The revenge film revolves around a former cop, played by Jeon, who becomes embroiled in a corruption scandal and serves two years in prison instead of villains, lured by a hefty payout. Upon her release, she discovers that she has been betrayed and her promised rewards have vanished, leading her on a desperate chase to recover her lost fortune, only to find herself entangled in even more dangerous situations.
"The movie is about a woman finding herself as she seeks to recover what was stolen from her," Jeon said in a press event last week, just a week ahead of its release on Wednesday.
The film marks Jeon's reunion with director Oh Seung-uk after they previously teamed up for "The Shameless" which was invited to the Cannes Film Festival in 2015. That brought Jeon back to the prestigious festival nearly a decade after she won the best actress award for "Secret Sunshine" in 2007.
In response, Oh admitted, "The main character remains cool-hearted and never loses dignity. That is, in fact, inspired by Jeon's personality in real life."
Oh, who is known for writing the scripts of classic hits "Green Fish" and "Christmas in August" in the late 1990s, elaborated that the actress was always on his mind while developing the story of "Revolver."
Jeon seemed to flawlessly embody what the director envisioned for the calm yet vengeful woman. "I asked her to portray an 'expressionless face,' and she infused the character with her own interpretation," Oh praised.
He also shared a story about the brief appearance of actor Lee Jeong-jae in the film. Lee, famous for Netflix’s mega hit Korean dystopian series "Squid Game" and the Star Wars franchise series "The Acolyte," plays the role of the woman's lover.
"I was drinking with my colleagues and several actors including Lee. I asked one of them to be in the film but he bluntly refused. Then Lee, who was sitting next to him, suddenly said he want the role. That's how Lee happened to be in the film," Oh recalled.
The 114-minute noir film, also starring Ji Chang-wook and Lim Ji-yeon, shows how restrained directing with stylistic subtlety can effectively deliver messages within the genre, proving that less sometimes tells more. While many Korean movies often heavily lean on emotional intensity, "Revolver" rarely makes a fuss about dire situations. Instead, "Revolver" focuses on Jeon's brilliant acting, which complements its weak narrative.
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