V.I.P. (2017 film)

 V.I.P . is a 2017 South Korean crime-action thriller film   directed by Park Hoon-jung and starring Jang Dong-gun, Kim Myung-min, Park Hee-soon and Lee Jong-suk. In the film, officers from South Korea, North Korea and Interpol chase after a serial killer suspect.

The film was released on August 23, 2017. The reception was largely negative, with criticism directed mainly towards the portrayal of graphic violence towards a female character. The film was later released on DVD and Blu-ray formats on 7 March 2018.

Plot
The son of a high-ranking North Korean official, Kwang-il (Lee Jong-suk), is suspected of committing serial rapes and murders of women around the world. To stop the killer, South Korea, North Korea and Interpol chase after him.

Main

 * Jang Dong-gun as Park Jae-hyuk: An agent working for the South Korean National Intelligence Service(NIS).
 * Kim Myung-min as Chae Yi-do: A Police Detective Chief Inspector who leads a serial murder case and who fights hard to bring a criminal to justice.
 * Park Hee-soon as Ri Dae-bum: A North Korean police officer who secretly crosses the border into the South to track down Kim Kwang-il.
 * Lee Jong-suk as Kim gwang-il: A key North Korean political figure's son who receives VIP treatment after his defection to South Korea, organised by the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He becomes a prime suspect for a serial murder case.

Supporting

 * Peter Stormare as Paul Gray: A CIA agent.
 * Lee Jung-hyuk as Gwang Il's gang member
 * Oh Dae-hwan
 * Tae In-ho as agent Tae.
 * Yoo Jae-myung
 * Park Sung-woong
 * Jo Woo-jin as Prosecutor.
 * lee seo jun as gwang il's gang member 2

Production
Filming began on October 22, 2016, and ended on January 22, 2017. Filming took place in South Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand and other countries.

Release
The cast of V.I.P was invited to the 74th Venice International Film Festival which began on August 30, 2017. However, the invitation was declined by the production company as the film's release could not be rescheduled to a later date.

The film was released in South Korean cinemas on August 23, 2017.

Critical response
V.I.P was named as an R-rated crime film, which restricted audiences younger than eighteen years of age. Many viewers criticized the film's depiction of violence against women. Some of the comments were regarding the film's unnecessary cruel and gruesome scenes, while others critiqued the use of female characters as devices of sexual violence to show the cruelty of male characters.

Box office
Upon its release in South Korean cinemas on August 23, 2017, V.I.P. hit the top spot, selling 174,022 ticket and earning a gross income of US$1.17 million on its opening day. During the first two days V.I.P sold 341,610 tickets earning US$2.3 million. After five days of its release the movie has attracted 940,359 audience screening in 966 venues.

According to the Korean Film Council V.I.P had surpassed 1 million viewers by August 29, in just seven days since its release, and the film earned a total gross income of US$7.8 million.