"Officer Black Belt" Director Aims to Pit His K-Movies Against YouTube Shorts

Director Jason Kim of Netflix's original Officer Black Belt shares his thoughts on working with Kim Woo Bin, his concerns as a filmmaker, and more. 

Officer Black Belt tells the story of Lee Jung Do (Kim Woo Bin), a third dan in Taekwondo, Kendo, and Judo, working with probation officer Kim Sun Min (Kim Sung Kyun) to monitor electronic anklet wearers 24/7 to prevent crimes. 

Working with Kim Woo Bin

Praising Kim Woo Bin, director Kim said, "Whatever Kim Woo Bin said, I believed him. No matter how he styled his hair or dressed, I could feel that he had good feelings deep in his heart and that they were for the world. He had an aura and image that didn't require extra persuasion, and that greatly influenced the character of Jeong Do." He confessed that having Kim Woo Bin as the lead made the storytelling smoother from the start.

Director Kim's Approach to Filming Action

As the promotional material promised, viewers were treated to well-crafted action scenes, the success of which the director attributes to Kim Woo Bin's physique. "It's true that because of Kim Woo Bin's excellent physique, the range of action expanded. When shooting action scenes, I tend to focus on physical strength. If there's a striker who can use both feet, I try to make full use of them. We set up his character to be bold from the start. Since the concept was to combine three martial arts, I wanted to evenly showcase Taekwondo, Kendo, and Judo. When a person with long legs does a kick, it feels like a windmill spinning, so I tried to highlight that. In narrow spaces, instead of Taekwondo, we used Kendo. I worked together with the martial arts director and Kim Woo Bin to find the right direction for the new settings and complex spaces." He revealed that the action was meticulously designed to highlight Kim Woo Bin's physical charm.

He continued, "Action scenes require a lot of preparation. Because they're dangerous, I always feel anxious while filming. The thought of not getting anyone hurt and creating good scenes is a heavy burden. At times like that, I often wonder, 'How many more times can I do this? What about a rom-com? Would a rom-com get funding?' Action is the genre that becomes more challenging the more I work on it," expressing how difficult it is to create action sequences that are fresh, new, and captivating with each project.

In this film, as much care was given to Kim Woo Bin's emotional arc as to his action scenes. The director said, "A good story is one that makes you forget it's fiction and accept it as real. To make it seem real, the emotions had to be genuine. In that sense, Kim Woo Bin's crying scene was truly remarkable. Since the actor can't cry repeatedly, we gave a lot of thought to the angles. When I saw the tears flowing as the hospital lights reflected off them, I got goosebumps on my whole body. ... It was a scene that made me very emotional and yet left me deeply satisfied."

Officer Black Belt — The Latest Addition to Director Kim's Buddy Action Movies

Director Kim has been building a portfolio of buddy action productions. His comment on this: "Midnight Runners revolved around friendship, and Bloodhounds portrayed a brotherly relationship. This time [with Officer Black Belt], it's a brotherhood with an even larger age gap. After getting married, I developed new emotional perspectives, and now I think that a father-daughter buddy movie, something I couldn't have imagined while making Midnight Runners, could also be possible. It might seem cliché and straightforward, but I feel that in today's world, what we need more are the values of trust formed in relationships, and the friendship, loyalty, and familial love that arise from those relationships." This is why he continues to make buddy productions. 

A Filmmaker's Concerns About Competing Against Short-Form Content

When looking at the film world of director Kim, it's evident that while he continues to pursue buddy relationships, the amount and pace of action in his films have been increasing. He shared, "What concerned me while preparing for this project was, 'How do I compete and win against YouTube Shorts?' There's this media with a fresh climax, and I worry about how tightly I need to structure my films so they don't feel dragged out," expressing concerns as a filmmaker about the growing popularity of short-form content.

"I think people's dopamine levels are changing. In classic storytelling, tension would gradually build up and then be relieved, but now that cycle has sped up. I think shortening the timing of dopamine release might be the key to appealing to viewers who are accustomed to short-form content. To cater to viewers' rapidly changing tastes, I feel that the 'grammar' of media needs to keep developing as well. As a storyteller, I think I need to be constantly thinking about what viewers find entertaining and how I can lead them there."

When asked whether a sequel to Officer Black Belt may happen, he responded, "If viewers show interest and the opportunity arises, we would need to incorporate a different tone and explore new directions." 

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