Silmido is a South Korean action drama film directed by Kang Woo-Suk that was released in 2003. It is based on Baek Dong-novel ho’s Silmido, published in 1999, which is based on the true story of Unit 684.
Because the exact facts of certain incidents are uncertain, some elements of the film are dramatizations. The film was a critical and financial success in South Korea, and it was the first to reach a box office audience of more than 10 million people.
In 1968, the South Korean government enlists the help of 31 convicts to prepare for a covert mission to assassinate North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung. The inmates, including gang leader Kang In-Chan (Sul Kyung-Gu), are put through a two-year grueling training program by the commando camp’s commander (Ahn Sung-Ki). However, the expedition is abruptly canceled, and the government demands that all proof of the plot be destroyed. As a result, the would-be assassins and the ones who prepared them to face off in the last bloodbath.
The majority of the filming took place in South Korea, however portions of underwater and winter training were shot in Malta and New Zealand, respectively.
Silmido was favorably appreciated by audiences in South Korea, where it was seen by over 6 million people in its first 26 days, grossing over $30 million in the country. Silmido would also earn US$4,540,528 in Japan and US$298,347 in the United States from its limited release.
Silmido went on to become the first picture in South Korea to gross over 10 million dollars at the box office, and it maintained the record for the most-watched film in theatres until Taegukgi was released in 2004, with 11.74 million viewers.
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