Box Office: The Attorney , The Hobbit, Way Back Home

The Attorney

Opened Dec. 18

Drama. Directed by Yang Woo-seok

In 1981, Busan-based tax lawyer Song Woo-seok ends up defending young students who have been tortured for possession of “illegal” literature and suspicion of being communist sympathizers. Before getting involved in the case, Song had been very successful as a tax lawyer, but his experience defending the young men makes him consider specializing in human rights cases. The movie is loosely based on late President Roh Moo-hyun’s early years as a Busan-based lawyer in the 1980s.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

Opened Dec. 12

Adventure. Drama. Fantasy. Directed by Peter Jackson

Hobbit Bilbo Baggins (Martin Freeman) and the wizard Gandalf (Ian McKellen) join 13 dwarves led by Thorin Oakenshield (Richard Armitage) to travel into the Kingdom of Erebor. The group is on a mission to defeat the fierce and greedy dragon Smaug in order to reclaim the dwarves’ homeland. The dwarves were once prosperous and lived with great wealth but their kingdom was sacked by Smaug, who flew south from the Ered Mithrin and buried itself in the treasures that used to belong to the dwarves. On the journey to recover their homeland, the dwarves, Bilbo, and Gandalf come across numerous obstacles and hardships, fighting enemies as well as making allies. 

Way Back Home

Opened Dec. 12

Drama. Directed by Bang Eun-jin

Based on a true story, “Way Back Home” begins when Korean housewife Jang Mi-jeong (Jeon Do-yeon) is asked by her husband’s longtime friend to bring a bag filled with diamonds to France. She arrives in France, but as soon as she sets foot in the airport she is arrested and police discover 17 kilograms of cocaine in her bag. She is forced to serve two years in prison in Martinique, an island in the eastern Caribbean, for alleged drug smuggling. Her husband Kim Jong-bae (Go Soo) works fervently to persuade the French authorities that his wife wasn’t aware that she was carrying cocaine. 

The Fake

Opened Nov. 21

Animation. Thriller. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho

A rural Korean town is on the verge of being flooded. Amid the gloom, a good-looking young minister enters the scene. He charms the villagers, and he seems to have the ability to heal. He and his coworker tell the villagers they will build a church and a house where they will all be able to live together after the town is completely submerged, all the while periodically collecting money from them. Min-cheol, a man known in the village for gambling and abusing his wife and daughter, accidentally discovers that the identity of the minister’s colleague is questionable. He tells the other villagers that the man is a swindler, but no one believes him. 

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire

Opened Nov. 21

Fantasy. Action. Directed by Francis Lawrence

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) inspired an uprising among the people of postapocalyptic Panem against the oppressive rule of the Capitol when they broke the rules and both emerged as winners of the annual Hunger Games. To quell the rebellious movements churning in the nation, the Capitol forces Katniss and Peeta to participate in a special installment of the Hunger Games. The victors of previous Hunger Games come together for another round in the deadly arena. Will Katniss and Peeta once again be able to beat the system?