Ransomed (Korean: 비공식작전; RR: Bigongsik jakjeon) is a 2023 South Korean action thriller film directed by Kim Seong-hun, starring Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon. It is based on the 1986 kidnapping of a South Korean diplomat in Lebanon. The film was released theatrically on August 2, 2023. It was also invited at the 28th Busan International Film Festival in 'Korean Cinema Today - Panorama' section and was screened on October 5, 2023.
Premise
Set in 1987, the film revolves around diplomat Lee Min-jun and local taxi driver Kim Pan-su who went to Lebanon to rescue a missing colleague. At the time, the Chun Doo-hwan government was covering it up to avoid bad press for the upcoming 1987 South Korean presidential election and the bid for 1988 Summer Olympics. The ransom asked by the terrorists was 2.5 million U.S. dollars. The public will not know the full details until declassification in 2047.
Development of the film was delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The production had originally been scheduled to begin filming around March 2020, but was postponed. Director Kim Seong-hun later said that he had first been offered the project several years earlier and became interested in the unanswered questions surrounding the kidnapping and subsequent rescue of the diplomat.
Filming
Although the story is set primarily in Beirut, Lebanon, the film was shot in Morocco. The overseas shoot lasted approximately three months. Production took place during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Morocco permitted the production to enter the country by charter flight despite widespread border restrictions at the time.
Release
The film premiered theatrically in South Korea on August 2, 2023. It was subsequently invited to the 28th Busan International Film Festival, where it screened in the Korean Cinema Today – Panorama section on October 5, 2023.
In Japan, the film was released on September 6, 2024, under the title Ransomed: Unofficial Operation.
Reception
Box office
According to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network, the film grossed US$7,470,019 at the local box office and accumulated 1,058,745 admissions from 1,151 screens.
↑Han Hyun-jung (June 19, 2023). 하정우·주지훈, 화려하지만 불편한 만남(ft.비공식작전)[Ha Jung-woo and Ju Ji-hoon, a splendid but uncomfortable meeting (ft. Unofficial Operation)]. Maeil Economy (in Korean). Retrieved June 22, 2023.
↑Ha Kyung-min (August 31, 2023). "올해 부일영화상 최우수작품상 후보 5편 선정"[Five films selected as Best Picture nominees for this year’s Buil Film Awards]. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved September 4, 2023– via Naver.
↑Lee, Se-bin (October 24, 2023). "이병헌·배두나→임시완·도경수 '제59회 대종상영화제' 후보 격돌"[Lee Byung-hun, Bae Doo-na → Im Si-wan, Do Kyung-soo as candidates for the 59th Grand Bell Awards] (in Korean). Daily Sports. Retrieved October 24, 2023– via Naver.
