Action noirs and stories of espionage are traditionally dominated by men, but My Name introduces a female lead to the classic revenge theme. It offers a refreshing mix of deftly carried out elements within the genre. 

The cast consists of Han So-hee in the spotlight surrounded by powerful actors: Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Hak-ju, Jang Yull and Yun Gyeong-ho. With each actor holding their own in a well-orchestrated drama, My Name, according to Director Kim Jin-min, is a testament to the great things that happen when the actors give their all.

Han So-hee transforms herself in the lead role of Jiwoo, who witnesses her father die right before her eyes and joins the crime ring he belonged to for revenge. There, prodded by his best friend and the leader of the ring, Mujin (Park Hee-soon), she enters the police force as a mole under the alias Oh Hyejin. With each step Jiwoo takes to find her father’s killer, she must face brutal truths that harden her even more.

Park Hee-soon has earned audiences’ trust with solid performances in The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion, 1987: When the Day Comes and The Fortress. He plays Mujin, who heads the country’s largest drug ring, the Dongcheon cartel. After the death of his friend Donghoon (Yun Gyeong-ho) whom he trusted like a brother, Mujin accepts Donghoon’s daughter Jiwoo into the organization and leads her to go undercover into the police force. Although Mujin does everything in his power to protect Jiwoo from harm, he remains a veiled character who piques viewers’ curiosity more and more with each episode.

Ahn Bo-hyun plays the role of Pildo, Jiwoo’s partner who is the top cop in the narcotics division and a man of unbending principles. Ahn creates momentum for his character Pildo who becomes increasingly compelling and captivating as the storyline crosses into the latter half. He also creates convincing on-screen chemistry with Han So-hee as her partner. Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon and Ahn Bo-hyun, each playing a drug lord, an undercover mole and a cop respectively, come together as a formidable team of leads to bring the series to new heights.

Rounding out the cast are: Kim Sang-ho, who commands a presence with every role he undertakes, playing Giho, the chief of the Drug Investigation Unit; Lee Hak-ju plays Taeju, Mujin’s right-hand man and the second-in-command of the Dongcheon cartel; Jang Yull, who is building an impressive filmography in both plays and dramas, playing Gangjae, a member of the cartel who embroils Jiwoo in a major conflict; and Yun Gyeong-ho, whose character portrayals run a wide spectrum, playing Jiwoo’s father Donghoon.

To set the genre-appropriate ambiance, special care was taken with dark lighting and tones. Director Kim Jin-min is gifted in melding the ordinary with the extraordinary in creating a convincing reality. Distinguishing Korean cultural establishments such as bars, restaurants, singing joints, and gaming cafes line alleyways with glaring neon signs and dark corners. Such is the backdrop against which Han So-hee’s character Jiwoo shows off raw action moves. Uniquely Korean details incorporated into characteristic genre elements give My Name a breath of fresh air. 

Watch My Name on Netflix now!

You may know her as Yeo Da-kyung in The World of the Married and as the sweet Yu Na-bi starring alongside Song Kang in Nevertheless. In My Name, Han So-hee does a 180-degree turn as Jiwoo, who enters a criminal underworld and goes undercover as a police officer in order to find her father’s killer.

Watch Han So-hee as she leaves the world of luxury and comfort behind for bruises and bloodstains. It won’t be pretty but it will be an adventure that keeps you at the edge of your seat as she charges into the pursuit of revenge.

Check out the reasons why you should catch Han So-hee in My Name below:

1. Han So-hee as Jiwoo is everything
Jiwoo has had it tough since childhood, but her life takes a tragic turn when she witnesses her father's murder on her 17th birthday. Feeling like she has no choice but to avenge her father, Jiwoo approaches her father's long-time friend Mujin (Park Hee-soon) - the head of the largest drug ring in Korea - to help her find her father's killer.

As her quest for revenge leads her down a dark path, watch as So-hee transforms from a damsel in distress to one of the most headstrong members of Mujin's organisation.

2. Han So-hee gained 10kg of muscle for the role
Taking inspiration from female-led action films such as Atomic Blonde and The Old Guard, So-hee prepared for the physically demanding role by working with martial arts directors and even gained 10kg of muscle from all her training. The actress also carried around a knife so that she could get used to the feeling.

3. Han So-hee takes emotionally charged action scenes in her stride Director Kim Jin-min wanted the action in the series to be realistic and reflect Jiwoo as an undercover agent who is risking her life. It needed to showcase the characters’ desperation to survive and it definitely came alive on screen. Watch as Han So-hee single-handedly takes down a group of bad guys with flair in the clip HERE.

4. Han So-Hee and Ahn Bo-Hyun’s on-screen chemistry
Jiwoo is transferred to the Narcotics Unit and ends up joining a sting operation to take down Mujin where she has to balance between investigating her own crime boss and maintaining her cover. This is where she meets ace detective Jeon Pildo (Ahn Bo-hyun) and they become partners. Their prickly relationship takes a surprising turn when the pair opens up about their past to each other. Watch as this friendship blooms with some trust and understanding.

Which of these reasons have you hooked? Don’t miss out when My Name is released on 15 October 2021, only on Netflix!

Image courtesy of Netflix

Netflix’s upcoming series My Name has released its main trailer, offering a look at the story of Jiwoo who joins a crime organisation in order to find the person who killed her father. She ends up taking on a new name to work undercover as a police officer which leads her to discover harsh truths while seeking revenge.
The main trailer features Han So-hee’s striking acting transformation, some intense action, as well as the diverse characters you can see in the series. On her 17th birthday, Jiwoo (Han So-hee) witnesses her father’s death and takes it upon herself to find out who killed her father. She approaches her father’s long-time friend Mujin (Park Hee-soon) who is also the boss of Dongcheon, the largest domestic drug ring.

Jiwoo laments about how the police are not investigating and she cannot stand by without doing anything. Her earnest desire to get revenge for her father’s death is palpable. Mujin reveals that a police officer killed Jiwoo’s father and offers her an opportunity to take on a new identity as Oh Hyejin and work undercover as a police officer.

After uncovering some clues, Jiwoo transfers to the Narcotics Unit where ace detective Jeon Pildo (Ahn Bo-hyun) and team leader Cha Giho (Kim Sang-ho) work. Jiwoo ends up joining their sting operation to capture Mujin which leaves Jiwoo in a situation where she’s investigating her own crime boss. The more Jiwoo helps Mujin, the more her team becomes suspicious of her. She also faces mistrust from Mujin’s right-hand man Jung Taeju (Lee Hak-ju) and threats from Dongcheon gangster Do Gangjae (Jang Yull).

The characters surrounding Jiwoo add on to the intrigue as she falls deeper and deeper into danger. Through her relationships with the various characters, Jiwoo gets closer to finding her father’s killer and ends up discovering some unexpected twists. Jiwoo, who has abandoned her name and her future for the sake of revenge, will face the harsh truth of who is good and bad as she investigates until the end.

My Name is an action noir series led by Director Kim Jin-min of Extracurricular. The series stars Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Hak-ju, Jang Yull et al. My Name will be released on 15 October, only on Netflix.

Information
Title: My Name
Directed by: Kim Jin-min
Written by: Kim Va-da
Starring: Han So-hee, Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Hak-ju, Jang Yull et al
Produced by: Studio Santa Claus
Distributed by: Netflix
Release Date: 15 October 2021

Netflix shows have been attracting a lot of buzz lately for its history breaking 44 wins at the recent 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards for acclaimed titles The Crown and The Queen’s Gambit.

More Netflix titles continue to make a global impression and this time, it’s at the 26th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) with the invitation of seven Netflix titles to be screened at one of the largest international film festivals in Asia and the largest in Korea. Some notable titles include upcoming Korean drama series My Name and Hellbound that have been selected as the first to be invited to the new On Screen program this year.

Check out the full list of shows that will be screened at the 26th BIFF below!

1) My Name
My Name is directed by Kim Jin-min who previously shocked the world with the Netflix series Extracurricular.

My Name centers on Jiwoo who joins a crime ring and becomes an undercover police officer to find her father’s killer. As she assumes a new identity, she faces the cold, hard truth and exacts her revenge. You can look forward to a 180-degree transformation from actress Han So-hee as she portrays the vengeful Jiwoo. Actors Park Hee-soon, Ahn Bo-hyun, Kim Sang-ho, Lee Hak-ju, and Jang Yull add on to the series’ suspense-filled story.

My Name launches on Netflix on 15 October 2021.

2) Hellbound
After being screened at the 46th Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), Hellbound has received much praise for director Yeon Sang-ho’s skillful directing, the explosive storyline, and the actors’ impressive performances. Through BIFF, the series will be unveiled in Korea for the first time.

Hellbound tells the story of supernatural beings appearing and condemning people to hell, resulting in a new religious group gaining prominence while others investigate the truth behind this strange phenomenon.

Director Yeon Sang-ho and writer Choi Gyu-seok reunite to work on the series as creators of the original webtoon which the series is based on. The top-notch cast includes Yoo Ah-in, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Jeong-min, Won Jin-a, Yang Ik-june, Kim Do-yoon, Kim Sin-rock, Ryu Kyung-soo, Lee Re, and more. Following TIFF and BIFF, Hellbound will also be screened at the BFI London Film Festival.

Hellbound is coming soon to Netflix.

3) Space Sweepers
Space Sweepers, which received much love from all over the world, will be featured in the Korean Cinema Today - Panorama section at BIFF. Directed by Jo Sung-hee and starring Song Joong-ki, Kim Tae-ri, Jin Sun-kyu, and Yoo Hai-jin, Space Sweepers made the Netflix Top 10 chart in about 80 countries.

Space Sweepers is set in 2092 where spaceship Victory is one of the many that live off of salvaging space debris. Crewed by genius space pilot Tae-ho (Song Joong-ki), mysterious ex-space pirate Captain Jang (Kim Tae-ri), spaceship engineer Tiger Park (Jin Sun-kyu), and reprogrammed military robot Bubs (Yoo Hai-jin), Spaceship Victory surpasses all other space sweepers. After successfully snatching a crashed space shuttle in the latest debris chase, Victory’s crew find a seven-year-old girl inside. They realise that she’s the humanlike robot wanted by UTS Space Guards, and decide to demand ransom in exchange.

Space Sweepers is now streaming on Netflix.

Image courtesy of Netflix

Netflix has revealed the 15 October release date for Korean series My Name alongside the release of a teaser poster. Starring Han So-hee in the lead role, My Name is about a revenge-driven woman who joins a crime ring and becomes an undercover police officer in order to find her father's killer.
The teaser poster reveals a gripping copy that reads: “No one can know. My enemy, my revenge.” It is accompanied by the haunting image of Han So-hee, in a role of which viewers have never seen her in before. Her portrayal of Jiwoo in My Name marks a 180-degree turn from her other well-known characters as Yeo Da-gyeong in The World of the Married and Yu Na-bi in Nevertheless.

In the poster, she is standing in a dark alleyway with deep scratches on her face and a gleaming dagger in her blood-stained hand, looking as if she had just survived fierce combat. Han So-hee, who performed the difficult action scenes herself, is convincing as Jiwoo, a woman who willingly enters a criminal underworld to avenge her father’s murder and becomes a mole in the police force using an alias. She’ll stop at nothing for revenge and comes face-to-face with brutal truths.

Director Kim Jin-min has previously teamed up with Netflix for his much-acclaimed series Extracurricular, an unconventional story about the darker side of high school teens. With his keen instinct for suspense, Director Kim weaves a rich and dramatic storyline with Jiwoo and the other fascinating characters played by Park Hee-soon and Ahn Bo-hyun. My Name promises to be a gratifying action noir film with a tightly woven plot and thrilling suspense.

My Name will be released in over 190 countries around the world on 15 October, only on Netflix.