Actor Bae Sung-woo shared his complicated feelings as his long-delayed film finally heads to theaters seven years after wrapping.
At a release interview for the film "The Ultimate Duo" in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 26th, Bae began carefully: “Because of my mistake, the release was pushed back a lot. I felt most sorry about that.”
"The Ultimate Duo" had been gearing up for release around 2019, but was postponed after Bae’s DUI incident. Now, ahead of its debut seven years later, the film has gone through re-editing and a title change.
“I got word last year that it would be released,” Bae said. “Seven years ago, the director and I watched the footage several times, exchanged notes, and edited. We went through a similar process again this time to complete the final cut.”
“I think many people involved wanted to avoid the ‘old movie’ label,” he continued. “But one of this film’s charms is its slightly old-school romance and sentiment. It might look like a typical buddy movie, but to bring something fresh, we discussed and debated a lot during filming and editing. I hope viewers find that vibe fun.”
He added, “I filmed this after the drama 'Live,' so I ended up playing a detective back-to-back. I did worry about that, but the stories and characters are different, so I decided to go for it. Even playing a detective again, I tried to make it feel less conventional. Still, I promised myself not to show the intention of ‘it must be different’ to the audience―otherwise it wouldn’t be enjoyable. A detective acquaintance of my agency head gave me a lot of advice. Even then, we didn’t talk about character; I asked if the script felt realistic and if the case progression made sense. Of course, it’s a movie, so there’s some exaggeration, but I asked whether it’s grounded in reality. Once we cleared that, I focused on the script, repeatedly asking, ‘If I were a detective in this situation, what would I do?’ That’s how I built and played the character.”
As he noted, "The Ultimate Duo" can’t fully escape the “shelved film” preconception, but it doesn’t feel stale or dated. While it doesn’t break free from classic buddy-movie structure, the realism and dread of a case based on true events keep the tension―and interest―alive.
The title change from "Chuljang Susa" to "The Ultimate Duo" came after internal discussions. “I understand it was decided during re-editing,” Bae explained. “Originally, since the lead travels from a rural area up to Seoul to investigate, it was called 'Chuljang Susa'. But with the edit, the story became more compact. In particular, Jae-hyeok (Bae Sung-woo) digs into the case to the very end, so that feeling got stronger. They thought 'The Ultimate Duo' had more impact.”
Meeting audiences again after a long time, Bae said, “I’m grateful, of course, but also worried. Movies are for enjoyment, and I’m concerned some viewers might feel uncomfortable because of me. I hope you can enjoy this film.”
"The Ultimate Duo" follows detective Jae-hyeok, who’s been demoted to a backwater post and gets one last shot at redemption. He teams up with rookie detective Jung-ho and heads to Seoul to crack a murder case entangling two suspects―no matter what it takes. As the hot-tempered Jae-hyeok, Bae delivers grounded, lived-in realism alongside character beats that drive the fun of the story.
The film opens on April 2.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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