From left to right: Ahn Gil-gang, Kim In-kwon, Ahn Sung-ki, Jung Woo-sung, Lee Bum-soo and Lee Si-young at the press junket for the upcoming “The Divine Move.” Provided by Show Box
In director Jo Bum-gu’s latest action flick “The Divine Move,” the filmmaker presents an unconventional combination of fierce action versus the serenity of baduk.
Baduk is a game that requires prudent moves and much meditation time. In the two-player pastime, each person takes turns to move white or black stones to a different point on the grid with the aim of taking over a larger portion of the board.
“I was searching for one great action film that involved men’s sweat and the collision of bodies,” said the movie’s lead, Jung Woo-sung, at a press conference held Wednesday at Megabox in Jung District, central Seoul.
“When I came across the scenario of ‘The Divine Move,’ even though I didn’t have any understanding about baduk, I was immersed in it,” Jung said.
Unlike baduk’s predominant image as a game of courtesy, when it is played for money in the film it can become a deadly match involving physical altercations.
Actor Choi Jin-hyuk said he was stressed about having to fight with Jung, whom he has long respected.
“When I heard that Jung was cast in the film, I just thought I had to accept the role. But once I got into shooting, I actually had to hit him and that gave me a really hard time,” said Choi.
The only predominant female star in the film is Lee Si-young who plays a femme fatale forced to become a baduk player to make ends meet for her family.
When asked about the similarity with Kim Hye-soo’s madame in the 2006 gambling movie “Tazza: The High Rollers,” director Jo answered that although the feel of the film is inevitably similar, the characters, in terms of their will to escape gang life, differ significantly.
