The Negotiation (film)

The Negotiation is a 2018 South Korean action crime thriller film directed by Lee Jong-seok and starring Son Ye-jin and Hyun Bin.[4][1] The film was released on September 19, 2018.[5][6][7]

The Negotiation
Theatrical poster
Hangul협상
Hanja協商
Revised RomanizationHyeobsang
Directed byLee Jong-seok
Produced byYoon Je-kyoon
Lee Sang-jik
Screenplay byChoi Sung-hyun
StarringSon Ye-jin
Hyun Bin
Music byHwang Sang-joon
CinematographyLee Tae-yoon
Edited byJung Jin-hee
Production
company
JK Film
CJ E&M[1]
Distributed byCJ Entertainment
Release date
  • September 19, 2018 (2018-09-19) (South Korea)
Running time
114 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Budget₩10 billion[2]
Box officeUS$15.6 million[3]

Plot

Two English-speaking men kidnap a man and a woman and hold them hostage at a house in Yangjae-dong, Seoul. Crisis negotiator Inspector Ha Chae-youn of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department is brought in to handle the situation, despite strong protests from her superior, Captain Jung Jun-gu. While Chae-youn is negotiating with the kidnappers, Jung decides to send a police hit team to kill the men, which culminates into an altercation between Chae-youn and the kidnappers. In retaliation, the kidnappers kill the couple in front of a horrified Chae-youn, before being killed themselves by Jung's team.

Ten days later, a devastated Chae-youn decides to resign from the police force, but a compassionate Jung gives her time to reconsider, before leaving on a work trip. Chae-youn is then urgently called upon by her colleague - Superintendent Ahn Hyuk-su, who informs that she has been urgently summoned to deal with a hostage crisis. Upon arrival to a secret location, she meets with the Commissioner of Police Moon Jong-hyuk and Presidential Secretary Gong. She is ordered to negotiate with the kidnapper - Min Tae-gu, a Korea-based international arms dealer and UK citizen, who had kidnapped several Korean nationals from Bangkok - including a reporter named Lee Su-mok. While negotiating with Min video conferencing, she is shocked to discover that Jung has also been kidnapped by Min as well.

Chae-yoon is later informed that the hostages are being held at an island in the Malacca Straits, where a joint military-police op has been sent to, intent on freeing them. Min later demands to see Yong Dong-hoon, Lee's boss. While talking with Dong-hoon, Min demands to know whether Lee is one of his own reporters or not (while holding him at gunpoint)- forcing Dong-hoon to reply that Lee is not a reporter at all. An angry Min then executes Jung - much to Chae-youn's despair and grief. Infuriated, she demands to know the truth about Lee. She is informed that Lee is an NIS agent, who was sent to spy on Min's gang. Meanwhile, Min negotiates with the NIS, but when they grow impatient, he reveals that has taken an entire family hostage as well. Failing to negotiate with Min, Chae-youn is brought back to negotiate with him.

Min now orders Chae-youn to bring his former boss, Koo Gwan-su - the chairman of 'Nine Electronics', an arms contracting company, to speak with him. Chae-youn is informed that Min and Koo had a past history - the pair used to work together, but they fell apart after Koo betrayed Min to the NIS. While talking with Koo, Min demands to know why he killed a woman named Yu Hyun-ju. Koo replies that he does not know what he is talking about - to which Min explains to Chae-youn that Hyun-ju was the woman killed in the Yangjae case. He further reveals that he introduced Hyun-ju to Koo as a secretary for his business and to assist him in money laundering and contraband arms dealing. He plays a recording of Koo's deal indicting Koo, NIS Deputy Chief Park In-kyu, Commander of Air Force Son Jung-tae and the National Security Chief Hwang Ju-ik.

Min orders Hwang to come negotiate with him in one hour. However, Gong is revealed to be one of Hwang's cronies and lies to Chae-youn that he is at the presidential office. Meanwhile, upon a thorough investigation, Ahn reveals to Chae-youn that Jung was in contact with Park - he had taken a bribe from Park to kill Hyun-ju. However, Chae-youn's team attempts to stall the negotiations for more time. Moreover, they are shocked to discover that Min had been live-streaming their negotiations on YouTube, which further escalates the situation into a national crisis. Min then shoots Lee in the leg, demanding to see Hwang, threatening dire consequences if he does not show up. Ahn visits the scene of the Yangjae crime, discovering through old photos that Hyun-ju was actually Min's sister. He promptly passes the information to Chae-youn - who begs Min to let the hostages free in return for reopening Hyun-ju's case. While they are talking, the military op is executed, despite Chae-youn's protests. Min then seemingly detonates a suicide bomb that kills him and the hostages.

While the police and military are about to close the case, Chae-youn discovers through the video recordings of the negotiations that Min is still alive - and had been negotiating all the while from Korea. Ahn discovers Min's hideout and rescues the hostages. Chae-youn demands Gong about Hwang's whereabouts. Based on Gong's information, she rushes to Hwang's hotel suite in downtown Seoul and reaches there moments after Min arrives. Min, who has strapped himself to a suicide bomb vest, shoots Koo dead and threatens to kill everyone present as well, including himself. He reveals to Chae-youn that he was the one who had Hyun-ju killed. Chae-youn pleads with Min to stand down, promising to get justice for Hyun-ju and to punish Hwang. Min, seeing a resemblance of his sister in Chae-youn, discreetly apologizes to Chae-youn for all that he is done to her. Knowing that he will be killed, he pretends to raise his gun at Hwang - resulting in him getting killed by a police sniper - much to Chae-youn's grief.

Hwang, along with Son and Park, discuss about creating an alibi to escape criminal prosecution, when Chae-youn walks in right on them, announcing that they are under arrest, much to the trio's shock. Chae-youn is shown to have acquired one of Min's pen drives through Ahn - containing all the information about Hwang and his co-conspirators. Hwang, Son and Park are then brought to court to be prosecuted, based on the evidence from Min's pen drive. The film then ends with Chae-youn reading the oath of honesty to the court

Cast

Main

Supporting

Special appearance

Production

Principal photography began on June 17, 2017 in Paju, Gyeonggi Province.[11][12][13]

Release

The film premiered in South Korea on September 19, 2018.[14][15]

By September 2018, the film was sold to over 22 countries. It was released in North America on September 20, in Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei on October 4, in Hong Kong and Macau in early October, in Vietnam and Taiwan on October 19, and in Indonesia on October 24, 2018.[16][17]

The film was released on VOD services and digital download since October 17, 2018.[18]

Reception

Critical response

Shim Sun-ah from Yonhap News Agency praised the film and wrote, "Director Lee builds an engrossing plot brimming over with twists, giving audiences edge-of-the-seat entertainment almost till the end. Fine performances from Son and Hyun Bin help to gloss over some logical loopholes in the film. Hyun Bin also impressively carries off the cold-blooded villain. The score and cinematography enhances the quality of the film. Overall, the film is a gripping suspense thriller and a great one-time watch."[19]

Film Journal International noted, "It's refreshing to see a woman front and center in an action thriller, and this hostage melodrama from Korea delivers on the thrills-and-spills level... [the film] is filled with impressively kinetic action scenes and is keenly edited.[20]

Kevin Crust from Los Angeles Times reviewed the film as "despite being laden by melodramatic turns and an exposition-heavy last act, the film never develops into the thriller it aspires to be".[21]

Box office

The film earned US$188,041 from previews and pre-sales.[22]

On its opening day, the film finished fourth place at the Korean box office, grossing US$576,290 from 81,022 audiences.[23] During its opening weekend, the film finished third with US$3.6 million gross from 445,098 attendance.[24] After 7 days of release, the film surpassed 1 million admissions on September 25, 2018.[25]

During its second weekend, the film had an 18% drop in gross with US$3 million from 368,689 attendance, finishing in second place, tailing The Great Battle in the lead.[26] The film dropped to fifth place during its third weekend, earning US$333,567 gross from 42,215 attendance.[27]

As of December 7, 2020, the film attracted 1,967,721 moviegoers and grossed US$15.67 million .[3]

See also

References
  1. "Hyun-bin and SON Ye-jin Team Up for NEGOTIATION with JK Film". Korean Film Biz Zone. 1 June 2017.
  2. "추석 극장가, 韓영화 3편 동시 개봉..공멸? 한편만 살아남기?". Naver (in Korean). Star News. Retrieved September 10, 2018.
  3. "THE NEGOTIATION (2018)". Korean Film Biz Zone.
  4. "Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin to star in 'Negotiation'". The Korea Herald. 25 May 2017.
  5. "Hyun Bin, Son Ye-jin talk about remote-acting in 'The Negotiation'". Kpop Herald. 9 August 2018.
  6. "SON Ye-jin and Hyun-bin Vehicle THE NEGOTIATION Books September Release". Korean Film Biz Zone. August 14, 2018.
  7. "Thriller shows off new sides of familiar faces". Korea JoongAng Daily. September 21, 2018.
  8. "[영화 리뷰+] '협상' 손예진·현빈이 다했다". hankyung.com (in Korean). 2018-09-18. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  9. ""웰메이드 범죄 오락 영화"…'협상' 손예진·현빈이 읽어주는 리뷰". www.xportsnews.com (in Korean). 2018-09-24. Retrieved 2019-06-14.
  10. Jang Jin-ri (28 June 2017). "[단독] '비밀의 숲' 최병모, 영화 '협상' 캐스팅…손예진과 호흡". OSEN (in Korean).
  11. "KoBiz - Global Film Biz Zone". Kobiz (in Korean).
  12. "현빈, 손예진 출연 영화 <협상> 6월 17일 크랭크인 外". Cine21 (in Korean). 30 June 2018.
  13. "Son Ye-jin, Hyun Bin begin shooting new police thriller". The Korea Herald. 23 June 2017.
  14. "[국내영화] 협상". Korea Media Rating Board (in Korean). Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  15. "조승우 vs 손예진 vs 조인성, 이 대결 실화? 자존심 걸렸다[개봉DAY]". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  16. "'협상' 미국·캐나다부터 베트남까지…해외 개봉 국가 확정". Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  17. "THE NEGOTIATION Leads to 22 International Sales". Korean Film Biz Zone. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  18. "'협상' 손예진X현빈 고급케미 안방서..VOD 서비스 시작". Newsen (in Korean). Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  19. "(Movie Review) 'The Negotiation': A gripping suspense thriller". Yonhap News Agency. Retrieved September 14, 2018.
  20. "Film Review: The Negotiation". Film Journal International. September 21, 2018.
  21. "Review: Sluggish South Korean crime drama 'The Negotiation' fails to create sparks". Los Angeles Times.
  22. "THE NEGOTIATION (2018)". KOFIC. September 18, 2018. Archived from the original on September 18, 2018.
  23. "'안시성', 개봉 첫날 12만 관객 동원…'명당'·'협상' 제치고 순항[박스오피스]". Sport Seoul (in Korean). Retrieved September 20, 2018.
  24. "[무비:스코어] '안시성' 개봉 첫 주말 112만 동원…140만 돌파 '1위'". Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  25. "'협상', 오늘(25일) 100만 관객 돌파...손예진X현빈의 힘". YTN (in Korean). Retrieved September 25, 2018.
  26. "[무비:스코어] '안시성' 452만 돌파, 1위 수성…'협상' 역주행 2위". Xports News (in Korean). Retrieved October 2, 2018.
  27. "[DA:박스] 주말 1위 '베놈', 200만 넘었다…'암수살인'도 160만 돌파". Dong-ah Sports (in Korean). Retrieved October 8, 2018.
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