What you need to know about ‘Kill Boksoon’—Netflix’s trending Korean thriller
Kill Boksoon landed on the top spot of Netflix’s Top 10 movies in the Philippines and it’s a no-brainer why.
The hit Korean thriller follows the story of a single mom named Gil Boksoon (played by Jeon Do-yeon), who “gets thrown into a ‘kill-or-get killed’ situation after she has second thoughts about renewing her contract with MK Entertainment, a top-tier hitman agency,” according to Netflix.
In the action-packed film, she also attempts to fix her strained relationship with her young daughter Gil Jae-young (played by Kim Si-A).
The new Netflix offering was directed by Byun Sung-hyun, who has showcased his brilliance in much-loved dramas like The Merciless and Kingmaker. Kill Boksoon made its world premiere at the prestigious Berlin International Film Festival in February this year.
Here’s what you need to know about the Netflix assassin flick.
What inspired the story?
The concept of the story took inspiration from “real-life conversations” between Jeon and her 14-year-old child. “I felt that the mom Jeon Do-yeon and the actress Jeon Do-yeon are two quite different people. If I replace acting in her life with killing, that would be very contradictory and ironic,” Byun said.
Jeon and Byun met through their common friend Sul Kyung-gu, who has worked with Byun three times. In Kill Boksoon, Sul plays the role of Cha Min-kyu, who works as the head of the hitman agency.
An ‘educational movie’
According to the streaming platform, viewers of Kill Boksoon can connect to the Korean film and its characters in one way or another as they learn not just about personal growth but also family love.
“Rather than an action film where everything blows up, it’s an educational movie, not one where the mom educates her child but the other way round,” Byun explained.
Stellar cast
Prior to Kill Boksoon, Do-yeon has proven her acting talent in other beloved dramas like Crash Course in Romance, Lost, and A Man and a Woman. She also bagged the Best Actress award at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival for her performance in Lee Chang-dong film Secret Sunshine.
Aside from Do-yeon, the cast also includes Sol Kyung-gu (The Merciless and Kingmaker) as Cha Min-kyu, Lee Jae-wook (Alchemy of Souls and True Beauty) as the young Cha Min-kyu, Esom (Possession and Taxi Driver) as Cha Min-hee, Koo Kyo-hwan (Monstrous and D.P.) as Han Hee-seong, Kim Si-a (The Closet and Ashfall) as Gil Jae-yeong, and Lee Yeon (Duty After School and Crash Course in Romance) as Kim Yeong-ji.
Kill Boksoon is now streaming on Netflix. Watch the trailer below: