Dead men, dogs and Oompa-Loompas grace the big screen this week

New films "Dead Man," "Dog Days," "Argylle" and "Wonka" are open in Korean theaters ahead of the Seollal holidays.

A scene from "Dead Man" [CONTENT WAVVE]

Dead Man (15)Crime / 108 mins. / Korean / Feb. 7

If a man who sells his name out to shady businesses gets caught as the main culprit, made a “dead man,” and forced to flee to China, would it be possible for him to clear his name because he had nothing to do with the real crime?

Cho Jin-woong stars as Lee Man-jae, one such man in the new film “Dead Man,” who sold his name out to a business that turned out to be an embezzlement scheme worth 100 billion won ($75.3 million). Man-jae teams up with a political consultant and fixer, Ms. Shim, played by Kim Hee-ae, to exonerate his name. A young girl named Hee-joo, played by Lee Soo-kyung, who blames Man-jae for her father’s death, tracks down Man-jae to complicate matters.

“Dead Man” is the directorial debut of Ha Joon-won, who co-wrote the screenplay for director Bong Joon-ho’s 2006 film “The Host.” Bong has participated in talk sessions for “Dead Man” in support of Ha and also advised the actors in the process of filming “Dead Man.”

A scene from "Dog Days" [CJ ENM]

Dog Days (12)Drama / 120 mins. / Korean / Feb. 7

A pet craze has swept over Korea in real life, and “Dog Days” depicts the phenomenon in a heartwarming story about neighbors who come to understand each other through their pet dogs.

Youn Yuh-jung, in her first comeback to Korean cinema since the Oscar-winning “Minari” (2020) and the Apple TV+ original series “Pachinko” (2022), stars as a world-renown architect, Min-seo, who has a fierce personality and loves her pet dog. Min-sang, played by Yoo Hae-jin, does not like dogs and is at odds with his tenant, who is a veterinarian, but needs Min-seo’s help in an upcoming project, so he tries to win her over through her dog.

Actors Kim Seo-hyung, Daniel Henney and Tang Joon-sang star in supporting roles in the omnibus story. The film is the directorial debut of Kim Deok-min, who Youn first met nearly 20 years ago as an assistant.

A scene from "Argylle" [UNIVERSAL PICTURES]

Argylle (12)Action, comedy / 139 mins. / English / Feb. 7

We are so familiar with James Bond-like superspies, who wear sharp suits, drink martinis and speak elegantly — but are real-life spies like that? In “Argylle,” a superspy, played by Henry Cavill, and a more downtrodden and tired real-life spy named Aiden, played by Sam Rockwell, are juxtaposed.

Bryce Dallas Howard plays Elly Conway, a spy novel author who writes about superspy Argylle in her books. She is kidnapped when people find out that the plotlines in her novels predict what happens in real life. Aiden, a real-life spy, comes to her rescue, and the two must escape the wrath of a global spy syndicate as Elly’s cat tags along.

“Argylle” comes from director Matthew Vaughn, who created and directed the “Kingsman” (2014-2021) series, which grossed a total of $951 million worldwide. Vaughn also directed films “Stardust” (2007), “Kick-Ass” (2010) and “X-Men: First Class” (2011).

A scene from "Wonka" [WARNER BROTHERS KOREA]

Wonka (All)Fantasy / 116 mins. / English / Jan. 31

Have you ever wondered how Willy Wonka from the famous Charlie and the Chocolate Factory novels and films became the successful chocolatier that he did? “Wonka,” the new musical fantasy film starring Timothée Chalamet as the titular Willy Wonka, is about that very question.

Willy, an aspiring magician and chocolatier, travels to Europe with dreams of opening his own chocolate shop at the Galeries Gourmet. He stays at a boardinghouse and is tricked into a contract that says he must pay 10,000 silver sovereigns by the landlady. Willy later finds out that there is a “Chocolate Cartel” plot involving rival chocolatiers and seeks to undo the cartel while meeting an Oompa-Loompa named Lofty, played by Hugh Grant.

Based on British author Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s novels, “Wonka” is directed by Paul King, who directed the 2014 comedy film “Paddington” and its 2017 sequel “Paddington 2.” Calah Lane, Keegan-Michael Key, Sally Hawkins and Rowan Atkinson play supporting roles.

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]