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Public Enemy Returns (2008)

Public Enemy Returns (2008), directed by Kang Woo-suk, starring Sul Kyung-gu and Jung Jae-young.

06/19/2008 BR Action, Comedy, Crime and Thriller 2h 7m

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Quiz about this movie

Only the strong survives.

Synopsis

Kang Chul-jung has been a detective fighting crime for 15 years and is at it again against a mob boss who recruits young kids to do his dirty work.

  • Kim Sung-bokCinematography
  • Kang Woo-sukDirector
  • 고임표Editing
  • 정선영Producer

공공의 적 시리즈

The franchise in release order. 3 films.

About the film

Public Enemy Returns (Korean: 강철중) is a 2008 South Korean neo-noir action thriller film directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is the sequel and final film to Public Enemy (2002) and Another Public Enemy (2005), also directed by Kang.

2007 was a poor year for South Korean cinema, largely due to the reduced screen quota from 146 to 73 days as part of the 2007 free trade agreement between the US and South Korea. This resulted in production costs rising, a series of box office failures, and the number of Korean films sold overseas dropping. During May 2008, only 7.8% of films shown in South Korea were Korean, the lowest level since records began in 2000. It was hoped that the Korean film industry might rally behind Public Enemy Returns. The film sold 4,337,983 tickets nationwide and was the 4th most attended film of 2008.

Read the full article (2k characters)

Public Enemy Returns (Korean: 강철중) is a 2008 South Korean neo-noir action thriller film directed by Kang Woo-suk. It is the sequel and final film to Public Enemy (2002) and Another Public Enemy (2005), also directed by Kang.

2007 was a poor year for South Korean cinema, largely due to the reduced screen quota from 146 to 73 days as part of the 2007 free trade agreement between the US and South Korea. This resulted in production costs rising, a series of box office failures, and the number of Korean films sold overseas dropping. During May 2008, only 7.8% of films shown in South Korea were Korean, the lowest level since records began in 2000. It was hoped that the Korean film industry might rally behind Public Enemy Returns. The film sold 4,337,983 tickets nationwide and was the 4th most attended film of 2008.

Synopsis

In debt and out of money, Kang Chul-joong (Sul Kyung-gu) is tired of being a cop and looking to retire. But his boss gives him one last case, an investigation of the president of Geo Seong Enterprises, Lee Won-sool (Jung Jae-young), and some recent murders.

Cast

Sul Kyung-gu as Kang Chul-joong

Jung Jae-young as Lee Won-sool

Kang Shin-il as Squad chief Uhm

Lee Moon-sik as An-soo

Yoo Hae-jin as Yong-man

Kim Jeong-hak as Detective Kim

Kim Nam-gil (credited as Lee Han) as Mun-su

Moon Sung-keun as Tae-san

Lee Min-ho as Jung Ha-yeon

Awards and nominations

2008 Blue Dragon Film Awards

Nomination - Best Actor - Sul Kyung-gu

Nomination - Best New Actor - Kim Nam-gil

2008 Korean Film Awards

Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - Kang Shin-il

2009 Baeksang Arts Awards

Grand Prize for Film - Kang Woo-suk

Nomination - Best Director - Kang Woo-suk

Nomination - Best Actor - Sul Kyung-gu

Nomination - Best Screenplay - Jang Jin

References

External links

Official website (in Korean)

Public Enemy Returns at the Korean Movie Database (in Korean)

Public Enemy Returns at IMDb

Public Enemy Returns at HanCinema

Text from Public Enemy Returns on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_Enemy_Returns

Trivia

Production

More about this film

Preceded by

  • Another Public Enemy

Cast

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Questions about this film

What is Public Enemy Returns about?

Public Enemy Returns: Kang Chul-jung has been a detective fighting crime for 15 years and is at it again against a mob boss who recruits young kids to do his dirty work.

Who directed Public Enemy Returns?

Public Enemy Returns was directed by Kang Woo-suk in 2008.

Who stars in Public Enemy Returns?

The cast of Public Enemy Returns includes Sul Kyung-gu, Jung Jae-young, Kang Shin-il, Kim Nam-gil and Moon Sung-keun.

How long is Public Enemy Returns?

Public Enemy Returns runs for 127 minutes, or 2h07.

What is the correct order of the 공공의 적 시리즈 films?

The 공공의 적 시리즈 franchise has 3 films in the catalogue. In release order: 공공의 적; 공공의 적 2; 공공의 적 1-1: 강철중.

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Page updated on 09/15/2026.

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Scene from Public Enemy Returns