7번방의 선물

I started watching this on the flight last summer, but I wasn't able to see the end because of various reasons. However yesterday I finally did it, as I purchased the dvd in Korea last week.

After have watched the whole thing I understand why it was so popular back in 2013, and I'm happy I got this movie. It's a typical Korean movie I'd say, and if you read more about the story below, you will also get a picture of what you'll see.

★★★★

Title: 7번방의 선물 / Miracle in Cell No. 7
Release date: January 23, 2013
Running time: 127 minutes
Country: South Korea
Language: Korean

Story
Lee Yong-go is a mentally impaired father with the intellect of a six-year-old, who lives in a run-down house along with his daughter of the same age, Ye-sung. One day, he gets into a physical altercation with the police commissioner, who has just purchased the last Sailor Moon backpack for his daughter, a gift Yong-go was saving up to buy for Ye-sung. Soon after, the police commissioner's daughter dies in a freak accident, in which she slips on ice and suffers a fatal blow to the back of her head while she is taking Yong-go to another store that sells the same backpack. When he tries to resuscitate her, a woman witnesses him and mistakes him to be molesting her. Yong-go is falsely accused of the abduction, murder, and rape of a minor. The police quickly take advantage of his disability and force him to admit to committing the crimes, while ignoring exonerating evidence. Yong-go, who is sentenced to death, is imprisoned and assigned to Cell No. 7, the harshest cell in a maximum security prison.
At first, the other men in the cell, lead by gang leader Jang Min-hwan, do not take kindly to Yong-go after reading in his file that he murdered and molested a child, but when Yong-go saves Min-hwan from being fatally stabbed by a rival gang leader, Min-hwan repays the favor by smuggling Ye-sung into Cell No. 7. Over time, they come to believe in his innocence, and make it their goal to help reverse the verdict at Yong-go's retrial.


Cast
Ryu Seung-ryong as Lee Yong-gu
Kal So-won as Ye-sung (Child)
Park Shin-hye as Ye-sung (Adult)
Jung Jin-young as Jang Min-hwan
Oh Dal-su as So Yang-ho
Park Won-sang as Choi Chun-ho
Kim Jung-tae as Kang Man-beom
Jung Man-sik as Shin Bong-shik
Kim Ki-cheon as Old man Seo