On CBS Radio's 'Park Sung-tae's News Show'

Film earns top marks despite historical distortion controversy

Posters for "The Assassin" and "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub" [Hive MEDIAcorp, CJ ENM]
Posters for "The Assassin" and "Tazza: Song of Beelzebub" [Hive MEDIAcorp, CJ ENM]

Film critic Jeon Chan-il has praised director Heo Jin-ho's new film "The Assassin," which has been embroiled in a historical distortion controversy, calling it "nearly flawless from a cinematic standpoint."

Jeon made the remarks Wednesday on CBS Radio's "Park Sung-tae's News Show," where he also said he would give the film 4.5 out of 5 stars.

He cited director Na Hong-jin's "Hope" and director Lee Chang-dong's "A Possible Love" as other films he had previously given 4.5 stars, describing the score as "usually the highest rating I can give."

He also said the film is comparable to director Jang Joon-hwan's "1987," adding that "the editing is even better than '1987,' and it is a film where not only the cast but also the cinematography and music were handled by the best professionals in South Korea."

"1987," based on the torture and death of Park Jong-chul, is widely regarded as a landmark film. It won best picture at the Blue Dragon Film Awards, best director at the Grand Bell Awards and the top film prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards, among other honors, in 2018.

"The Assassin" is based on the shooting of first lady Yuk Young-soo during a Liberation Day ceremony on Aug. 15, 1974.

On the historical distortion controversy, Jeon said: "How many historical truths are there that cannot be called distortions? Is what historians claim really historical truth? I don't think so." He added that "constantly raising questions about what is claimed to be historical fact or truth — that is what scholars must do, and artists in particular must do it even more intensively."

He said the reason the film has become the center of controversy is that "a film can remain just a film, but sometimes it goes beyond that — and there is a wariness, a fear, about that."

In this regard, he cited director Kim Sung-su's "Seoul Spring" (2023), which dealt with the Dec. 12 military coup, saying it "became a massive hit with over 13 million viewers, and some say it was a decisive factor in the failure of the martial law attempt" in December 2024. He went on to explain the broader influence films can have on society, noting that the success of "Silenced" led to the passage of the so-called Silenced Act, and that the success of "A Taxi Driver" helped establish the recognition that the May 18 Gwangju uprising was not just Gwangju's issue but a national — and even global — historical matter.

On the narrative element suggesting former President Park Chung-hee as a behind-the-scenes figure, Jeon said, "That is our — the audience's — interpretation," adding: "There is no direct mention or depiction of him as the mastermind — nothing at all. I was genuinely surprised by the film's effort to avoid making any value judgment in its portrayal of President Park Chung-hee."

He then said, "Intent and interpretation are different things. They can sometimes align, but various interpretations can emerge regardless of intent."

Meanwhile, the film is based on a screenplay selected at a scenario competition more than a decade ago. The production company, Hive MEDIAcorp, frequently tackles historical subjects, having produced "Seoul Spring," "Harbin" and "The Man Standing Next," among others.


jshan@heraldcorp.com