'The Roundup: No Way Out' brings franchise to another level, Don Lee says

Movies

Published: 25 May. 2023, 11:00 Updated: 25 May. 2023, 16:29

'The Roundup: No Way Out' brings franchise to another level, Don Lee says

Actor Don Lee as ″monster cop″ Ma Suk-do in the new action film ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

It is often hard for a film franchise to keep making good entries — but for "The Roundup: No Way Out," that exactly has happened. The third installment in the franchise that started with "The Outlaws" (2017) and "The Roundup" (2022), this action-packed film may just be what could save the Korean film industry that has been in crisis since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Don Lee, better known by his Korean stage name Ma Dong-seok, returns as the "monster cop" Ma Suk-do in "The Roundup: No Way Out," opening in theaters on Wednesday, and the actor has done a great job of recreating his character's charms from the previous films. Lee not only played the protagonist and central character but also was one of the main producers for the film, participating in every step of making the film from the screenwriting process.

Main poster for ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

A no-nonsense and straightforward character, Suk-do fights the bad guys in the film with none of the trite elements often seen in action films — car chases, elaborate schemes or guns. Everything is done with his fists and animalistic sense of fighting. This delivers sweet gratification for viewers and makes it a fast-paced film.

Suk-do chases two main antagonists in "The Roundup: No Way Out," a level-up from the previous installments, in which each had one main antagonist.

Actor Don Lee as ″monster cop″ Ma Suk-do in the new action film ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

Played by Lee Joon-hyuk and Japanese actor Munetaka Aoki, these villains add a spin to the old template of the franchise. Lee's character Joo Seong-cheol is one of those villains who uses their brains first before fighting physically, posing a new challenge for Suk-do. Aoki plays Riki, a yakuza, bringing the franchise's first-ever foreign villain to the screen.

The franchise's signature fast pace and pithy dialogue are very present in "The Roundup: No Way Out" and brought to another level in this third installment. This feat was no less difficult to reach, with Lee and the producers and writers of the film having to go through countless drafts of the script, according to Don Lee.

Japanese actor Munetaka Aoki as yazuka Riki in the new action film ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

"We went through five different drafts of the script in the end," he said in a press event on Wednesday. "I can say that this franchise is something that I have, am and will be putting my all into."

Don Lee added that he had long dreamed of doing franchise films.

"Franchises have the advantage of being able to build up a universe of its own within the continued stories, and this is a dream for most people who make films. Being able to start a film without much explanation because the background for the story has already been built up in previous installments is something only franchise films can do."

Actor Don Lee [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

He also opened up about why he makes action films when his health has been in jeopardy for a long time, having suffered multiple injuries during his boxing career and the early days of his life as a lesser-known actor.

"I have unfortunately had all these injuries and side effects to the point of having panic attacks due to my back injury when I travel," he said. "But I keep coming back to action films because it is something I love."

He hopes the latest film can catalyze the Korean film industry's recovery.

Actor Don Lee as ″monster cop″ Ma Suk-do, right, in the new action film ″The Roundup: No Way Out″ [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

"I have heard that fewer and fewer people are going to theaters and that the Korean film industry is in a rut, and if our film can help to revive that, it would be great," he said. "It is difficult for films nowadays to sell even just one million tickets. We hope to sell at least 1.8 million, which is the break-even point for our film."

"The Outlaws" (2017) is the fourth most successful R-rated film of all time in Korea, while the second film of the franchise, "The Roundup" (2022), was the most successful film that year with 12 million tickets sold.

No fewer than five more films in the franchise of "The Roundup: No Way Out" are currently planned, according to reports and the actor himself. Filming for the fourth installment has already wrapped up, and the scripts for film number five and six are in the works.

Actor Don Lee [ABO ENTERTAINMENT]

"I met with actual cops on the job and heard over 50 real-life stories and cases to base our next films on. We could have a film set overseas, a film where maybe my character Suk-do is not the main protagonist and a spin-off film — who knows?"

While the franchise's future is set behind a veil, "The Roundup: No Way Out" continues the fun and excitement of the previous two films — whether it can hit another home run at the box office seems highly likely.

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