Crying Fist
title: "Crying Fist" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["2005-films", "2000s-sports-drama-films", "2005-sports-films", "south-korean-sports-drama-films", "south-korean-anthology-films", "2000s-korean-language-films", "south-korean-boxing-films", "films-shot-in-seoul", "films-directed-by-ryoo-seung-wan", "2005-drama-films", "2005-south-korean-films"] topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crying_Fist" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox film"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Crying Fist |
| image | Crying Fist.jpg |
| native_name | |
| director | Ryoo Seung-wan |
| producer | Park Jae-hyeong |
| Im Seung-yong | |
| writer | Ryoo Seung-wan |
| Jeon Cheol-hong | |
| starring | Choi Min-sik |
| Ryoo Seung-bum | |
| music | Bang Jun-seok |
| cinematography | Jo Yong-gyu |
| editing | Nam Na-yeong |
| studio | Sio Film |
| Bravo Entertainment | |
| distributor | Showeast |
| released | |
| runtime | 134 minutes |
| country | South Korea |
| language | Korean |
| gross | |
| :: |
| name = Crying Fist | image = Crying Fist.jpg | native_name = | director = Ryoo Seung-wan | producer = Park Jae-hyeong Im Seung-yong | writer = Ryoo Seung-wan Jeon Cheol-hong | starring = Choi Min-sik Ryoo Seung-bum | music = Bang Jun-seok | cinematography = Jo Yong-gyu | editing = Nam Na-yeong | studio = Sio Film Bravo Entertainment | distributor = Showeast | released = | runtime = 134 minutes | country = South Korea | language = Korean | budget = | gross = Crying Fist () is a 2005 South Korean sports drama film written and directed by Ryoo Seung-wan. It stars Choi Min-sik and Ryoo Seung-bum as two desperate men, a washed-up former boxing champion and a troubled youth respectively, who face off in a high-stakes tournament that could change their lives. The film screened in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.
Plot
Kang Tae-sik, a former boxing star, promotes himself as a "human punching bag" on the streets, letting strangers beat him for money. After losing his factory, his savings, and his family, Tae-sik lives in a rooftop room and scrapes by on street fights. With his wife demanding a divorce and his son emotionally distant, Tae-sik spirals into despair until a chance encounter with a poster advertising the Rookie of the Year boxing tournament inspires him to try for one last shot at redemption.
Tae-sik's situation worsens when he is tricked by an old acquaintance, Won-tae, who promises to help but instead steals his money and disappears. Humiliated and physically broken, Tae-sik is diagnosed with early onset dementia caused by repeated head trauma. With nothing left to lose, he begs Won-tae to help him enter the boxing tournament. Surprisingly, Won-tae agrees, forging a registration form through Tae-sik's former boxing contacts and even offering to act as his coach. Motivated by a desperate need to reconnect with his son, Tae-sik begins training.
Meanwhile, Yoo Sang-hwan is a 19-year-old delinquent who lives by fighting and petty theft. After committing a robbery that leads to the accidental death of an elderly man, he is sentenced to five years in juvenile detention. There, a prison official notices his raw fighting talent and encourages him to join the boxing team. Though he initially struggles and resists authority, Sang-hwan finds purpose in boxing and begins to channel his anger and grief, especially after his father dies in a construction accident and his grandmother collapses from the shock.
Determined to win and honor his family, Sang-hwan throws himself into training and eventually defeats his prison rival Kwon-rok. Granted temporary leave, he enters the Rookie of the Year tournament alongside Tae-sik. As both fighters climb the ranks, Tae-sik relying on experience and Sang-hwan winning by knockout after knockout, they move closer to a fateful final match. Along the way, Tae-sik reconnects with his son, while Sang-hwan visits the graves of his father and grandmother, vowing to win for them.
Tae-sik and Sang-hwan battle fiercely for six rounds, their contrasting styles and motivations pushing them to the limit. Sang-hwan narrowly wins by decision. Afterward, he embraces his grandmother, overwhelmed by emotion, while Tae-sik holds his son close in the ring.
Cast
- Choi Min-sik as Kang Tae-sik
- Ryoo Seung-bum as Yoo Sang-hwan
- Im Won-hee as Won-tae
- Byun Hee-bong as Sang-hwan's coach
- Na Moon-hee as Sang-hwan's grandmother
- Gi Ju-bong as Sang-hwan's father
- Chun Ho-jin as Sang-chul
- Ahn Gil-kang as head warden
- Kim Su-hyeon as Kwon-rok
- Oh Dal-su as Yong-dae
- Seo Hye-rin as Sun-ju
- Lee Joon-gu
- Kim Young-in
- Park Joo-ah
- Kim Byeong-ok as detective Oh
Awards and nominations
- Best Supporting Actress - Na Moon-hee
- Best Editing - Nam Na-yeong
- Special Jury Prize
- Nomination - Best Film
- Nomination - Best Director - Ryoo Seung-wan
- Nomination - Best Actor - Ryoo Seung-bum
- Nomination - Best Screenplay - Ryoo Seung-wan and Jeon Cheol-hong
- Nomination - Best Cinematography - Jo Yong-gyu
- Nomination - Best Lighting - Jeong Seong-cheol
- Nomination - Best Music - Bang Jun-seok
- Nomination - Best Visual Effects - Lee Jeon-hyeong (EON), Shin Joo-hee, Jang Jong-gyu, Jo Sung-jae, Jeong Do-an (Demolition)
- Nomination - Best Sound - Jeong Gun, Kim Suk-won (Blue Cap)
- Nomination - Best Planning - Im Seung-yong, Park Jae-hyeong
- Nomination - Best Actor - Ryoo Seung-bum
;2005 Korean Film Awards
- Nomination - Best Film
- Nomination - Best Director - Ryoo Seung-wan
- Nomination - Best Actor - Ryoo Seung-bum
- Nomination - Best Supporting Actress - Na Moon-hee
- Nomination - Best Screenplay - Ryoo Seung-wan and Jeon Cheol-hong
- Nomination - Best Editing - Nam Na-yeong
;2005 Busan Film Critics Awards
- Best Director - Ryoo Seung-wan
References
References
- [https://www.boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3737866757/ "Jumeogi Unda (Crying Fist)"] {{Webarchive. link. (2017-09-25 . ''[[Box Office Mojo]]''. Retrieved 2012-11-19.)
- [http://www.koreanfilm.org/films2005.html#boxoffice "Commercial Releases in 2005: Box-Office Results"] {{Webarchive. link. (2012-08-05 . ''Koreanfilm.org''. Retrieved 2012-11-19.)
- (22 August 2005). "K-FILM REVIEWS: 주먹이 운다 (Crying Fist)". [[Twitch Film]].
- Paquet, Darcy. "Crying Fist".
- Rowland, Sarah. (30 June 2005). "Ring leader". [[Montreal Mirror]].
- Macleod, Iain. (9 December 2005). "Crying Fist". Eye for Film.
- (14 April 2005). "Ryoo Seung-beom". Teen Times.
- Lee, Ji-hye. (22 October 2009). "Ryu Seung-beom's Movie Picks". 10Asia.
- [http://www.cinemasie.com/en/fiche/oeuvre/cryingfist/ "Crying Fist"]. ''Cinemasie''. Retrieved 2012-11-19.
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