The Face Reader
The Face Reader (Korean: 관상; RR: Gwansang; lit. "Physiognomy") is a 2013 South Korean period action drama film starring Song Kang-ho as the son of a disgraced noble family who goes around Joseon and a gwansang expert. He is able to assess the personality, mental state and habits of a person by looking at his or her face. His talents bring him to the royal courts where he becomes involved in a power struggle between Grand Prince Suyang and general Kim Jong-seo, a high-ranking loyalist to King Munjong. It is the first installment of the Jupiter Film's three-part film project on the Korean fortune-telling traditions and was followed by two sequels, The Princess and the Matchmaker and Feng Shui in 2018.
| The Face Reader | |
|---|---|
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 관상 |
| Hanja | |
| Revised Romanization | Gwansang |
| McCune–Reischauer | Kwansang |
| Directed by | Han Jae-rim |
| Written by | Kim Dong-hyuk |
| Produced by | Kim Woo-jae Yu Jeong-hun Ju Pil-ho |
| Starring | Song Kang-ho Lee Jung-jae Baek Yoon-sik Jo Jung-suk Lee Jong-suk Kim Hye-soo |
| Cinematography | Go Nak-seon |
| Edited by | Kim Chang-ju |
| Music by | Lee Byung-woo |
| Distributed by | Showbox Mediaplex |
Release date |
|
Running time | 139 minutes |
| Country | South Korea |
| Language | Korean |
| Box office | US$61 million |
The Face Reader became one of the highest-grossing films in South Korea in 2013, with 9.1 million admissions. It won six awards at the 50th Grand Bell Awards, including Best Film, Best Director for Han Jae-rim, and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho. This film is Lee Jong-suk's only historical project to date.