Ryoo Seung-wan and Jung Doo-hong discuss City of Violence at BIFF

Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the 2006 action film The City of Violence, director Ryoo Seung-wan and martial arts director Jung Doo-hong gathered at the 31st Busan International Film Festival’s Community BIFF to reflect on the production’s tiny budget and strict physical limitations, chosun.com reported.

Master Talk Real-Time Commentary at Busan

Sitting inside Megabox Busan Theater 1 on October 9 for a Community BIFF “Master Talk,” Ryoo and Jung watched the movie alongside the audience while providing real-time audio commentary through wireless receivers. Community BIFF operating committee chairperson Cho Won-hee organized the format, allowing attendees to send live questions via QR codes that projected directly onto the screen. During the screening, Ryoo noted that a specific alley fight in Cheongju suffered from mismatched wall dimensions, admitting that he wished the stone wall had been larger. Jung added that he filmed his sequences while genuinely intoxicated and exhausted.

Venice Reviewers Praise Action Despite Budget Constraints

The City of Violence originally premiered in May 2006 and secured an invitation to the midnight section of the 63rd Venice International Film Festival, standing as the sole Korean film selected that year. Venice reviewers described the project as an adrenaline-boosting feature reminiscent of Jackie Chan’s prime era. Ryoo explained during the commentary that the production suffered from strict budget constraints, which prevented him from executing his original vision for the reservoir sequence. The director intended to show a vast underwater pile of corpses to emphasize the antagonist Pil-ho’s brutality, but the lack of computer graphics and funds made the setup impossible. An alternative ending featuring a celebratory tourist town while character Tae-su slowly died in an ambulance was also scrapped due to high costs.

Casting Choices and Physical Tolls on Set

Actor Lee Beom-soo joined the cast as the antagonist Pil-ho despite not being on the initial talent roster, stepping into the role because he appreciated Ryoo’s work. The fictional hometown of Oseong combined elements of Onyang and Yuseong, while the character name Tae-su derived from Ryoo’s preference for the television drama Hourglass. Reflecting on the intense physical demands of the project, Jung recalled taping his limbs with blue tape to restrict blood flow during grueling action sequences and accidentally smashing his face into a storefront sign. Ryoo pointed out that youthful actors portraying the characters in their teens included Kim Shi-hoo, whom Ryoo cast after seeing Lady Vengeance, though director Park Chan-wook initially questioned whether Kim could grow up to resemble Ryoo.

As the retrospective screening concluded, Jung told the audience that his joints were losing their lubrication, yet vowed to keep working happily, while Ryoo expressed gratitude at seeing his colleagues grow over two decades of filmmaking.