![]() It also magnifies the importance of Kretschmann’s performance as Hinzpeter. The scene when the military storms the local television station in an attempt to black out any media coverage of the event accurately depicts the nature of the South Korean regime at the time and gives the film more credence from a historical perspective. Originally from Seoul, he gets into several disagreements with city taxi drivers but they all band together in the end in a show of defiance and unity against the military forces there to quell the so-called unrest. ![]() Jang plays on regional differences as the lead man. The foreign press were highly prohibited during the uprising so there are several scenes of Hinzpeter trying to conceal his camera so that his footage is not compromised. However, a visit to the hospital afterwards paints a real picture of the situation on the ground. The pair arrive on May 19, a day after the uprising began, to find the city in chaos with military in the streets and students happily singing and dancing. Song, the taxi driver jumps on the chance and takes the journalist down south. Hinzpeter arrives in Korea working for ARD-NDR and is looking for a way to get to the embattled city. Song embodies the spirit of ordinary Korean people at the time who were striving to transform the country into a democratic society and Kretschmann, who looks unmistakably like the man he is meant to portray in the film, displays the typical steely German nerve required for such a role. The two lead roles in the film are portrayed masterfully. They first teamed up for the film Secret Reunion, a spy movie, which was released in 2010. It is also the second time for Jang and Song to work together on a film. The movie co-stars Song Kang-ho as a taxi driver and single father who can’t seem to catch a break, and Thomas Kretschmann in the role of Hinzpeter. Hinzpeter died last year at the age of 79. By doing this he became one of the few foreign correspondents who was able to tell the story to the rest of the world. The movie, in part, serves as a testament to Jurgen Hinzpeter, the German journalist who covered the Gwangju Uprising. On release, it quickly went on its way to becoming the most popular film in Korean cinema history, having already grossed $71.8 million after three consecutive weeks at the top of the charts. Jang Hoon’s new movie, A Taxi Driver, was highly anticipated at the beginning of the year. Hundreds of citizens were killed in the operation ironically known as “Splendid Holiday,” making it the worst instance of repression in modern Korean history. Josip Broz Tito, founder of the nonaligned movement, died, paving the way to the destruction of Yugoslavia a decade later, and Ronald Reagan was elected the 40th president of the United States.Ĭhange was on the horizon in South Korea as well thanks to the Gwangju Uprising in May of that year when the first wave of democracy was brutally suppressed by the military dictatorship under Chun Doo-hwan. The Solidarity movement formed in Poland as labourers went on strike to protest the Communist regime in the Eastern European country. It marked the beginning of the Iran-Iraq war. The year 1980 signaled change throughout the world. As well as this, it has been chosen as Korea's entry into the "Best Foreign Film" category at the Oscars. Update (): The success of A Taxi Driver has continued and the film is now the tenth most watched Korean film (based on tickets sold). It has been hugely popular in its home country and has topped the box office for three consecutive weekends. "A Taxi Driver" is a South Korean movie by Director Jang Hoon.
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