Kill Boksoon, a new Korean action movie, is about to hit Netflix – here’s what it’s about, who’s in the cast, and if it’s worth watching.
Netflix has established itself as a top provider of Korean content, whether it’s chart-topping reality shows like Physical 100, gripping revenge dramas like The Glory, or movies like 20th Century Girl, Forgotten, and Night in Paradise.
Kill Boksoon is one of the streaming platform’s biggest releases this week, coming from Byun Sung-hyun, the director of 2017’s The Merciless.
So, with the movie about to premiere on Netflix, here’s what you need to know.
What is Kill Boksoon about?
Kill Boksoon follows a “legendary professional killer” at a top-tier killing agency, who also happens to be a devoted mother to her teenage daughter. However, when she wants to holster her guns for good, it doesn’t go to plan.
Check out the trailer below:
The official synopsis reads: “Hired by the killing agency MK Ent., Gil Boksoon is both a killer with a 100% success rate and a mother of her teenage daughter, Jae-young. While Boksoon might be a seasoned assassin, she struggles with parenting.
“When it is about time to renew her contract with her agency, she makes up her mind to retire to repair the relationship with her daughter.
“While on her final assignment, before notifying the company of her decision regarding the contract, Boksoon discovers a secret about the mission and breaks the rule that killers must try to execute all assignments regardless of the circumstances. Now she becomes the target of her agency and the entire hitman industry.”
Byun wanted to “unravel a story about family” despite the movie revolving around contract killers. “I consider the emotional aspects of this film to be the core themes. That’s why I hope viewers will closely follow the emotional arc of each character,” he said in a press release.
Kill Boksoon cast: Who’s in it?
The Kill Boksoon cast includes:
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- Jeon Do-yeon as Gil Bok-soon
- Park Se-hyun as young Gil Bok-soon
- Sol Kyung-gu as Cha Min-kyu
- Lee Jae-wook as young Cha Min-kyu
- Esom as Cha Min-hee
- Koo Kyo-hwan as Han Hee-seong
- Kim Si-a as Gil Jae-yeong
- Lee Yeon as Kim Yeong-ji
As per Netflix, Jeon’s character is “known and respected in her field as ‘Kill’ Boksoon for her unrivaled skills. Being a single mom to her fifteen-year-old daughter Jae-young, however, does not come to her quite as easily. Jeon expertly details this balancing act, finessing fancy action moves as a lithe killer while exposing the emotional vulnerabilities as a single mom to a rebellious teen.”
The actress called her “a character conflicted between her double life as a killer and a mother, who eventually finds herself through her daughter’s growth.”
She has also appeared in The Contact, Happy End, Secret Sunshine, The Housemaid, Beasts Clawing at Straws, and Crash Course in Romance.
Is Kill Boksoon worth watching?
Kill Boksoon opened to positive reviews at the Berlin International Film Festival, landing at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Guardian wrote: “Like a lot of topline Korean films, this prestige action thriller is a little too long at 137 minutes, but it’s consistently entertaining throughout, and quite well-suited given the length to being viewed on a streaming platform.”
Screen Daily also wrote: “Overall, it’s serviceable stuff that, like Boksoon herself, struggles with the emotional connections in life, but sure knows how to land a punch.”
The Hollywood Reporter wrote: “At well over two hours it’s way too long and heads more or less where you think it will, but it’s fun to watch Byun and Jeon deliver the goods both viscerally and, at times, movingly.”
Kill Boksoon will be available to stream on Netflix from March 31.