A Taxi Driver

"Based on true events, an untold story of a taxi driver."

2017 2h 18m KO

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 1,237

ActionDramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

May, 1980. Man-seob is a taxi driver in Seoul who lives from hand to mouth, raising his young daughter alone. One day, he hears that there is a foreigner who will pay big money for a drive down to Gwangju city. Not knowing that he’s a German journalist with a hidden agenda, Man-seob takes the job.

“Based on true events, an untold story of a taxi driver.”

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Cast

Song Kang-ho
Kim Man-seob
Thomas Kretschmann
Jürgen Hinzpeter
Yoo Hai-jin
Hwang Tae-sul
Ryu Jun-yeol
Gu Jae-sik
Park Hyuk-kwon
Reporter Choi
Choi Gwi-hwa
Civvies Leader
Cha Soon-bae
Driver Cha
Shin Dam-su
Driver Sin

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jang Hoon
Writers: Eom Yu-na
Languages: Korean, Japanese, English, German
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 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 6.4× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 9 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Korean, Japanese, English, German.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jang Hoon, shot by Go Rak-sun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Kim Sang-bum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Song Kang-ho and Thomas Kretschmann and Yoo Hai-jin carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Based on true events, an untold story of a taxi driver.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt6878038 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jang Hoon directs. Go Rak-sun behind the camera. Kim Sang-bum cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean, Japanese, English, German.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 6.4× over at the box office.
2Released 9 years ago.
3Dialogue crosses 4 languages: Korean, Japanese, English, German.
4Directed by Jang Hoon, shot by Go Rak-sun. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Kim Sang-bum shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Song Kang-ho and Thomas Kretschmann and Yoo Hai-jin carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Based on true events, an untold story of a taxi driver.".
8IMDB entry: tt6878038 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 12 themes, including "taxi", "taxi driver", "protest", "based on true story".
10Released under 11 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Go Rak-sun
Editing: Kim Sang-bum
Production design: Jeong Yi-jin
Costume design: Cho Sang-kyung
Makeup / hair: Kim Ho-sik
Sound: Gang Hye-yeong
Runtime: 138 min · 2h 18m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $12,820,005
Box office: $81,927,980
Return: 639% of budget
Original language: KO
Certification (US): M
IMDB: A Taxi Driver (2017)

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Jang Hoon

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Arnab.8542024-10-18
★ 8/10
More than just a Historical Movie Intro The film is set in the Spring of 1980 Seoul and is based on a true story related to the Gwangju Uprising which according to this movie, University students from the city of Gwangju start a massive protest against the then South Korean leader due to some political unrest. The government has censored all form of media and prevents outsiders from entering the city. The entire plot revolves around our protagonists Tax Driver,Kim Man-seob and Undercover Journalist, Jurgen "Peter" Hinzpeter trying to make it out safely from Gwangju. Pros 1. The plot although starts off slow but becomes engaging the second & third act with a heartfelt ending. 2. All the actors involved have done a fantastic job with their roles. Hats off to Song Kang-ho as "The Taxi Driver" and Thomas Krestcmann as Jurgen Hinzpeter. 3. At it's peak build up of tension kept me at the edge of my seat. There is always the looming dread that our heros will get caught by the Police. Cons 1. The first 10 - 15 minutes of the film can give you a false impression of the movie being a generic Korean drama film. Verdict I rate the movie a 4.5 out of 5 stars and has earned a must watch recommendation from me

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