[Limelight] "Seeking New Fun Within the Rules of Sequels"

'Gongjo 2: International' Director Lee Seok-hoon, The Dilemma of Directing a Sequel to a Hit Film
Difficulty Showing Style Within a Fixed Framework... The Obsession to Show Something Great
Boldly Removed Toilet Action, Aiming for New Synergy by Combining Action and Comedy

'Confidential Assignment 2: International' is a planned film. Since commercial success is the goal, the project nature is strong. It thoroughly analyzes and reflects the audience and socio-cultural tendencies in advance. Although it seems like a fully prepared meal, directors find it difficult. They cannot break free from the set framework. Above all, it is hard to freely express personal tastes or styles. This is even more true for sequels of successful films. The priority is to supplement the shortcomings of the previous film or to amplify familiar enjoyment. As a result, it is common to see a mixture of various genres or a lack of plausibility.

JK Film, which produced 10-million viewer films such as 'Haeundae (11,453,338 viewers)' and 'Ode to My Father (14,257,115 viewers)', entrusted director Lee Seok-hoon with the megaphone. He is the director of 'Rooftop Room Cat (2006)', 'Dancing Queen (2012)', and 'The Pirates (2014)'. He first connected with JK Film through 'Himalaya (2015)'. The film, based on the true story of Captain Um Hong-gil who set out to find the body of a junior team member, conveyed familiar laughter and emotion, attracting 7,759,473 viewers. However, it was also criticized for lacking the unique mountain action and for being a flat story filled with melodrama.

The response this time is similar. 'Confidential Assignment 2', released on the 7th, attracted 3,344,582 viewers by the 12th. It practically dominated the theaters during the Chuseok holiday, surpassing the estimated break-even point of 3 million viewers early on. It did not receive high praise due to its typical story and genre disharmony. Director Lee did not blame the environment that forces adherence to sequel rules. He said, "It would be great to receive good reviews, but I am satisfied just to have received the audience's love," adding, "Achieving even one goal of success is difficult." Below is a Q&A with director Lee Seok-hoon.

-Do you think there is a tendency to belittle planned films?

▲I think it’s a difference in values. We are making films like 'Confidential Assignment 2' that families can comfortably watch together. The production nature is different from other films. It’s hard to judge by the same standards. Even if there is criticism, I won’t avoid it. I believe this is the field we do best in and plan to continue communicating with the audience.

-You probably didn’t prioritize commercial success from the start.

▲Having directed works with large budgets like 'The Pirates: The Treasure of the Sea' and 'Himalaya', I developed an obsession that gentle stories might not be loved. I was obsessed with showing something grand. 'Confidential Assignment 2' seems to be a continuation of that. This trend will likely continue into my next work.

-I’m curious about how you came to direct 'Confidential Assignment 2'.

▲I happened to meet director Yoon Je-kyun, who told me the synopsis. It was about adding Daniel Henney to the existing system to investigate a new case. I said it sounded interesting, and he asked me to write the screenplay with writer Lim Sung-soon. I was confident that a new character appearing within a familiar framework would enrich the story. I organized the story while imagining various variables.

-The previous film 'Confidential Assignment' attracted 7,817,446 viewers and was a hit. It must have been difficult to supplement weaknesses and amplify strengths.

▲Above all, I didn’t want to repeat the effective fun from the previous film. The process of Lim Cheol-ryeong (Hyun Bin) and Kang Jin-tae (Yoo Hae-jin) building brotherly love while being wary of each other is a representative example. Repeating it would have lost its impact, so I boldly removed it. Instead, I introduced Jack (Daniel Henney) and reset the structure so that the three detectives each act for their own country. Thanks to that, we could increase the scale of action compared to the previous film and expand Park Min-young (Im Yoon-ah)’s range of activities.

-Except for Henney, the main cast from the previous film appears as is. You must have taken their opinions into account a lot.

▲Before casting, we had to create a reason for their appearance. If it was the same story as before, the actors wouldn’t have needed to participate. To give them confidence that it could succeed, we added many new elements. While sharing the scenario, we boldly cut parts that felt repetitive, like the toilet paper roll action. The actors are better at spotting such weaknesses. We reflected various opinions to set Lim Cheol-ryeong as lively and flexible. Kang Jin-tae was given much more room for action.

-Although the number of characters increased, the depth of the villain Jang Myung-jun (Jin Seon-kyu) significantly weakened. The overall dramatic tension feels diluted.

▲In the previous film, Lim Cheol-ryeong and Cha Ki-sung (Kim Joo-hyuk) were connected not only by the case but also by personal grudges. It was an easy structure to show the motive and influence of evil deeds. I wanted to reuse a similar structure but after careful consideration, I focused more on the genre. I thought it wouldn’t be a big problem if the overall tone was kept light. Jin Seon-kyu worked hard to express effectively despite reduced screen time. Due to the runtime exceeding two hours, quite a few scenes were deleted. I feel sorry about that.

-The fact that it is a film aimed at families must have also made it difficult to build the villain’s dimensionality.

▲It wasn’t easy to present it as a 15+ rated film. Especially, all scenes that might feel violent in action sequences were removed. So there isn’t even a bloody scene. Even when shot, it only shows the feeling of ‘he got hit’. It must have been quite difficult for Jin Seon-kyu, who left a strong impression in 'The Outlaws (2017)'. Nothing is harder for an actor than not being able to act boldly.

-Instead, you created a new synergy effect where action and laughter coexist.

▲We just set the stage for ridiculous situations to arise. Without the excellent acting of the actors, it would have been impossible. When filming 'The Pirates: The Treasure of the Sea', Yoo Hae-jin said we shouldn’t make a film where only we laugh and joke. Even if he appeared in a comedy, he said he would never try to act funny. Actually, whenever he tried to force laughter, it always failed. Now, everyone takes it seriously. When the characters’ interests intertwine and ironic situations continue, it creates great laughter. We will continue to try and bring joy in the future."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.