The Foul King

The Foul King (Korean: 반칙왕; RR: Banchikwang) is a 2000 South Korean sports comedy film, written and directed by Kim Jee-woon. It was Kim's second feature-length film after The Quiet Family. Like the director's debut film, The Foul King also stars Song Kang-ho, this time as an incompetent bank clerk who takes up a career in professional wrestling, adopting the moniker "The Foul King" in the ring.^[1]

The Foul King
Theatrical release poster
Hangul	반칙왕
Hanja	反則王
Revised Romanization	Banchikwang
McCune–Reischauer	Panch'ikwang
Directed by	Kim Jee-woon
Written by	Kim Jee-woon
Produced by	Lee Mi-yeon
Starring	Song Kang-ho Jang Jin-young
Cinematography	Hong Kyung-pyo
Distributed by	Mirovision
Release date	February 4, 2000 (2000-02-04)
Running time	112 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean
Budget	US$1.6 million

Plot

Bank teller Im Dae-ho leads a monotonous life at the bank counter, devoid of anything exciting. He frequently arrives late, has poor performance metrics, and is constantly scolded by the deputy manager, often falling victim to his headlock attacks. To make matters worse, the coworker he secretly admires doesn't even spare him a glance. Feeling dispirited, Dae-ho unexpectedly finds an escape in the Jang Chil-sam Pro Wrestling Gym.

As a child, he admired the rule-breaking wrestler Ultra Tiger Mask, and now, desperate to find a way out of his boss's headlocks, he decides to learn wrestling. The gym owner, hesitant at first, accepts Dae-ho when looking for an opponent to face the skilled wrestler Yoo Bi-ho in a match. By night, Dae-ho transforms into a rule-breaking wrestler, gradually regaining his lost enthusiasm. Eventually, he steps into the ring for a fierce showdown against Yoo Bi-ho.

Cast

• Song Kang-ho as Im Dae-ho
• Jang Jin-young as Jang Min-young
• Park Sang-myun as Tae Baek-san
• Kim Soo-ro as Yoo Bi-ho
• Jang Hang-sun as Jang Gwan-jang
• Jung Woong-in as Choi Du-sik
• Shin Goo as Im Dae-ho's father