A Taxi Driver
A Taxi Driver (Korean: 택시운전사) is a 2017 South Korean historical action drama film directed by Jang Hoon and written by Eom Yu-na, with Song Kang-ho starring in the lead role, alongside Thomas Kretschmann, Yoo Hae-jin, and Ryu Jun-yeol.
| A Taxi Driver | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | |
| Hanja | 택시運轉士 |
| Revised Romanization | Taeksi Unjeonsa |
| Directed by | Jang Hoon |
| Written by | Eom Yu-na |
| Produced by | Park Un-kyoung Han Seung-ryeong |
| Starring | Song Kang-ho Thomas Kretschmann Yoo Hae-jin Ryu Jun-yeol |
| Cinematography | Go Nak-seon |
| Edited by | Kim Sang-bum Kim Jae-bum |
| Music by | Jo Yeong-wook |
Production company | The Lamp |
| Distributed by | Showbox |
Release date |
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Running time | 137 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Languages | Korean English German |
| Budget | ₩15 billion (roughly US$13.8 million) |
| Box office | US$88.7 million (South Korea) |
Based on a real-life story, the film centers on a taxi driver from Seoul who unintentionally becomes involved in the events of the Gwangju Uprising in 1980. It is based on German journalist Jürgen Hinzpeter's interactions with driver Kim Sa-bok; however, as very little information on Kim was known at the time the film was made, most elements regarding his life and the events that happened to him outside of Gwangju are fictional.
The film was released on 2 August 2017, in South Korea. It was very positively received by critics, who praised its unique approach to depicting the Gwangju Uprising events, emotional weight, as well as the main character and his relationship with Hinzpeter, and was selected as the South Korean entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards. The film was a notable commercial success: it was the second highest-grossing film of 2017 in South Korea, and currently stands as the thirteenth highest-grossing South Korean film in history.