Box Office: Hwa-yi, Rush, Runner Runner

Hwa-yi

Opened Oct. 9

Action. Thriller. Directed by Jang Joon-hwan. A five-member crime organization lives on a deserted farm in the middle of a forest. A plan-gone-wrong leaves the gang with a kidnapped boy, and the five members -- Seok-tae (Kim Yoon-seok), Ki-tae (Jo Jin-woong), Jin-sung (Jang Hyun-sung), Dong-beom (Kim Sung-kun), and Beom-soo (Park Hae-joon) -- raise the boy as their son. The boy, named Hwa-yi (Yeo Jin-goo), longs for an ordinary life but is deprived of his childhood, forced to participate in crime organized by the gang. During a fight, Hwa-yi kills a man for the first time, and finds a picture of a small child with the man. He suddenly becomes consumed with desire to discover his true identity, slowly lifting the mystery behind his dubious beginnings.

Rush

Opened Oct. 9

Action. Drama. Directed by Ron Howard. Based on a true story, race-car drivers James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda are young and talented, and both are looking to win big. After a Formula Three race in 1970 at the Crystal Palace circuit in England, where both their cars spin out-of-control but Hunt ultimately wins the race, the two begin to view each other as rivals. A rivalry that first began on the track grows into off-track drama, and the pair experiences both setbacks and victories. In 1976 Hunt and Lauda go head-to-head for the Formula 1 championship title, racing on tracks all over the world. Who will become the all-reigning Formula 1 champion?

Runner Runner

Opened Sept. 26

Crime. Drama. Thriller. Directed by Brad Furman. Richie Furst (Justin Timberlake) is a student at Princeton University who funds his tuition by online gambling. When he is cheated out of his money, he learns the site is being run from a remote island and decides to confront the site’s owner. He meets the cunning online gambling tycoon Ivan Block (Ben Affleck), and instead of getting his money back, Richie is lured into becoming Ivan’s protege with the promise of good money. When demands from Ivan become increasingly dangerous and risky, Richie is approached by FBI agent Zbysko (Anthony Mackie) and together they hatch a plan to bring Ivan down. 

The Face Reader

Opened Sept. 11

Drama. Directed by Han Jae-rim.  Nae-gyeong (Song Kang-ho) is the son of a disgraced noble family living in the Joseon era with a talent for physiognomy. With one glance of a person’s face, he is able to assess their personality, mental state, and habits. He is approached by officials in the royal court to use his skills to help solve a murder case. Nae-gyeong’s talents become recognized by the royal court and he is asked to not only solve crimes but also assist the king in identifying traitors. Nae-gyeong finds himself in the middle of a power struggle between Prince Suyang (Lee Jung-jae) and Kim Jong-seo (Baek Yoon-sik). 

The Spy

Opened Sept. 5

Comedy. Action. Directed by Lee Seung-joon. Chul-soo (Sol Kyung-gu) is one of the best intelligence agents in Korea and is able to complete any given mission, however difficult. But like any other married man, he has one weakness: his wife. One day, a mysterious explosion occurs in Seoul and Chul-soo flies to Thailand on a mission to rescue a person who allegedly holds clues to solving the incident. While on his mission, Chul-soo is surprised to see his wife Young-hee (Moon So-ri) with a mysterious handsome man, Ryan (Daniel Henney). Will Chul-soo be able to complete his dangerous mission and also save his wife at the same time?