‘Designer’, is Kang Dong-won really crazy?

‘The Designer’ is a movie where you can truly feel the cool face of Kang Dong-won, who is called ‘a cold handsome man.’ The story of finding the truth, as well as the visuals, makes it impossible to let go of the tension.

“I think my face came out better this time.” Kang Dong-won, who lost up to 68kg to look sharp, is impressive with his sensitive appearance. ‘The Designer’ tells the story of Yeong-il, a designer who manipulates a commissioned murder into an accidental death and gets caught up in an unexpected incident.

The movie tells an exciting story centered around Yeong-il (Kang Dong-won). Young-il leads a team that manipulates contract killings disguised as a security company called Samkwang Security into accidental deaths. Youngil believes that the incidents and accidents that team members Jackie, Wolcheon, and Jeomman (Lee Mi-sook, Lee Hyun-wook, and Tang Jun-sang) ignore are the work of a group of 'cleaners' by bigger designers. I believe that the ‘cleaner’ also designed the death of my colleague Jak-Nun (Lee Jong-Seok), whom I relied on the most.

While the Samkwang security team is carrying out a murder contract request from Joo Young-seon (Jung Eun-chae), an unexpected problem arises and they are scattered. Yeong-il feels that the ‘cleaner’ is also targeting him and tries to hit the ‘cleaner’ first.

The material is interesting. ‘If accidents that occur in everyday life were designed’. Is it a coincidence or a fabricated event? At the beginning of the movie, the murder is disguised as an accident under a carefully planned plan. However, as the movie unfolds, it is difficult for the audience to tell whether it is really a coincidence or a manipulation, making it unpredictable. Thanks to this, it feels like an action movie even if there are no scenes of fighting or guns or knives.

Although it is not an action movie, Kang Dong-won's emotional performance as Yeong-il played a role in making it feel like an action movie. Youngil's confusion was revealed through his eyes as he gradually began to trust no one. He delicately played a character who doubts everything around him and eventually even himself.

Above all, the special appearance of Lee Jong-seok and Kang Dong-won are good together. Lee Jong-seok's warm and attractive 'single eyes', which contrast with the cold and cool Kang Dong-won, stand out more. He showed off a presence that did not seem like a special appearance.

The acting skills of Lee Mi-sook, Tang Jun-sang, Lee Moo-saeng, Jeong Eun-chae, Kim Shin-rok, and Lee Dong-hwi are also outstanding. Each person played their role in their own style, increasing immersion. In particular, Lee Hyun-wook's crossdresser, who plays the role of Wolcheon, a master of camouflage, is surprising. Lee Hyun-wook, who has always played roles with a gentle or masculine image, was powerful to see wearing heavy makeup, stockings, and a mini skirt.

The story flows in a completely different direction from what I thought when I only saw the title 'Designer' and the preview video. If you want to enjoy a genre with a different feel, I recommend ‘Designer’. In addition, fans who expect a different image from the image Kang Dong-won has shown so far are worth opening their wallets.

Kim Seo-yoon, Ten Asia Reporter seogugu@tenasia.co.kr