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| Director Moon Hyun-sung, left, and the cast of "Seoul Vibe" pose during a press conference for the film at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday. Courtesy of Netflix |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Set in the 1980s, "Seoul Vibe," features plenty of spectacular driving sequences, retro-style vehicles and a hip-hop-infused soundtrack.
"Seoul Vibe" revolves around a group of drivers and mechanics called Sanggye-dong Supreme Team that are recruited to be spies for the prosecution during the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
The team consists of a star-studded cast: Yoo Ah-in as a skilled driver, Ko Kyoung-pyo as a DJ, Lee Kyoo-hyung as the team's navigator, Park Ju-hyun as the leader of a Seoul bike crew and Ong Seong-wu as a genius mechanic, are hired to infiltrate into the money laundering scheme of Chairwoman Kang (Moon So-ri), who wields enormous influence over the incumbent president.
Packed with spectacular car chases and old-school hip-hop music, the film is directed by Moon Hyun-sung, whose previous works include the sports drama "As One" and the comedy film "The King's Case Note."
"The year 1988 had a bright side and a dark side. With such historical background, we wanted to create a visually stunning movie with a hip-hop-infused soundtrack," director Moon said during a press conference for the Netflix film at a hotel in Seoul, Tuesday.
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| Actor Yoo Ah-in in a scene from the film "Seoul Vibe" / Courtesy of Netflix |
Yoo said that "Seoul Vibe" was a technically challenging project. "It was creatively and technically challenging. I believe this film raises the bar in terms of filmmaking ― be it the story ideas, effects, look and environment. I'm not sure how the film might be perceived, but a lot of hard work went into it and I'm proud of being part of this exciting film," he said.
Ko explained how he zeroed in on the "retro" appearance of the film. "The 1980s were marked by loud fashion with bold necklaces. The entire cast focused on the dressing style of characters to set the tone of the film," he said.
Actress Moon said she was ready to play a villainous character after experiencing ups and downs in life. "I felt like now is a great time to portray a villain because I now have a lot of mixed feelings about the world," she said.
The actress said her biggest mission was to express her character in an ugly way. "Initially, director Moon explained to me that Chairwoman Kang is an elegant woman. But I disagreed with him. As the character has a lust for money and power, I wanted to make her look hideous."
"Seoul Vibe" will be available to stream on Netflix from Aug. 26.
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