Memories are floating in my mind
like islands scattered in the sea
Now, I will row to these islands one after another
This film is dedicated to my friends and their family
Joon-suk!
Eat your food first
Joon-suk was the best fighter I ever saw
He once beat up a whole soccer team
Yesterday, my mom brought a TV recorder from Japan
A TV recorder? What's that?
It records the TV like a cassette player
Stop lying! There's no such thing!
No, I'm serious!
It's really a TV recorder
If it's true, then all the TV stations are history
Everyone's gonna record everything on TV
Yeah
No, it's true! Wanna bet on it?
- All right - Man, you're stubborn
You see?
Sang-taek your tube's mine now
I gotta see it work to believe it
You know what the smart word for a woman's thing is?
Vulva!
You idiot! There's no such word
They call it menstruation
Menstruation? What's that?
I looked through my aunt's magazine,
and that's all it talked about
Then is pussy called menstruation too?
Yeah, grown-ups call it menstruation instead
You wanna see another one?
Joong-ho's mom often visited Japan on business
So he had lots of great stuff at home
He was also a big Bruce Lee fan
Menstruation picture? What's that?
Which one do you want? Pick one
- How about this one? - Wow!
- How much is it? - That one's expensive
It's the biggest one so it costs 2000 won
- 2000 won? - Forget it then
No, I'll be back with some money
Hey, come here
- You better keep quiet, okay? - Okay
Joon-suk
It's cool
Give it here
Wow! It's cool!
We became friends with Dong-su in third grade
But it was two years before we learned that
his father was an undertaker
Then why don't we start a war with them now?
Haven't you seen those statistics on TV?
There are less of us, but our
weapons are way more advanced
Idiot!
That's what President Park wants us to think
You know how great North Korean commandos can fight?
And Russia gives them a shitload of weapons
Yeah, but America gives us a lot too
Says who?
Joon-suk!
- Where you headed? - To the pebble beach
- Want a ride? - No, thanks
Yeah? I'll see you later then
Oh yeah, Hyung-doo!
That's the big boss's son Joon-suk
- Joon-suk, what grade are you in? - Sixth grade
See you later!
Let's go
Who's that?
Isn't he one of your dad's men?
Wow! It's cool!
Gangster!
If he wasn't that fast how'd he win the gold medal?
Cause he raced with humans
and humans swim on top of the water
People can't breathe under water
So he has to swim on top
That's why he'd lose
Why? Why would he lose?
Anyway, it doesn't matter who's faster
Joon-suk! Who do you think is faster?
What?
If the gold medallist Cho Oh-ryun
and a sea turtle raced in the water
Don't know
Then you wanna bet on it?
That's all you ever think about
I don't remember why
they were so into that race
Cause he keeps harping on it, idiot!
Later, we went to separate middle schools
But after hair started growing on our bodies
we hung out together again
Man, I felt like a big idiot
So I made a mean face
and asked those pricks if they wanted to brawl
But they chickened out right away and apologized
Out of my way!
Hey, aren't those pricks from Chunghak High?
Look at those losers
Should I shut'em up?
We welcome you to Namhang
High School's 21st anniversary
- Thank you for coming to our celebration - I know that you'll enjoy
Now it's time for today's highlight event
listening to this seven-girl band Rainbow
I hope you have a good time
Now, let me introduce you to
Rainbow!
See that pretty girl on the keyboard?
She's mine
Sang-taek! Come and eat
Mom, something good happen?
We have our own house now
We signed the lease today
Really?
We have to wait a few months before moving
- Where is it? - In Bosu-dong
Bosu-dong
But that's far away from my school
Your brother needs to study for his college exam
But still
Okay, from our last lesson
Can somebody give an example
of an infinitive in passive form?
Joo-bun!
Give me an example
I'm not sure
You're not sure?
Since you're not sure tell me what you know
- I'm not sure at all - You proud of that?
Kneel on your desk! Next in line!
I have no idea
You kneel, too! Behind him!
No,no
Not behind him the one next to him
The little rat in the far back
Working hard back there, huh? Take your socks off first!
You call yourself a student?
Go back! Next!
What does your father do?
- He's a businessman - A businessman?
You good-for-nothing!
Your father puts up with his
boss to get you through school
and you can't even get thirty questions right?
Come here!
Hurry up!
Go on
Next!
What does your father do? I said what does he do?
- He's an undertaker - An undertaker?
Your father grooms corpses
to put you through school
How can you study like this, huh?
Go on!
Come back here
Next!
What does your father do
Speak! What does he do?
He's a gangster
I don't believe this
You bastard
Come here
Good for you!
Your father's a gangster, huh?
Good for you!
Why don't you tell him
What's so good about it?
Dong-su! Let's go!
Is his dad really a gangster?
Yes, sir!
How about him? Is he a gangster too?
- He's the boss of our school - Boss?
He's the best fighter
Then is the other one his assistant?
- No, he's second boss - Second boss?
Yes, teacher
I think you made a mistake
Anyhow, who are you to say I made a mistake?
You disrespectful prick!
Put your hands down!
What are you looking at?
Clear!
What's that? Put it away
- What are you doing on Sunday? - Why?
Wanna go to Joon-suk's house?
After class last week, Joon-suk. . .
Doruko is a friend of Joon-suk's
Older than us, though
Anyway, he said that Jin-sook is his cousin
- Jin-sook? - The singer from Rainbow!
Doruko's bringing all the girls to Joon-suk's house on Sunday
I'm going Let's go!
If things go right you might get laid
- Laid? - Yeah
Joon-suk!
What's happening?
Heard you weren't coming
You never met, right?
That's Doruko, the 'knife king'
Nice to meet you!
You guys came to see the girls, right?
You saw them once before The band Rainbow
or Seven Scary Princesses
Sit down!
This is Wild Cat
She's so wild I'm trying to tame her
You bad girl
She needs to get laid to calm down
Let's get laid
Ever seen a flying bird's dick? What's so funny?
My friend here's a straight-A student
He's different from idiots like us
He's always at the top of our school
Look
He even carries around a handkerchief
Why's it so damn loud?
I thought you'd come over before
To see me, not the girls
I'm sorry
Nothing to be sorry about between friends
I wish we'd gone to the same middle school
If we hung out then I'd be a good student
Then why don't you start studying again?
Who do you want?
- What? - The girls
Pick one of the three
Was the one sitting next to you yours?
Jin-sook?
No
three, four, five six, seven, eight
Jin-sook! Come here!
That's it
- Come here! - Who, me?
Let's do it together
Please have a seat
- You can play? - A little
Then play it
All I can play is
- Why'd you do that? - Do what?
Why'd you do that for Sang-taek?
He's my friend
What about me?
I didn't call her for you
Then what am I?
Am I just your sidekick?
You wanna die?
You're so innocent
Actually, I'm older than you
I got sick in the eighth grade so I had to repeat it
Really?
Let's be friends
Today, I'm only gonna kiss you
Where are you going?
Jin-sook! It's been fuckin' ages!
Go away!
When'd you get the attitude, bitch?
Are you fucking crazy? Get up, asshole
Hey! You fuckin' bastard
Crazy idiot
What the hell's this?
Little sissy
Go ahead
Fucking bastards
- Give it here - Are you okay?
Give it to me, asshole!
What do you got this for?
What are you staring at? Fucking bastards
Get up, get up!
Get up, asshole!
Stand up straight, you bastards
Fucking assholes
Who do you think you are?
Count
I said count, asshole!
One, two, three
I was cumming just like that!
But right then, my aunt burst open the door
Man, you know how surprised I was?
My aunt saw my hand
and asked me, "What's that?"
I was so nervous know what I said?
What?
Oh, this?
It's just lotionmilk. . lotionmilk
Stop lying!
I'm serious!
Look at those assholes
- What? - Those pricks over there!
Come here, you assholes!
I said come here!
You girls okay? Come here, assholes!
Let's go Come here, assholes!
Sang-taek
Yeah?
Next time you pick a fight
finish the job
Before, I was just
Otherwise if you don't
he'll come fight with you again
Beat him up bad
so that he pees in his pants
if you even make eye contact
Or forgive him and become allies
Or make him a cripple instead
so there's no more trouble later
Great
Next time I'll do as you say
Now you do me a favor
I need to talk with you
What did the teacher say? Did he have a fit again?
He expelled us already
Shit!
It went well We can go to school tomorrow
You bastard!
- Thanks to you - Come on
Let's go to the movies to celebrate
- A movie? - Yeah
The tail buys the tickets
What tail?
- Let's race! - That little
Here!
- Wanna see it? - With them?
Why not?
Get out of the way!
Dickheads!
Sit your ass down!
What are you staring at? I'll rip your eyes out!
Man, it's big as a horse
Come on
- Let's go in, idiot! - Hurry up
Give me a cigarette
Man, it stinks! Smells like shit!
- Give me a cigarette - Got a lighter?
He looks familiar
You fucking asshole!
Really?
Joon-suk! Sang-taek's getting jumped!
Hurry up! Hurry up!
What's up?
Let's go!
All this had happened because of me
So I made one of my life's biggest decisions
Grab it
Grab it hard!
Lift it
The towel The towel!
What are you waiting for?
Where are you going? Where are you going?
Move! Move!
Who's the crazy idiot?
Don't ever bump into me on the streets
What's this?
Let's go to Seoul
Dong-su got expelled and I heard Joong-ho got transferred
I'm the only one who got suspended
Sang-taek
If you come to me after running away from home...
You did the right thing!
Let's become gangsters and ruin our lives together!
You thought I'd say that?
It's not
You know
when I realized my home was really fucked up?
When I was a kid
it was great having lots of uncles around
My mom went to the hospital
and I came back home after running away
The guys I called my uncles
not even one of them punished me
Damn it
If only one of them had knocked some sense into me then maybe I'd have
gotten my act together
From now on, you live your life how you want
and I'll live mine
When I went back home that night
my mom quietly opened the door
Is this Joon-suk's house?
It's been a long time
My friends! Good to see you!
How've you been?
Long time no see, kid!
Look like a gentleman in that suit
How've you been?
Hey, you didn't have to bring all that
Oh, it's nothing
Hey, Jin-sook!
See! Didn't I tell you?
That my friends would always come back to see me
Take this away
Oh yeah, that's my wife
You know her, right?
Since she fucks
so well I took her in
What are you staring at, bitch?
I should rip your pussy apart
Hey, what's with you?
Oh Sorry!
I'm so happy to see both of you again
You don't seem so well
No, I'm okay
I just feel cold and dizzy
when the drugs wear off
What drugs?
Philopon, of course
You're taking philopon?
No, no
I was just kidding
Oh yeah, I heard both of you are in college now
It's just a junior college
Wow that's cool
Now I have two elite college friends
Take care of me later when I'm crippled, okay?
Don't talk like that
Sorry, this is all we can give in return
That's all right It's fine
Hey, bitch!
So you got a gangster for a husband
You getting all wet over
my handsome college friends?
Wanna screw all of us, huh?
Fucking whore!
- Joon-suk! - Don't stop me!
She's full of complaints lately
- Son of a bitch... - Look at her!
Get your ass in here!
You wanna fucking die today?
Joon-suk!
What happened to him?
I have to go
Okay!
I didn't know
that his mother died
He told me not to call you
Bastard
Buy me a drink
Let's see what a date with a college student is like
Want to go back inside with me instead?
No
How was the funeral?
Dong-su's father did a good job for us
How's Dong-su these days?
He's in the can
I've already been there
He needs to experience it to move up in the gang
- Sang-taek! - What?
You're wearing a coat, right?
A coat?
Let's go buy a Christmas card
I wanna send a card to my mom
I feel so sorry for her
After having me
and nursing that crotchety old man
she gets hospitalized for five years and passes away
That old fart
didn't give me any money cause he thought I'd buy drugs
So I had no clothes to wear
freezing to death outside
Sang-taek promise me one thing
- What is it? - Being a gangster is all I know
So if you ever want to get rid of someone
tell me who it is and I'll kill him for you
Also
When I get too old to
make a living as a gangster
can you buy me a taxi?
- A taxi? - Yeah
I don't want to depend on you till I die
By that time
I might have a wife and kids
Stop talking nonsense
No, you're the only real friend I have
The only people I know are gangsters
- Promise me - I don't want to
Please, Promise me!
Okay, I promise
Dashing through the snow on a one-horse open sleigh
o'er the fields we go laughing all the way
I have no regrets
Isn't that your son?
He's only half human
Hurry and eat it
Drink it up!
Are you deaf?
I said drink it!
I supplied you with all the drugs you wanted
but I heard you serve someone else now?
Don't worry It's disinfected
You need to suffer a little
You know how much I looked after you?
You should learn to be grateful
You son of a bitch!
From now on
I'm keeping my eyes
on you and Hyung-doo
Take care of yourself
Hey, boy!
How's your father?
Cheers
People say. .
I stuck a knife into the old boss's back
But that's all just jealous slander
To be honest
I've never once thought of betraying him
All I simply want is
to be number two
So I can keep number one on its toes before he slips
We're obliged to lead our
world in the right direction
That's why
What are gangsters originally set out to do?
Gangsters may operate in the shade
but don't we make places in the sun a little brighter?
Am I right?
You know what loyalty is?
Loyalty is money
You'll need some Take it
He couldn't take
leave from the army
It's all right
Sang-taek doesn't need to come this far
The army's enough to deal with
Get some shut-eye
Dong-su I've become an orphan
You're not a child anymore
In the fifth grade
Mung-gil teased me about my red lips
He said it's because my father
fed me dead men's livers
Even though Mung-gil was much older
you beat him up for me
From then on I followed you
Is that so?
I'm
Starting tomorrow
I'm working for Sang-gon's gang
He's not a gangster He's a scumbag
Don't you know? He sells drugs to kids
I don't care
Dong-su!
- If you work for him... - It's better than an undertaker
Dong-su!
I'm grateful for your father's help!
I'll tell him for you
My two friends, who shared the same colors in life
returned back to their own color
What would become of them a few years later
was something they never expected
My friend! Sang-taek!
You decided right
A man has to see the world to broaden his horizons
Should I go with you
and learn some tips from the mafia?
What's so funny?
Gangs have foreign exchange students, too
Anyway, it seems like you totally broke your drug habit
Don't remind me
Since other guys were starting to move up
I bit the bullet and quit for my own self-esteem
Good for you
People think gangsters live a corrupt life, but we don't
We don't give work to
drug addicts, womanizers or alcoholics
Work is needed to move up
but we don't give any to them
Since they're prone
to screw things up
You sound like some guru
In any organization
you can't move up by doing whatever you please
In the end they'll weed you out
Sounds wonderful Fuck that
Hey, what's a gangster doing
talking like a philosopher?
You're nothing but a hoodlum
You two, come here Come here!
Yes, boss!
Are you crazy?
Why were you glaring at my friend?
Sorry, boss!
Neither of you deserve to eat
Go sit in the trunk hold yourself, and repent
- Get out! - Yes, boss!
Sorry
Friends have nothing to be sorry about
You can let me down now
Stay still!
I've waited. .
a long time for this
Thanks for today Take care
- See you later - Okay
Hey, Joon-suk!
You should let them out now
You scumbags wanna get out?
- No, boss! - They're okay
Let's go!
Good evening, chairman!
Now, let's begin the lottery
for the construction of Horim apartments
Going in order
let's start with Mr Cha of Jungwoo Construction
Number forty-seven!
The film is inside
I fed you sons of bitches
How dare you be so damn ungrateful?
Fucking morons
Hey, you little bastard!
You trying to make a liar of me?
I just called him and
I'm very sorry, boss Please forgive me
All of you go outside
Yes, boss!
Listen carefully you son of a bitch
The other bosses spilt
blood to start this company
- What the hell did you say? - Shut up and let me finish
The money coming out of this operation
is for the bosses in jail
and to feed our men
I think you've hoarded enough
I've gotten permission to stab you
But I won't, out of respect for a boss
Look here, friend
The government is going
after the big bosses now
Watch over the guys
and don't contact the boss for a while
Those assholes must think we're some garbage
How's it going Joon-suk?
How's the demand for shark fins?
People are so desperate, even the yakuza seems like an option
Let's wait just a bit longer to sell them
Shouldn't we do
something about Sang-gon?
What if we don't?
He's not who he used to be
We can't touch him
Then how about his right hand man?
He helped with my parents' funeral
Don't even think about it
It's good
What you say asshole?
Bastard!
This kid said I'm an asshole!
Is this some gangster's fashion show?
How've you been?
Good and you?
Heard you're working in construction
Not that different from deep-sea fishery
Come to Mokma Bar tomorrow night
If you tell me to come then do I have to do it?
Sang-taek and Joong-ho will be there
You should come
Sang-taek?
Oh yeah what's he up to?
I'll see if I have time
Okay
Thanks, thanks
Good job! Let's drink!
How long will you be there?
Three years at least
but if all goes well I'll stay longer to get a PhD
Hey! Listen to this guy!
So we can't see you if things go well?
Is that what I said? I'm sorry
Since you're a big shot we don't matter now, huh?
Hey, babe!
Put on my favorite song
Really? I love when you sing that song
To my dear friend Joong-ho best wishes on your marriage
And to my friend Sang-taek
I wish you a prosperous future
I dedicate this song to you both
So you want me to clean corpses for the rest of my life?
Have I ever asked you to succeed me?
Who are you to criticize my
Okay! Okay!
So I have to watch people mourn till I die?
Think you're proud to give me your bloody money?
How's Dong-su doing these days?
It's been bad between them
Dong-su has supposedly gotten big in his gang
- Really? - Did you see the newspaper
President Roh's waging war on gangs
so things are real tense lately
Since Sang-gon is loaded now
he's linked to powerful people
So I heard Dong-su' really busy
Hello, this is Busan Police
Yeah I'm a Busan citizen
I have something to tell you
- What's going on? - Arrest him!
Get moving!
Let's go
Sir, the job at the sauna is done
Big boss wants to see you
- Eun-gi! - Yes, boss!
- Do you know who Cho Oh-ryun is? - The swimmer?
Yeah, The swimmer
If Cho Oh-ryun and a sea turtle
both swam in a race
who would win?
He's probably shitting his pants
That bastard sold out our boss
All you need to do is stab him while he's sleeping
- You got it? - Yes, sir
Do the job late tonight
What did you say to Joon-suk?
I told him we went to a wedding
Good
Who ordered this?
Was it Joon-suk?
Fuck you
So why are you doing this anyway?
I think it's my destiny
Destiny?
I dream of becoming a boss like Joon-suk
Hey boy
Trying to be a boss
and living ambitiously are not the same
You're still young so think it over
Got it?
Anyway, where's Joon-suk?
He's training the interns
Training interns?
- Who brought this? - I did, sir!
You can't kill someone with this kind of knife
It doesn't need to be big
If the blade is at least six inches
then it can kill a man But the blade can't be too thin
or it's likely to break because of the bone
Therefore
a sashimi or Swedish knife is often used
- Got it? - Yes, sir!
After you stab him
turn the knife by 90 degrees
Whoever it is
the moment the knife goes in
he's sure to collapse on the spot
If you penetrate the lung then he can't scream
And if air gets into the lung then he's dead for sure
Always be sure to
make him feel the knife
Where's Joon-suk? Instead of the front chest
pros will aim for the back of the lung
Sang-taek
I planned on seeing you and Joong-ho at the airport
Sorry I couldn't make it
Sang-taek!
In high school when you ran away
and then I sent you back home
I bet you didn't know how proud I was of you
Honestly, I wished I was you back then
Isn't it funny?
I was home all day today after
a bad experience with Dong-su
thinking about what the word 'friend' means
I didn't know what friend originally meant
until our teacher wrote the definition on the board
I remember he wrote 'a long and close companion'
Doesn't it sound great?
My father always told me
that loyalty is a man's life
But I'm confused about that now
In fact, I'm not sure what loyalty is anymore
Sang-taek!
I'm planning to travel for a while, like you
I'll send this letter to Joong-ho's address
Take care of yourself until you get back
Your friend, Joon-suk
Why didn't you come? You would've liked seeing the guys
I'll just see them later
Sang-taek's leaving for America today
- Want to see him off with me? - See him off?
You have time for that?
I'm sorry I couldn't go to Doruko's funeral
I've been really busy
You've gotten big, Dong-su
Wasn't I always taller than you?
even as your sidekick
- I'll be brief - Take your time if you want
Dong-su!
Remember what you told me when my father died?
What?
What did I tell you?
I've never resented you, even
after the way things turned out
If you were me you wouldn't either
Don't we just do as we're told?
What?
Did someone tell you to kill me?
Today's my father's memorial
I came to ask you a last favor as a friend
Go ahead
Leave here for Hawaii
Can you stay there for a while?
In time, everything will return to normal
I'll set it up for you
You leave for Hawaii
Okay, I'll leave See you in a few years
Today's his father's memorial
I've never resented you
Don't we just do as we're told?
- Where's my car? - Where are you going, boss?
How far is the airport?
The airport?
You've done your job. . . Go now. . .
When I came back, news
about Dong-su's murder
was no longer news to anyone
Oh, hi! Joong-ho!
Sang-taek is here!
It happened the day you left
I didn't expect Joon-suk to make a move so soon
He disappeared for about two years
Maybe in the temples or something
Then I heard he ended up with Jin-sook
His gang tried sending him
to Hawaii until the case was dropped
But it wasn't that easy
Finally, he couldn't stand it any longer
He got tired of hiding so he grew a lot weaker
Eventually, he got himself into trouble
What took you so long?
Room ten!
- Son of a bitch. . - He's out of his mind!
What do you want, assholes?
I think of you like a son, too
I don't know what to say
That boy Joong-ho is trying his best to help
In court, say you knew nothing and never ordered it
Pull yourself together I took care of the bribes
In spite of what the police said
I don't believe you had any part
This is your defense in court Follow what it says exactly
I knew Dong-su would end up like this
- Bastard. . - Pull yourself together, asshole!
Dong-su's my friend, too
Don't you know that I'm doing this to save you?
When I looked at him I saw over thirty spots
He was stabbed over thirty times
Case number 93-25168
A violation of a ban on organized crime
and suspicion of first and second degree murder
The defendant Lee Joon-suk Please rise
Tell us your ID number and permanent and current addresses
640227- 1105914
Permanent address is 189 Wooamdong, South Busan
Current address is 1109 Daerim Villa, Chunghakdong, Busan
The prosecution may begin
Do you know Park Eun-gi and Song Gi-ho
who in 1990 were taken into custody for murder?
Yes I know them
Then did you know Han Dong-su
who was murdered in front of
Kukje Nightclub in Oct 1990?
Yes He's my friend
So did you order Eun-gi Park and Gi-ho Song
to kill Han Dong-su?
Yes, I ordered them
How've you been, friend?
- Good, and you? - I'm fine
- How are things? - I'm well
Sang-taek! Sang-taek don't
I'm sorry to put you
through this as a friend
No
No, there's no need for that
Friends have nothing to be sorry about
Sang-taek, we only have ten minutes
- Let's talk quickly - Yeah, okay
- Are you healthy? - Sure!
Look! I'm healthy!
How's your father doing?
Both your parents are fine, right?
Yeah
My father even gave me some money to come see you
My sister got married last month
That's too bad
Your mom promised her to me
but I guess I missed my chance
Anyway, congratulations!
How about you? You have a girlfriend?
- Not yet - What's wrong with you?
Want me to introduce you to one?
You? How can you?
Joon-suk! Why did you do it?
Time's up!
Did you feel sorry for Dong-su?
Is that why?
Tell me!
Why did you say that in court?
- Humiliation! - What?
Dong-su and I are gangsters
and gangsters shouldn't be humiliated
Hey! I'll be back!
I'll be back next month!
Joon-suk! I'll be back! Take care of yourself!
Sang-taek!
If Cho Oh-ryun and
a sea turtle swam in a race
who would win?
- Cho Oh-ryun - See?
No way!
A turtle is much faster under water
The turtle will win
Not underwater but on top of it
Hey, you said underwater before
Me? When?
Man, you're such a liar
Hey, we're in trouble!
We're too far out Let's go back
Yeah, the tide might rise soon
Let's go
From what I remember
Joon-suk seemed to be on Dong-su's side then