Overview of The Man From Nowhere

‘The Man from Nowhere’ is a South Korean action thriller film featuring Won Bin and Kim Sae-ron. It was written and directed by Lee Jeong-beom. The story revolves around a man called Cha Tae-sik and his dearest neighbour So-mi.

The movie released on 4 August 2010 was a commercial hit and was critically acclaimed by viewers around the world. In addition, it has received plenty of awards in various categories.

Profile

• Name: ‘The Man from Nowhere’
• Genre: Action, Thriller
• Starring: Won Bin, Kim Sae-ron
• Directed by: Lee Jeong-beom
• Screenplay by: Lee Jeong-beom
• Produced by: Lee Tae-heon
• Distributed by: CJ Entertainment
• Edited by: Kim Sang-bum
• Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
• Music by: Shim Hyun-jung
• Running time: 119 minutes
• Release date: 4 August 2010
• Language: Korean
• Country: South Korea

Cast

Synopsis

Cha Tae-sik is a loner who runs a pawnshop. He lends money, collecting collateral from people. A child called So-mi, who lives in his neighbourhood, is his only friend. She lives with her mother and her abusive boyfriend. Her mother is a bar dancer and also a drug addict. So-mi relies on Cha Tae-sik whenever her mother uses drugs. He gives her food and sometimes prepares a bed for the small girl to sleep peacefully.

One day, Hyo-jeong (So-mi’s mother) gets a packet of expensive and dangerous drugs from the bar. After her work at the bar, she steals the drugs to sell and also for her personal use. Initially, Hyo-jeong’s boyfriend stands with her for stealing the drug. However, after learning about the people to whom the drugs belong, he tries to get the drugs back to them. Hyo-jeong disagrees with his decision and refuses to disclose the place where she hides the drugs. Therefore, her boyfriend verbally harasses Hyo-jeong and So-mi.

So-mi approaches Cha Tae-sik in the hope of a shelter that night. He invites her into his house and gives her food. She pawns her headset to him for one dollar for doing nail art. Meanwhile, Hyo-jeong comes to the pawn shop to take a loan by giving Tae-sik her camera as security. Seeing her, So-mi hides from her mother’s sight.

The next day, So-mi leaves Tae-sik’s house before he wakes up. She does nail art on his fingers to show her gratitude.

On the other hand, the boss of the drug dealers insults one of his men, Man-seok, for losing the drug packet. Man-seok and his brother Jong-seok are ruthless organ dealers. Getting insulted by his boss, he asks his brother Jong-seok to trace the house of Hyo-jeong and recover the drugs.

Jong-seok with their henchman Ramrowan goes in search of Hyo-jeong. So-mi sees her mother getting assaulted by strangers when she returns home after spending the whole day in town wandering and stealing. Hyo-jeong discloses to Jong-seok that she stored the drug in the camera bag, which she pawns to Cha Tae-sik.

From Jong–seok’s group, two people go to Cha Tae-sik’s house to fetch the camera. At first, Cha Tae-sik offers his wallet, thinking that they are robbers. When the duo demands the camera bag, Tae-sik fights one of them down at the speed of light.

Tired of waiting, Jong-seok sends Ramrowan to Cha Tae-sik’s house. Ramrowan sees one of his men lying on the floor, beaten, and upon the instruction of Jong-seok, Ramrowan shoots him. Taken aback by the sudden commotion, Cha Tae-sik stands still for a few seconds and later, runs after Jong-seok’s car. He sees So-mi tied up in the car, crying for help.

Without revealing his identity Cha Tae-sik calls the police and tells them about the kidnapping. Later, he receives a call on the phone that Ramrowan has left in his house. Through the phone, Jong-seok informs him to do a particular task in return for the lives of So-mi and Hyo-jeong.

Cha Tae-sik agrees, and as per the gangster brothers’ information, he goes to the residence of the gangster boss with the recovered drugs. The boss becomes happy seeing the drugs; nevertheless, it was a conspiracy by the gangster brothers to trap their boss. The gangster brothers betray their boss to the police.

By the time the police reach the place, the boss manages to escape, but they get hold of Cha Tae-sik. Later, they discover the dead body of Hyo-jeong, with her internal organs missing.

The police take Cha Tae-sik into custody, but he escapes from the station after beating down the police officers at work. His escape from the police station triggers the officers to collect information about him. They discover that Cha Tae-sik is a retired army officer who lives a quiet life after the murder of his pregnant wife.

Cha Tae-sik chases Jong-seok and tortures him. To save his brother, Man-seok orders Ramrowan to pluck out the eyeballs of So-mi. Nonetheless, Ramrowan is kind towards children; therefore, he digs out the eyeballs of one of his dead men and throws them in front of Cha Tae-sik. A furious Cha Tae-sik kills the gangster brothers and their favourite henchman, Ramrowan.

On the other hand, the police officers rescue So-mi and a few other children from the custody of an old lady who looks after the children until the date of their organ surgery.

Cha Tae-sik, who believed So-mi’s death after seeing the eyeball, decides to commit suicide since he finds no purpose for his existence. Surprisingly, a moment before shooting himself, So-mi calls him from his back, revealing So-mi has been saved by Ramrowan by sending the eyeballs of one of his men.

Theme

‘The Man from Nowhere’ is packed with themes like corruption, vengeance, solitude, and connection. Through the character Cha Tae-sik, vengeance, solitude, and a quest for justice are portrayed. On the contrary, So-mi represents innocence and hope.

After the murder of his pregnant wife, Che Tae-sik starts to live a quiet life. When Somi gets kidnapped, his love for her turns him into a vengeance-seeking man. Once again, he takes up the way of violence that he left behind a long time ago. The murder of his wife makes him powerless, and it is after meeting So-mi that he gets a new purpose to live.

By bringing So-mi back home by killing the drug dealers, Che Tae-sik is indirectly restoring justice and giving hope to the other children that he rescued in the mission.

Awards

Interesting Facts about The Man From Nowhere

1. Inspired by ‘The Man from Nowhere’, director Nishikant Kamat made an Indian remake of the movie. The movie was named ‘Rocky Handsome’ and it was penned by Ritesh Shash.
2. ‘Rocky Handsome’ was starred by John Abraham.
3. Won Bin is known to be a picky actor and has only starred in five films in his career. As of 2024, ‘The Man from Nowhere’ is the last movie starring Won Bin.
4. The English remake of ‘The Man from Nowhere’ is directed by Chad Stahelski and Jason Spitz.

FAQs

1. Who is the director of ‘The Man from Nowhere’?
   Lee Jeong-beom is the director of ‘The Man from Nowhere’.
   
2. When was the movie ‘The Man from Nowhere’ released?
   4 August 2010.
   
3. Which is the last movie of Won Bin?
   ‘The Man from Nowhere’ is the last movie that Won Bin has starred in.
4. What is the Instagram ID of Kim Sae-ron?
   @ron_sae.