How Long Is “Ddong Gae”?

The director of one of South Korea's most successful films ever at the box office (2001's Friend), Kwak Kyung-taek returns to the screen with this remarkably personal drama addressing the issues of father-son relationships and parental expectations. A small town police chief in the remote Gyeongsang Province, Cha Cheol-min's father (Kim Kab-soo) has been pulling double duty in raising and supporting his son since the death of his wife long ago. Cha Cheol-Min (Jeong Woo-seong) himself emotes the air of an uninspired slacker, having earned the nickname "Mutt Boy" after befriending a pup from the police pound when he was a young boy. Though Cha Cheol-Min's father's last ditch attempt to reform his son by adopting young female offender Jeong-Ae is unarguably well intended, her presence seems to have little effect on the seemingly disaffected youngster. What Cha Cheol-Min's father doesn't realize, however, is that beneath his son's lazy façade lies a man equally dedicated to fighting crime in his own unique way.