Small Town Rivals

2007 1h 53m KO

👍

6.7

SOLID

★6.7TMDB · 9

Comedy

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Cho Chun-sam and Noh Dae-gyu, now both in their thirties, are old friends who went to the same elementary school. In their school days, Chun-sam was always the ambitious class president, while Dae-gyu had to settle for a role as vice president. Twenty years later their roles are reversed: Chun-sam is now a humble farmer who has assumed the post of village chief in his hometown, while Dae-gyu is the newly elected county magistrate. At first, Chun-sam asks his old friend for favours regarding the development of his village, but these requests are turned down. Later, when Dae-gyu proposes building a nuclear waste disposal facility in the county, Chun-sam leads demonstrations against the plan, turning old friends into bitter rivals.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Yoo Hai-jin
Noh Dae-gyu
Cha Seung-won
Cho Chun-sam
Byun Hee-bong
Baek
Choi Jung-won
Nam-ok
Bae Il-jip
Vice-mayor
Nam Il-woo
Chun-sam's father
Jeon Won-joo
Dae-gyu's mother
Lee Jae-gu
Secretary

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jang Kyu-sung
Writers: Jang Kyu-sung
Languages: Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 19 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jang Kyu-sung, shot by Kim Yun-su. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Choi Seung-hyun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Ko Im-pyo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

AWARDS

Did you know

Yoo Hai-jin and Cha Seung-won and Byun Hee-bong carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1164666 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jang Kyu-sung directs. Kim Yun-su behind the camera. Choi Seung-hyun scores. Ko Im-pyo cuts. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 19 years ago.
2Directed by Jang Kyu-sung, shot by Kim Yun-su. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Choi Seung-hyun. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Ko Im-pyo shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Yoo Hai-jin and Cha Seung-won and Byun Hee-bong carry the top of the cast.
6IMDB entry: tt1164666 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
7Only 9 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.