Asura: The City of Madness
| Asura: The City of Madness | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Hangul | 아수라 |
| Hanja | 阿修羅 |
| RR | Asura |
| MR | Asura |
| Directed by | Kim Sung-su |
| Written by | Kim Sung-su |
| Produced by | Han Jae-deok Kang Hyun Kim Jong-min |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Lee Mo-gae |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Lee Jae-jin |
Production company | Sanai Pictures |
| Distributed by | CJ Entertainment |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 132 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$18.3 million[2][3] |
Asura: The City of Madness (Korean: 아수라; RR: Asura) is a 2016 South Korean neo-noir action crime film[4] directed by Kim Sung-su.[5][6][7] The title, Asura, refers to demigods in Indian mythology who are consumed by passion and perpetually fighting each other.[8] The film revolves around Han Do-kyung, a shady cop, who becomes caught between internal affairs and the city's corrupt mayor. Starring Jung Woo-sung, Hwang Jung-min, Ju Ji-hoon, Kwak Do-won and Jung Man-sik, it released theatrically on 28 September 2016 in South Korea.
Synopsis
Homicide detective Han Do-kyung (Jung Woo-sung) receives money in exchange for taking care of behind-the-scenes work for corrupt Mayor Park Sung-bae (Hwang Jung-min). Han Do-kyung would do anything to make money in order to pay for the hospital bills of his wife, a terminal cancer patient. Seizing his weakness, prosecutors Kim Cha-in (Kwak Do-won) and Do Chang-hak (Jung Man-sik) threaten him and use him to investigate Park Sung-bae for corruption and crimes. Prosecutors and Park Sung-bae pressure Han Do-kyung for their own interests and purposes. Meanwhile, Moon Seon-mo, (Ju Ji-hoon) a junior detective who sees Han as an older brother, follows in his footsteps and leaves the police force to work for the corrupt Mayor Park Sung-bae. As events unfold, Han Do-kyung's life becomes like the eye of a typhoon.
Cast
- Jung Woo-sung as Han Do-kyung
- Hwang Jung-min as Park Sung-bae
- Ju Ji-hoon as Moon Seon-mo
- Kwak Do-won as Kim Cha-in
- Jung Man-sik as Do Chang-hak
- Kim Won-hae as Junkie
- Kim Jong-soo as Eun Chung-ho
- Kim Hae-gon as Tae Byung-jo
- Yoon Ji-hye as Cha Seung-mi
- Oh Yeon-ah as Jung Yoon-hee
- Kim Soo-jin as Female councilor
- Anupam Tripathi as Indian worker
Special appearance
- Yoon Je-moon as Chief Hwang
- Park Jeong-hak as Inspector Park
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 37th Blue Dragon Film Awards | Best Actor | Jung Woo-sung | Nominated |
| Popularity Award | Won | |||
| Best Cinematography | Lee Mo-gae | Won | ||
| Best Art Direction | Jang Geun-young | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting | Lee Sung-hwan | Won | ||
| Best Music | Lee Jae-jin | Nominated | ||
| Technical Award | Heo Myung-haeng Choi Bong-rok |
Nominated | ||
| 17th Busan Film Critics Awards | Best Actor | Jung Woo-sung | Won | |
| Best Cinematography | Lee Mo-gae | Won | ||
| 36th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | Ten Best Films of the Year | Asura: The City of Madness | Won | |
| 53rd Grand Bell Awards | Best Cinematography | Lee Mo-gae | Nominated | |
| Best Art Direction | Jang Geun-young | Nominated | ||
| Best Editing | Kim Jae-bum | Nominated | ||
| Best Lighting | Lee Sung-hwan | Nominated | ||
| 2017 | 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards[9] | Best Film | Asura: The City of Madness | Nominated |
| Best Director | Kim Sung-su | Nominated | ||
| Best Screenplay | Nominated | |||
| 26th Buil Film Awards[10] | Best Film | Asura: The City of Madness | Nominated | |
| Best Director | Kim Sung-su | Won | ||
| Best Actor | Jung Woo-sung | Nominated | ||
| Best Supporting Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Nominated | ||
| Best Cinematography | Lee Mo-gae | Nominated | ||
| Best Art Direction | Jang Geun-young | Nominated | ||
| Best Music | Lee Jae-jin | Nominated | ||
| 22nd Chunsa Film Art Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Ju Ji-hoon | Nominated | |
| The Korea Film Actor's Association | Popular Film Star Award | Won |
References
- ^ Lee, Maggie (September 14, 2016). "Review: 'Asura: The City of Madness'". Variety. Retrieved July 30, 2025.
- ^ "Asura". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on 1 June 2023. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
- ^ "Asura : The City of Madness (2016)". Archived from the original on 2016-11-25. Retrieved 2017-04-06.
- ^ Asura: The City of Madness - CJ Entertainment
- ^ "'Asura' expected to draw big crowds". 28 September 2016.
- ^ "Crime-filled thriller 'Asura' dominates box office". 3 October 2016.
- ^ "'Asura' to open across North America". 11 October 2016.
- ^ Lee, Maggie (2016-09-15). "Review: 'Asura: The City of Madness'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-04-22.
- ^ 공유·박보검·남궁민·한석규…백상예술대상 男TV연기상 4파전. Star.mk.co (in Korean). April 7, 2017.
- ^ "A TAXI DRIVER Tops Buil Film Awards". Korean Film Biz Zone. October 17, 2017.
External links
- Asura: The City of Madness at IMDb
- Asura: The City of Madness at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)
- Asura: The City of Madness at HanCinema