Don't Buy the Seller

Don't Buy the Seller (Korean: 타겟; RR: Tages; lit. Target) is a 2023 South Korean crime thriller film directed by Park Hee-gon, starring Shin Hye-sun and Kim Sung-kyun. In the film, suspense unfolds in the daily life of Soo-hyun, who becomes a target of crime through second-hand trading. It was released on August 30, 2023.^[2]

Don't Buy the Seller
Theatrical release poster
Hangul	타겟
Literal meaning	Target
Revised Romanization	Tages
Directed by	Park Hee-gon
Screenplay by	Park Hee-gon Kim Dong-hoo
Starring	Shin Hye-sun Kim Sung-kyun
Cinematography	Baek Yoon-seok Lee Seon-yong
Edited by	Han Eon-jae Han Young-gyu
Music by	Jang Young-gyu
Production company	Fiona Films
Distributed by	Megabox Plus M
Release date	August 30, 2023 (2023-08-30)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Box office	US$3 million[1]

Synopsis

Soo-hyun (Shin Hye-sun), an ordinary office worker, buys a second-hand washing machine after moving, but finds out that she was scammed after receiving a broken washing machine. She succeeded in finding the hidden seller and leaves a comment calling him a fraud on each of his posts, disrupting the transaction. From that day on, a series of creepy things happen to Soo-hyun, including an unknown phone call, delivery of food she never ordered, and mysterious men visiting her in the middle of the night. All personal information is leaked, and as unfamiliar traces are discovered throughout the house, her daily life gradually begins to be destroyed.

Cast

• Shin Hye-sun as Jang Soo-hyun, team leader at an interior design company. She become the target of a second-hand transaction crime.
• Kim Sung-kyun as Joo Cheol-ho, detective from the cyber investigation team at the Seoul Northern Police Station. He investigates second-hand crime cases until the end.
• Im Chul-soo as Director Kim, director of the interior design company.
• Lee Joo-young as Oh Dal-ja, employee of the interior design company. She is older than Soo-hyun and is her co-worker, and in the past, her best friend and older sister who lived together as her roommate and shared her daily life.
• Keum Sae-rok as Hye-jin, a person who was involved in a similar incident to Soo-hyun in the past.
• Choi Jae-sup as Foreman
• Noh Young-hak as College student, a victim of the second-hand trade crime and the first man to be killed by it.

Special appearance

• Kang Tae-oh as Na Seung-hyun, detective from the cyber investigation team at the Seoul Northern Police Station. Joo Cheol-ho's junior.

Production

Principal photography began in July 2021 and ended in October 2021.

Reception

Box office

As of January 24, 2024^[update], Don't Buy the Seller has grossed $3 million with a running total of 424,916 tickets sold.^[3]

References

1. "Target". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
2. Lee Mi-ji (July 19, 2023). "신혜선표 스릴러 '타겟' 8월30일 개봉확정..런칭포스터 공개(공식)" [Shin Hye-seon-pyo thriller 'Target' confirmed to be released on August 30... Launching poster released (official)] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Retrieved July 19, 2023 – via Naver.
3. "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Yearly". KOFIC. Retrieved January 24, 2024.

External links

• Don't Buy the Seller at IMDb
• Don't Buy the Seller at HanCinema
• Don't Buy the Seller at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)