Counterattack

A kind of method film sponsored by the Prosecutor's Office of the Government-General of Korea, adapted and directed by Ahn Jong-hwa from the original draft of Ogata (緖方), who served as the chief of the censorship at the Gyeonggi-do Police Department. Geum-ryong Lee, a rubber factory worker, inevitably commits murder and sentences to prison to finance his younger brother's tuition. His wife, Bok Hye-suk, abandons her daughter and leaves her house. Geum-ryong, who is released from prison, goes to find his wife, but his wife is cold. Geum-ryong then goes to visit his younger brother, Lee Gyeong-sun. His younger brother becomes a successful doctor, but he brutally beats his daughter. Geum-ryong and his daughter regret his past and set out on a path without a destination.

Directed by Ahn Jong-hwa, Counterattack leans on a strong ensemble — Geum-ryong Lee, Bok Hye-suk, Kyeong-seon Lee — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about drama titles of 1936.