‘The Thieves’ Korean cinematic legacy

It’s been 10 years since the release of 도둑들 (‘Dodukdeul’ or ‘The Thieves’). We spoke to the film’s director and producer to explore why the movie’s female characters had such a crucial role in cementing its successful legacy.

The Thieves (2012) has stood the test of time and become one of Korea’s highest-grossing movies. Image: IMDB.

The Thieves (2012) (or 도둑들 in Korean) has many characteristics of a good heist blockbuster, not least the fast-paced action scenes. Within the first five minutes we see Yenicall (played by Jun Jihyun) wire-walking down a skyscraper. Meanwhile, her accomplice Chewing Gum (Kim Haesook) distracts their target millionaire, while Popie (Lee Jungjae) and Zampano (Kim Soohyun) support the mechanics of Yenicall’s time-sensitive plight to steal the goods.

It’s a scene that many in the West may mistake as taking inspiration from Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (2011), where Tom Cruise similarly wire-walks on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. But that’s not the case.

“I did it first,” insists director Choi Donghoon when we spoke to him at the London Korean Film Festival 2022. The screening marks a decade since The Thieves was released, becoming one of South Korea’s biggest grossing films by making 86.7 million USD at the box office internationally. It’s also one of the largest co-productions with a cast of actors heralding from Korea as well as other Asian countries.

Plastic surgery, stupidity, and mistrust

Fresh off the successful heist that saw Yenicall gliding down a skyscraper, the ‘gang’ accept a proposal to work on a big job in Macau. The goal is to steal a highly protected 318 carat diamond called ‘Tear of the Sun’, worth $20 million. The catch is that it’s being held at a highly secure casino. The leader of the operation is Macao Park, an old accomplice of Popie. Their history muddies the water as they’ve betrayed one another in the past.

Park comes with his own Chinese team which complicates things further. The Korean and Chinese thieves must put their prejudices of one another aside to work together. We see what a challenging task this is when the teams meet for the first time in a restaurant, with accusations of plastic surgery, stupidity, and mistrust being thrown around. It’s a scene that turns out to be producer (and director Choi’s wife) Ahn Soohyun’s favourite. 

“On the location itself it was 40 degrees, it was a really hot day. But with all the actors in the room, there was a high level of energy and there was a tension in the room where the actors were trying to suss each other out, trying to guess how each actor would react. The moment the cameras started to roll, they really got into their characters,” says Ahn at the Film Festival. “That’s the moment I felt this film was going to work.”

Ahn has a successful film career in her own right, having produced several award-winning action films. So, it’s clear that Choi and Ahn brought the expertise necessary to create something truly marvellous that would stand the test of time. But, just as importantly, they question one another’s choices, which inevitably resulted in some arguments, especially over the grenade scene. Choi wanted it. But Ahn didn’t. Choi consequently won, creating a heart-racing climax that throws prime characters into peril against a backdrop of double and triple crossing.

But none of this is unusual to a heist film, if it’s done well. So what cuts The Thieves above the rest to secure the decade-long legacy it’s achieved?

The all-star cast (including Lee Jungjae of Squid Game (2021)) provide stellar performances.

The magic seems to lie with the female characters. Choi and Ahn reject the male dominance that traditionally lies within a lot of action-packed films. “We wanted to have half the team be female, and in particular, we wanted those women to have a strong and important role,” says Choi.

While the male protagonists are important, their roles give a platform to the female protagonists who take centre-stage while the men are largely embroiled in hurt egos and their previous histories. It makes the initial scene — which sees Yenicall and Chewing Gum at the centre of the action, and Popie and Zampano supporting from the outside — symbolic. It sets up a dynamic that foreshadows the outcome of what will be a turbulent journey.

In places Choi turns heist tropes surrounding gender on their head, which provides surprise as well as comedic value. For instance, Zampano and Yenicall visit a bar in Macau to steal a pass key for the casino where their heist will take place. The expectation is that Yenicall will seduce the creepy male manager while Zampano pickpockets the pass. But the manager isn’t interested in Yenicall. It’s Zampano he wants, forcing him into a position that most women in action films find themselves in — taking one for the team. It’s also Zampano that lusts after Yenicall, rather than the other way round.

Creating complexity

The female characters fit the image of what many of us would define as strong women. Chewing Gum is the strategic one and some of her traits may be considered ‘butch’. Meanwhile, Pepsee (played by Kim Hyesoo) is the character to have just been released from prison, having done time for a failed job she’d taken on with Park and Popie. Her expertise in lockpicking is similarly technical and highly skilled. Julie (played by Angelica Lee), who also joins the group via the Chinese team, is arguably also brave in risking her life as an undercover cop during the operation. However, there’s less admiration for her from viewers as we form an attachment to the thieves and ultimately end up championing their success.

Yet, what really secures these women as fantastic characters is their depth. They’re not without complexities, as is real life. They don’t all like one another simply because they’re the women of the group. In fact, there’s an intense rivalry between Yenicall and Pepsee — one that remains throughout the entire film.

“We wanted those many strong female characters to be aware of one another, be a bit competitive but also perhaps develop a friendship which leads to the sense of having a whole team,” says Choi.

Meanwhile, the female character’s dominance is not compensation for a lack of sexuality, as is sometimes the case with films with strong female protagonists. Despite Chewing Gum’s dominant and masculine demeanour, we see her open up about her dream to leave the heist business and fall in love. The heist in Macau then becomes a stepping stone to that dream life, with her taking on the disguise of the rich wife of Chen (played by Simon Yam). It’s a disguise that stimulates a real love interest with her accomplice and uncovers vulnerabilities under her hard exterior. It’s perhaps her performance here that secured Kim Haesook a highly deserved Grand Bell Award for Best Supporting Actress.

There are many reasons why The Thieves is deserving of its successful legacy. It promises thrill seekers an unexpected narrative, a guessing game, and of course, action. But it’s the female characters that truly elevate this film to heights beyond the standard blockbuster. It’s contemporary, with characters as realistic as a heist film can possibly achieve, and that’s why its legacy will remain for years to come.

Edited by Gabii Rayner.