Nameless Gangster: Rules of the Time (2012)

On the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.

Director:

Jong-bin Yoon (as Jong-Bin Yun)

Writer:

Jong-bin Yoon (as Jong-Bin Yun)

Stars:

Min-sik Choi, Jung-woo Ha, Jin-Woong Cho

9 wins & 20 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Min-sik Choi	...	Choi Ik-hyun
Jung-woo Ha	...	Choi Hyung-bae
Jin-Woong Cho	...	Kim Pan-ho (as Jin-woong Jo)
Dong-seok Ma	...	Kim Sung-bang
Jongsoo Kim	...	Manager Jang
Jong-gu Kim	...	Chief Jo (as Kim Jong-Goo)
Tae-won Kwon	...	Director Ho
Young-chang Song	...	Attorney Han
Yeong-Seon Kim	...	Ik-hyun's Wife
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Peter Cavnoudias
Gyu-pil Go	...	Fake Firefighter
Cheol-woo Han	...	Hyung-bae's Gangster
Hyun Joong Kang	...	Hyung-bae's Gangster
Sin-cheol Kang	...	Waiter
Eung-soo Kim	...	Public Prosecutor Choi Joo-dong

Storyline

On the verge of being fired, a corrupt customs official finds a haul of drugs and teams up with a vicious gangster to become the most powerful crime partnership in Busan.

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Plot Keywords:

gangster | urinating on someone | casino | breaking a bottle over someone's head | government corruption | 

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

2 February 2012 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Nameless Gangster

Filming Locations:

Busan, South Korea

Box Office

Budget:

KRW 10,000,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Palette Pictures, Showbox/Mediaplex

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jung-woo Ha spent 8 hours putting on the fake body tattoos featured in the film.

User Reviews

O, Lucky Man

This is a movie about a wannabe gangster who is a survivor. He repeatedly wriggles out of tight spots without knowing how he got there, or how he got out. He is a civil servant at the docks of Busan, So. Korea, who stumbles upon a robbery, chases off the robbers, and discovers they were after several pounds of heroin. His co-worker is 'connected' and knows a big-time dealer. One thing leads to another (see the above review), and he becomes a kingpin - a neophyte in the drug trade.

The film was interesting, but a few things worked against further appreciation of the film. I couldn't grasp the significance of the importance of family relationships and how this could save him from death numerous times. This was very crucial to one's understanding of the story, because in an American gangster movie, he would have been toast quickly, and this would have been a film short.

Over and above that, he is beaten up several times and emerges with nary a scratch. In addition, he (Choi) is a rumpled and unattractive man who lacks a moral compass; as a result, I was unable to generate any sympathy or rooting interest, and the supporting cast fell into the same category. I also think there was an occasional continuity lapse. For instance, in one scene, one of the major drug dealers is stabbed in the abdomen and bleeds profusely. In the next scene, he is his old, menacing self, as if nothing happened to him. Many meetings and dinners take place seemingly without relevance or time frame; who are these people, and why are they there? And where are they?

I did the best I could to keep up and there were several violent scenes with fights and beatings and apparently no one in Korea uses guns, which would have ended some of those fight scenes pretty quickly. Sound was amplified for the fights and beatings - having seen many gangster pictures, the slaps and blows are never that loud.

I rated it a six - perhaps I would have appreciated it more if I had a better understanding of Korean customs and culture. Or maybe if I were given a reason to root for the protagonist.