Man of Men (Korean: 퍼펙트맨) is a 2019 South Korean comedy-drama film written and directed by Yong Soo.[2] It stars Sul Kyung-gu, Cho Jin-woong, Huh Joon-ho, Jin Seon-kyu, and Kim Sa-rang. The film was released on October 2, 2019.[3]
| Man of Men | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | 퍼펙트맨 |
| RR | Peopekteumaen |
| MR | P'ŏp'ekt'ŭmaen |
| Directed by | Yong Soo |
| Written by | Yong Soo |
| Produced by | Heo Seong-jin |
| Starring | |
Production company | Man Film |
| Distributed by | Showbox |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$8.9 million[1] |
Synopsis
editYoung-gi, a petty gangster dreaming of one big score for a perfect life, embezzles ₩700 million from his gang boss and invests it in stocks, only to be scammed and left with worthless paper. Now desperate to survive, Young-gi must come up with the money by any means. That is when he meets Jang-soo, the prickly head of a law firm.
Diagnosed with only two months to live, Jang-soo proposes a high-stakes deal. He will help Young-gi in exchange for Young-gi carrying out his unfinished business, with Jang-soo's life insurance payout on the line.[4]
Cast
edit- Sul Kyung-gu as Han Jang-soo
- Cho Jin-woong as Kang Young-gi
- Huh Joon-ho as Beom-do
- Jin Seon-kyu as Dae-guk
- Kim Sa-rang as Eun-ha
- Ji Seung-hyun as Choi Ki-tae
- Kim Min-seok as Kang Jeong-gi
- Park Bo-kyung as Ceramics store employee
Production
editPrincipal photography for Man of Men began on November 2018 and ended on January 2019.[5] The film features a scene set at Sajik Baseball Stadium in Busan.[6]
Reception
editBox office
editThe film was released on October 2, 2019, on 894 screens.[7] It opened at third place at the South Korean box office with 77,448 admissions.
The film has grossed US$7,476,871 from 1,240,022 admissions.[7][8]
Critical response
editYoon Min-sik of The Korea Herald noted that Man of Men "is far too familiar, far too obvious and far too sappy for a movie that came out in 2019", yet found it "pretty fun", largely thanks to the chemistry between its leads. While acknowledging the film's predictable plot and derivative premise, Yoon concluded that it was "fairly enjoyable", despite uneven humor, one-dimensional characters, and a lack of meaningful female roles.[9]
References
edit- ^ "Man of Men (2019)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Han Sang-hyung (October 1, 2024). 영화 '퍼펙트맨' "우린 환장 케미! 설경구·조진웅·허준호·진선규·지승현·김사랑 출연" [Movie 'Perfect Man' "We have amazing chemistry! Starring Seol Kyung-gu, Jo Jin-woong, Heo Jun-ho, Jin Seon-gyu, Ji Seung-hyun, and Kim Sa-rang"]. 한국강사신문 (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Lee Won-seok (October 2, 2019). 2시간 내내 배꼽 잡고 웃는다는 조진웅X설경구 코미디 영화 '퍼펙트맨' 실시간 후기 [Jo Jin-woong X Seol Kyung-gu's comedy film 'Perfect Man' live review that will have you laughing all the way through for 2 hours]. Insight (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Jean Noh (October 5, 2019). "'Man Of Men' delivers for Korea's Showbox (exclusive)". Screen International. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Kim Bo-ra (August 30, 2019). "조진웅설경구→김사랑"..'퍼펙트맨' 코믹하게 풀어낼 오늘의 가치(종합)[Oh!쎈 현장] ["Cho Jin-woong Seol Kyung-gu → Kim Sa-rang"..'Perfect Man' comically unfolds today's value (comprehensive) [Oh! Strong scene]]. The Chosun Ilbo (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Kang Min-kyung (September 29, 2019). '퍼펙트맨' 설경구가 구 넥센 유니폼을 입은 사연 [★비하인드] [The story behind why 'Perfect Man' Seol Kyung-gu wore the old Nexen uniform [★Behind the scenes]]. Starnews (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2025 – via Naver.
- ^ a b "Daily Box Office". KOBIS (in Korean). Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ "KOFIC, KOBIS (Korean Box Office Information System) The Box office: Korean films of 2025". KOFIC. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
- ^ Yoon Min-sik (September 17, 2019). "[Herald Review] 'Man of Men' is a film that shouldn't work but does, through power of character". The Korea Herald. Retrieved July 11, 2025.
External links
edit- Man of Men at HanCinema
- Man of Men at IMDb