The quick resolution of a robbery and murder case in 1999 brought the local police and chief commissioner in a South Korean town the necessary fame. The perpetrators, three boys, even came with a confession. Shortly thereafter, inconsistencies in the file make the newly appointed superintendent “Mad Dog” Hwang Juncheol doubt. But when the boys confess again, the reopened investigation turns out to be a dead end. Seventeen years later, just as he wants to retire, he is asked to try again. Is there even a small chance, after all these years, to break through the coercive tactics and corrupting camaraderie of the entire police department to finally do justice to the boys?
South Korean film veteran Chung Ji-young's latest feature film mixes fact with fiction, a provincial crime investigation with political games. He constructs a compelling story about a cold case investigation and a man who puts everything on the line and takes action, not only against the fading memory of a murder, but also against the entrenched system that created and still supports him – both now and in 1999.
The Boys, based on a real case, draws on the tradition of opaque police investigations with attention to the human side of the matter, political power games and court melodrama. The result is a compelling policier who appeals to your sense of justice.
