The Outlaws (2017 film)

The Outlaws (Korean: 범죄도시; lit. Crime City) is a 2017 South Korean crime action film written and directed by Kang Yoon-sung, and starring Ma Dong-seok, and Yoon Kye-sang. It was released on October 3, 2017. Set in 2004, the film revolves around Detective Ma Seok-do, who tries to control the gang-wars between Chinese-Korean gangs while also dealing with a ruthless loan shark named Jang-Chen.

The Outlaws is the first installment of The Roundup series. It was followed by three sequels: The Roundup (2022), The Roundup: No Way Out (2023), and The Roundup: Punishment (2024).

Plot

Ma Suk-Do is a detective in Guro District, Seoul. Ma and his Captain Jeon Il-man, try to keep the peace while two local Chinese-Korean gangs battle over control of Chinatown: the Venom Gang headed by Ahn Sung-Tae and the Cobra Gang headed by Jang-I-Soo.

Jang Chen, bloodthirsty leader of the Chinese loansharking Black Dragon Gang, makes his own brutal moves to take over Chinatown along with his henchmen Sung-Rak and Yang-Tae. They kill Sung-Tae and take over Jang-I-Soo's casino. Enraged, Jang-I-Soo attacks the casino. Sung-Rak and Yung-Tae fight with Jang-I-Soo and his henchmen, but are interrupted by Ma, who arrests Sung-Rak. Yang-Tae escapes and informs Jang-Chen.

Ma and Jeon learn about Jang Chen's crimes and plan to arrest him. Jang Chen and Yang-Tae attack Jang-I-soo and his henchmen and kill them at Jang-I-Soo's mother's birthday party. Later, Jang Chen's location is revealed to hotelier and CEO Hwang. Jang Chen had killed Hwang's men in his hotel. Hwang's men try to kill Jang Chen in revenge but, he manages to escape. Hwang is later killed by Jang Chen, who learned of Hwang's attempt on his life. Detective Ma seeks the help of Chinatown citizens for help to catch the Chinese loansharks. They agree and start taking photos of the gang members.

Ma and his fellow police officers arrest all of them, including Yang-Tae. One of the police officers named Kang Hong-seok, sees Jang Chen and pursues him. However, he gets trapped and Jang Chen tries to run him over with a car. Ma saves him by crashing into Jang Chen's car. But, Jang Chen escapes. Ma chases after him but, loses sight of him after a while. Jang Chen reaches the airport to fly back to China. Ma finds Chen in the airport restroom and they fight. Ma manages to knock down Jang Chen and leaves him handcuffed in the restroom. The gang leaders are arrested and Jeon is congratulated by the commissioner where Ma and his team celebrate for solving the case. Just then, Ma is called by the commissioner to investigate another case.

Cast

Main

• Ma Dong-seok as Ma Seok-do

A Detective Lieutenant in Seoul's Crime Unit, assigned to put an end to Chinese-Korean gang wars in the Garibong district, of Seoul.

• Yoon Kye-sang as Jang Chen (Chinese: 張謙 / 张谦, Zhang Qian)

A notorious crime lord, from Harbin, China, leader of the "black dragon gang" (Heilungbo, 黒龙波) a Triad gang, who comes to Garibong to collect debts, and is known for dismembering anyone who resists.

Supporting

• Jo Jae-yoon as Boss Hwang Choon-sik
• Choi Gwi-hwa as Captain Jeon Il-man

Special appearances

• Cho Jin-woong as Chief of Regional police investigation unit
• Jung In-gi as Chief of police
• Oh Min-ae as Garibong-dong female merchant
• Ye Jung-hwa as Airport head
• Yoon Joo as Kang Hong-seok's fiancée

Production

Filming

Principal photography began on February 27, 2017 and ended on July 19, 2017.

Original soundtrack

Reception

The Outlaws opened in South Korea on October 3, 2017. By October 23, it grossed US$36.3 million from more than 5 million admissions. One month after it was released, the film marked 6.05 million admissions, with US$44.1 million gross. By December 1, the film had reached 6.87 million admissions with a gross of US$51.8 million, making it the 3rd highest-grossing domestic film of the year in South Korea and the third best-selling R-rated Korean film of all time.

Awards and nominations

Sequels

The Roundup (2022)

A sequel of the film titled as The Roundup directed by Lee Sang-yong was released on May 18, 2022. Ma Dong-seok, Choi Gwi-hwa, Park Ji-hwan, Heo Dong-won, and Ha Jun reprised their roles. The film became the highest-grossing film of the year surpassing 10 million ticket sales on the 25th day since its release. It also became the 3rd highest-grossing film and 9th most viewed film in South Korean cinema history.

The Roundup: No Way Out (2023)

The production of a second sequel under title The Roundup: No Way Out is currently in progress with a target release in 2023.

The Roundup: Punishment (2024)

The production of a third sequel under title The Roundup: Punishment is currently in progress with a target release in 2024.

References

External links

• The Outlaws at IMDb
• The Outlaws at HanCinema
• The Outlaws at Daum (in Korean)