The Fatal Encounter

In 1777, one year after he began his reign, King Jeongjo lives a perilous palace life amidst opposition and threats from those around him who harbor political ambitions. He prepares himself for possible attacks by working out alone in the palace. Jeongjo is a calm and considerate man, but he is also afraid. The only one he trusts is his loyal court servant Gap-soo, called the king's shadow.

When Gap-soo was young, he was sold to a cruel man named Gwang-baek, who illegally and brutally trains orphaned children to become professional assassins. Gap-soo befriends Eul-soo, another orphan who is a few years younger than him. When Gwang-baek is instructed to give one of his children to become a court eunuch, he asks Gap-soo and Eul-soo to play the game of rock-paper-scissors; Gap-soo purposely loses the game in an effort to protect Eul-soo. Thus, Gap-soo is castrated and sent to the royal palace. There he meets Jeongjo, a young boy who is still mourning his father's death. Meanwhile, Eul-soo continues enduring harsh training and grows up as a merciless killer.

Years later, Eul-soo, now the deadliest member of the secret group of assassins, receives orders to kill Jeongjo within 24 hours. He infiltrates the palace, where he falls in love with Wol-hye, a gungnyeo (or female court servant). Jeongjo's mother Lady Hyegyeong is also locked in dangerous conflict with the late King Yeongjo's much younger widow, dowager Queen Jeongsun. Meanwhile, Gap-soo confesses his dark past to Jeongjo and swears to protect him.[6]

• Hyun Bin as King Jeongjo.[7][8][9][10][11]
  • Goo Seung-hyun as young Jeongjo
• Jung Jae-young as Gap-soo/Sang-chaek, an assassin sent to kill the king who goes undercover as a royal eunuch, but who becomes convinced of Jeongjo's fitness to rule.[12]
  • Sung Yu-bin as young Sang-chaek
• Jo Jung-suk as Eul-soo/Sal-soo, an assassin hired to kill Jeongjo.[13][14]
  • Chun Bo-geun as young Sal-soo
• Cho Jae-hyun as Gwang-baek, who kidnaps orphaned children and trains them into ruthless assassins.
• Han Ji-min as Queen Jeongsun, the queen dowager, consort of Jeongjo's grandfather King Yeongjo, and Jeongjo's political rival.
• Kim Sung-ryung as Lady Hyegyeong of the Poongsan Hong clan, Jeongjo's mother, who is desperate to save her son.
• Park Sung-woong as Hong Guk-yeong, a politician who strongly supports Jeongjo.
• Go Bo-gyeol as laundry court lady at palace
• Jung Eun-chae as Kang Wol-hye, a female court servant in charge of the king's clothing.
  • Lee Jae-hee as young Wol-hye
• Song Young-chang as Gu Seon-bok
• Lee Do-kyeong as Ahn Guk-rae
• Seo Yi-sook as Go Soo-ae
• Kim Min-jae as Choi Se-bok
• Kim Dae-myung as Kang Yong-hwi
• Kim Ju-wan as Hong Sang-beom
• Yoo Eun-mi as Bok-bing
• Lee Jun-hyeok

The Fatal Encounter was released in South Korea on April 30, 2014. The film also had a limited theatrical run in 25 North American cinemas on May 23.[15]

The Fatal Encounter attracted 1.7 million admissions and ₩13.1 billion (US$12.7 million ) on its first five days in the theaters. The opening was the biggest for a local release in 2014, though it trailed to debuts of Hollywood tentpoles Captain America: The Winter Soldier and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.[16][17]

Despite receiving mostly mixed to negative reviews from critics after its press screening,[18][19] the period blockbuster has sold over 3.2 million tickets two weeks since its release.[20][21]

It grossed ₩29.9 billion and sold 3.85 million tickets in South Korea.[22]

• Official website (in Korean)
• The Fatal Encounter at CJ Entertainment
• The Fatal Encounter at HanCinema
• The Fatal Encounter at the Korean Movie Database
• The Fatal Encounter at IMDb