Undoing (2006)

User Rating:

4.0/10   

Director:

Chris Chan Lee

Writer:

Chris Chan Lee (writer)

Release Date:

5 December 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

He's taking back what was once his

Plot:

A crime drama set in LA's Koreatown, UNDOING introduces us to Samuel, who returns after a mysterious absence to reconcile the death of his best friend exactly one year ago. |

Plot Keywords:

Noir | Neo Noir | Gangster | Asian American | Crime Thriller

Cast

Sung Kang	...	Samuel
Kelly Hu	...	Vera
Tom Bower	...	Don
Russell Wong	...	Leon
José Zúñiga	...	Randall
Leonardo Nam	...	Joon
Mary Mara	...	Kasawa
Julia Ling	...	Linda
Bobby Lee	...	Kenny
Ken Choi	...	Danny (as Kenneth Choi)
Ron Yuan	...	Chang
D.C. Wolfe	...	Stan
David Connolly	...	Phil
Jennifer Tung	...	Jane
Michael Li	...	Gunman #1
Jen Sung Outerbridge	...	Gunman #2
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Yoi Tanabe	...	Party Girl
Max Faugno	...	Hawkeye (uncredited)
Avi K. Garg	...	Carwash Manager (uncredited)
Kevin Leung	...	Security Guard (uncredited)
Mike Su	...	Credit Card Supplier (uncredited)
Ceiri Torjussen	...	Corporate Businessman (uncredited)

Directed by
Chris Chan Lee

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Chris Chan Lee		writer

Produced by
Billfield Cheng	....	executive producer
Karin Chien	....	producer
Arthur Chin	....	associate producer
Cynthia Hong	....	associate producer
George Huey	....	producer
Sung Kang	....	producer
Eric Kim	....	producer
Philip Lam	....	executive producer
Catherine Park	....	producer
Chris Stinson	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Ceiri Torjussen

Cinematography by
John DeFazio

Film Editing by
Howard Leder
Greg Louie

Production Design by
Lissette Schettini

Art Direction by
Heidi Roller

Makeup Department
Akiko Matsumoto	....	key makeup artist
Keiko Wedding	....	assistant makeup artist (as Keiko Sakamoto)

Production Management
Rob Spence	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Karla Carnewal	....	second second assistant director
Keith Jones	....	second assistant director
Nicholas Owen Langholff	....	first assistant director
Louise Lovegrove	....	additional second assistant director

Art Department
Chris Withrow	....	property master

Sound Department
Jeremy Balko	....	adr mixer
Shaun Cunningham	....	dialog editor
Alexandra Gallo	....	additional boom operator
Chad J. Hughes	....	sound effects editor
Chad J. Hughes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Young-kon Kim	....	boom operator
Andrew Morgado	....	foley mixer

Visual Effects by
Rizza Go	....	visual effects coordinator: EntityFX
William Higgins	....	compositor: EntityFX
Kymber Lim	....	visual effects producer / supervisor: EntityFX
Jack Noriaki Matsumoto	....	3D artist: EntityFX
John Mitchell	....	3D artist: EntityFX
Brian Petras	....	compositor: EntityFX

Stunts
Don Tai	....	stunt coordinator (as Don Tai Theerathada)

Camera and Electrical Department
Richard W. Botchlet	....	best boy electric
Brian Christie	....	grip
Erik Gonzales	....	electrician
Joshua A. Hicks	....	electrician
Jason Jury	....	electrician
Nick Lantz	....	first assistant camera
Rocky Rodriguez	....	key grip
R. Dustin Sanchez	....	electrician
David Starks	....	gaffer

Editorial Department
Randy Beveridge	....	senior colorist

Music Department
Martín Carrillo	....	music editor
Joong-Han Chung	....	composer: additional music
Justin Li	....	music supervisor

Other crew
Mohammad Alkouh	....	production assistant
Anthony Begonia	....	location scout
Brian Buckland	....	production coordinator
Nino Cruz	....	production assistant
Mario Enriquez Jr.	....	set production assistant
Gavin Feek	....	location manager
Torrence Hall	....	armorer
Kevin Haven	....	production assistant
Kristin Mente	....	location manager
Melodey Ross	....	production assistant
Dennis P. Thomas	....	production assistant
Will Tiao	....	product placement/clearances
Mike Tristano	....	armorer
Dalton Cole Young	....	key set production assistant

Thanks
Jane Kelly Kosek	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• A Space Between
• Group Hug Productions
• EK Films

Distributors

• Indican Pictures (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Boll World Sales (2008) (Non-USA) (all media)
• Indican Pictures (2008) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Entity FX

Other Companies

• Film Emporium Insurance Services  insurance

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some drug content.

Runtime:

USA:90 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Certification:

USA:R

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Company:

A Space Between

Trivia:

Bobby Lee needed to re-do the dialog for his scenes in a sound booth. He did the entire re-dub in the nude.

Interesting minimalist Asian American indie film noir

This was obviously done on little or no budget, and they make the most of it. Sam (Sung Kang), gone for a year, returns to Los Angeles to get revenge for his friend who was killed in a drug deal gone bad, and to get back his girlfriend. The film is told in minimalist fashion, with a definite film noir attitude. The story is pretty straightforward, but serves to reveal Sam's inner turmoil. While most of the characters/actors are Asian American, and part of the film is set in LA's Koreatown, this does not figure in the story, and in fact there is only one moment--when Sam visits his dead friend's father--that we see something culturally Korean (at least, I think it is culturally Korean--I'm not Korean myself) and expresses his grief at the news he has to tell the father.

I found the film not exciting, but interesting, as a character study of someone who has done some wrong things and expects others to help him dig himself out.