to pass away like that. ;(((

Mitzie24 Jul 13 2018 7:56 am Great cast! Great Storyline! Everythings perfect but the ending left me hanging! So who of the two died?? Big question!

Jess Jul 11 2018 1:22 pm Anyone knows the title of the fast disco music played at the end of the movie?

Sean Jul 10 2018 9:54 pm Anyone understands the last scene where the detective had an epiphany and rushed to check on the dog? He realised he was given a fake dog's name and the dog only responds with the name "Lie Cart". What is happening? Is Lie Cart the fake name of the drug criminal assisting the detective?

tim Jul 10 2018 9:07 pm overall this is a good movie must watch, but the ending... geez, leave me wonder who die at the end, both of them never have a happy live so they probably don't care if they die, the ending is just sad, the acting is good, these veteran actors never disappointed.

11:11 Jul 09 2018 1:08 pm Very well made movie. The storyline is confusing at the beginning, but it develops very smoothly as time goes by. I have never seen Kim Joo Hyuk play a role as perfectly as he did in this movie, he gives you goosebumps. Jo Jin Woong portrays the detective character with very sensitive emotions, which is very clear in the end. Ryu Jun Yeol though, i must say, does not suit this movie. If they could have chosen someone who could act a little bit more twisted, then the movie would be even more interesting. Overall the movie is very intriguing and has some favorable soundtracks. A must see drug-movie.

bubbee May 07 2018 11:47 am The poster and trailer look really stylish and promising . Never a fan of remake, but I think I might check this out for the solid cast.

xaint May 07 2018 11:13 am Cho jin woong and cha seung won in one movie? This is dream come true ❤❤❤❤ Really hoping this screens in singapore cinema too.

syskachan May 06 2018 6:13 am omg!! Jo Jin Woong ahjusshi look soooooo handsome in this movie! I really love he acting .

Fighting~

Linda Kim May 03 2018 10:11 am Wow... Jo Jin Woong lost a lot of weight. He looks handsome and younger here

Mihaela Apr 23 2018 3:50 pm Kim Juhyeok...forever here

Roaa Mohammed Apr 18 2018 6:13 am I caaaaaaan’t wait !!! ???????‍♂️??‍♂️??‍♂️

Laity Apr 10 2018 9:53 am R.I.P Kim Joo Hyuk. I couldn't watch Argon, but I might watch this movie.

Pretty Apr 09 2018 7:29 pm @squishy: No they are not. In the movie poster posted by RJY today (April 10th), KJH is in the poster. You will notice him well. :'(

squishy Mar 25 2018 9:16 am

( will they replace gutaengssi?

Ha Nov 05 2017 4:47 am RIP Kim Joo-hyuk

Shooting not ended yet till KJH's accident, so i don't have idea about his scene. Hopefully, KJH has finish his scene shoot

can Nov 03 2017 7:21 am R.I.P Kim joo hyuk. I hope they already finished with Kim joo hyuk scene, so i could see this movie without him getting replace with another actor.

A Oct 30 2017 7:39 am R.I.P ju hyuk oppa

mariem Jul 05 2017 10:03 am cant wait for this another junyeol movie????

Believer (Korean Movie)

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Plot Synopsis by AsianWiki Staff ©

Notes

Cast

Trailers

Awards

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