On December 4, the movie “Firefighters” starring Joo Won will be released in theaters in Korea.
The film, directed by Kwak Kyung Taek, recreates real events by telling the story of firefighters facing a fire disaster in Hongje neighborhood (Seoul, South Korea) in March 2001.
According to the producers, the film will vividly depict the urgent situation faced by the team from the West Fire Station, along with the sweat and tears of the firefighters working in challenging conditions, all with a single goal of extinguishing the fire and rescuing people.
In the film, Joo Won plays Cheol Woong - a rookie firefighter at the West Fire Station who struggles with basic equipment in dangerous situations.
After losing his best friend Yong Tae (Kim Min Jae) in a fire, Cheol Woong struggles with guilt. With the support of his colleagues, he tries to overcome his grief and grow into his role.
Ten Asia commented that in the first images released by the film crew, the character Cheol Woong appeared with many expressions - sometimes worried, sometimes determined but always full of passion of a new firefighter.
The actor personally shared that his views on firefighters changed during the preparation for the film, which is based on a real-life fire tragedy in the Hongje neighborhood.
“When I was a kid, I thought firefighters were cool – I remember being so excited when I saw a fire truck. I forgot about that as an adult, but after reading the script, even the sound of the siren made me think about the dedication and hard work of firefighters.”
Before the film's release, besides expectations for Joo Won's return, Korean newspapers raised many concerns when his recent works such as "The Caretaker: Treasure Thief", "Agent Carter", "Ghost Photo Studio"... were not successful in terms of commercial success and viewership ratings.
Although Joo Won's acting skills are stable, his ability to choose scripts recently is a minus point. This makes him lack space to show his psychological acting skills, somewhat reducing the emotions of the audience.
But with a story told from a true event like "Firefighters", the actor is expected to play the role well and not be out of place.
