Overview of ‘Kill Boksoon’

‘Kill Boksoon’ streamed on Netflix on 31st March 2023. With Jeon Do-yeon and Sol Kyung-gu in the lead roles, Byun Sung-hyun directed the story of a strong mother Gil Bok-soon. Bok-soon is a talented assassin by profession, known for her clean murders. Her perfection and supremacy in the industry are secretly envied by many other low-ranked assassins. The friction in the relationship she has with the female director of MK ENT company turns her loved ones against her.

Profile

• Movie: ‘Kill Boksoon’
• Genre: Action, Drama
• Directed by: Byun Sung-hyun
• Produced by: Yi Jin-hee
• Production Company: See At Film
• Cinematographer: Cho Hyung-rae
• Running Time: 137 minutes
• Release Date: 18 February 2023 (Berlinale), 31 March 2023 (South Korea)
• Distributed by: Netflix
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

Main

• Jeon Do-yeon as Gil Bok-soon
  A number one assassin and also the mother of a teenage girl.
• Sol Kyung-gu as Cha Min-kyu
  CEO of MK. ENT.
• Esom as Cha Min-hee
  The younger sister of Cha Min-kyu and the director of MK.ENT.
• Koo Kyo-hwan as Han Hee-seong
  Friend of Bok-soon and a fellow assassin in MK. ENT.
• Kim Si-a as Gil Jae-yeong
  Daughter of Gil Bok-soon.

Supporting

• Lee Yeon as Kim Yeong-ji
• Kim Sung-oh as Sergeant Shin
• Kim Ki-cheon as Soo-geun
• Choi Byung-mo as Hyun-chul
• Park Kwang-jae as Gwang-man
• Jang In-sub as Yoon-seok

Special Appearances

• Hwang Jung-min as Shinichiro Oda / Kim Kwang-li
• Lee Jae-wook as young Cha Min-kyu

Synopsis

The story opens with an impressive scene which depicts the skill and tactics of Gil Bok-soon. Gil Bok-soon is a classy and brilliant assassin working for the MK ENT company. However, on the other side of the assassin lies the worried and caring mother who struggles to raise her teenage daughter.

Though her life is engaged with blood and death, she is vigilant about not bringing any professional jobs to home. She does not want her daughter to engage in any such dreadful crimes or to criticise and disown her on the basis of her darling profession. Bok-soon provides her daughter with a different family atmosphere than what she had in her childhood. It moulds her daughter into a bold person with her own opinions about right and wrong.

One day Bok-soon is assigned to perform an A-rank ‘show’, which is to kill a boy who is just out of his teenage. ‘Show’ is the term used by the assassinators for their crimes. However, when she is about to slash the wrist of the prey, she identifies the young boy sleeping on his bed as the student who is accused of securing admission to a popular school through bribing.

Breaking the rule for the first time in her career, she reads the suicide letter prepared for him by the company. Bok-soon feels pity for the boy when she learns that it is his father who wants his son to get assassinated. He does this to protect his image for the election to remain in power. Bok-soon fails the mission consciously.

Bok-soon was planning to quit her job once her current contract ends. However, she changes her decision to ensure the safety of the boy by setting a few conditions which protect the boy from other assassins. Chairman Cha Min-kyu accept her conditions, but Cha Min-hee, the female director and the younger sister of Cha Min-kyu takes a turn in this decision.

Cha Min-hee envies Bok-soon for her special relationship with her brother Cha Min-kyu. She even suspects him as the father of Bok-soon’s daughter. To win over Bok-soon, Cha Min-hee assigns the show to a low-rank employee, Han Hee-seong in the company and promotes him to an A-rank employee. Han Hee-seong is a friend of Bok-soon with whom she has a sexual relationship.

One day Bok-soon and her friends meet at their usual spot of gathering, a restaurant of a retired employee in the industry. Bok-soon learns that Han Hee-seong has killed the boy that she rescued. As a coincidence, Han Hee-seong receives a call from Cha Min-hee and the phone call turns the restaurant into a war field.

Cha Min-hee offers a high position at MK ENT for the assassin who kills Bok-soon for breaking the rule. Hearing the offer made by Cha Min-hee, the friends turn into fierce warriors who enjoy their kills. In the end, Bok-soon and the fired intern from the MK ENT survive. This incident makes turbulence in the industry since the members killed are from different companies. Chairman Cha Min-kyu tries to clear the mess created. However, things end differently when Bok-soon meets Cha Min-hee in the office to renew her contract.

Bok-soon kills Cha Min-hee and sends the bloody pen used as the weapon to Cha Min-kyu as a call for a fight. Though she made the decision to fight Cha Min-kyu, emotionally, it is difficult for her to fight him. She leaves her house for the MK ENT office to fight. After so much tension they fight and Bok-soon blows a fatal slash on Cha Min-kyu. Before dying, Cha Min-kyu reveals that he has made an arrangement to disclose their fight to her daughter through a messenger. Bok-soon rushes home fearing the reaction of her daughter. To her relief, the truth about her finally crushes down the wall between the mother and daughter.

Theme

The Conflict Between Dignity and Feelings

The film portrays a mother who struggles to cover her profession from her daughter. The secrecy about her profession restricts her from getting to know her daughter. As a teenage girl, her daughter goes through several problems which Bok-soon is eager to know. However, Bok-soon is not able to let go of her profession for several reasons. Beyond a cold-hearted assassin at work, she cares for the people she loves. Nonetheless, she is bold enough to make perfect decisions according to the situation which is a vital factor that defines her.

At a certain point, Bok-soon is forced to make a decision between her dignity and feelings. Throughout her profession, she never breaks the rules until she commits to kill the candidate’s son. Her feeling of righteousness prevents her from killing the boy and assures his safety through making negotiations with her contract with MK ENT. The disrespect she faced from the director of MK ENT provokes her to stand up for what she feels is right. With a little heartache, she prioritises her dignity and chooses parenting over her profession by killing her boss. Bok-soon takes such a decision as she realises that her feelings pin her down from who she actually is.

Awards

• Golden Trailer Awards 2023
  Best Foreign Poste

Interesting Facts about Kill Boksoon

1. While shooting ‘Kill Boksoon’, Jeon Do-yeon got injured and the shooting resumed after she recovered.
2. The film ‘Kill Boksoon’ was initially premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival before its release on Netflix.
3. Jeon Do-yeon trained her body to match her physic with that of the character and did most of the fights by herself.

FAQs

1. Is ‘Kill Boksoon’ a crime thriller?
   ‘Kill Boksoon’ is an action drama.
2. Who is the director of ‘Kill Boksoon’?
   Byun Sung-hyun is the director of the film.
3. Is ‘Kill Boksoon’ a character’s name?
   Gil Bok-soon, the female assassin in the film is referred to as ‘Kill Boksoon’ due to her excellency in committing assassinations.
4. What is the Instagram ID of Lee Jae-wook?
   The Instagram ID of Lee Jae-wook is @jxxvvxxk.