A scene from the trailer of “Special Citizen” (Showbox)

Iconic Korean actor Choi Min-sik will return to the big screen next month with “Special Citizen” and a trailer for the film was released by its distributor Showbox on Thursday.

Best known to international audiences for his striking performance as a vengeful prisoner in the 2003 Park Chan-wook thriller “Oldboy,” Choi plays Byun Jong-goo, the ambitious mayor of Seoul running for his third term, in the upcoming film.

A scene from the trailer of “Special Citizen” (Showbox)

A scene from the trailer of “Special Citizen” (Showbox)

The trailer features the unknowable and multifarious politician Byun, who in one moment addresses citizens in a heartfelt speech, then steps off the stage saying it is nothing but an orchestrated show.

“Making everybody believe, that’s what an election is,” Byun says in the trailer. “It’s like retrieving a pearl from a pool of feces.”
The film marks Choi’s first portrayal of a politician in his 28-year career.

It will also feature Kwak Do-won of last year’s “The Wailing” as Byun’s jaded aide and head of his campaign.

By Rumy Doo (doo@heraldcorp.com)