3-Iron

Plot

A transient young man breaks into empty homes to partake of the vacationing residents' lives for a few days.

Release Year: 2004

Rating: 8.0/10 (20,931 voted)

Critic's Score: 72/100

Director:
Ki-duk Kim

Stars: Seung-yeon Lee, Hyun-kyoon Lee, Hyuk-ho Kwon

Storyline
A young drifter enters strangers' houses – and lives – while owners are away. He spends a night or a day squatting in, repaying their unwitting hospitality by doing laundry or small repairs. His life changes when he runs into a beautiful woman in an affluent mansion who is ready to escape her unhappy, abusive marriage.

Cast:

Seung-yeon Lee
–

Sun-hwa

Hyun-kyoon Lee
–

Tae-suk

(as Hee Jae)

Hyuk-ho Kwon
–

Min-gyu (husband)

Jeong-ho Choi
–

Jailor

Ju-seok Lee
–

Son of Old Man

Mi-suk Lee
–

Daughter-in-law of Old Man

Sung-hyuk Moon
–

Sung-hyuk

Jee-ah Park
–

Jee-ah

Jae-yong Jang
–

Hyun-soo

Dah-hae Lee
–

Ji-eun

Han Kim
–

Man in Studio

Se-jin Park
–

Woman in Studio

Dong-jin Park
–

Detective Lee

Jong-su Lee
–

Man who Came Back from Family Trip

Ui-soo Lee
–

Woman who Came Back from Family Trip

Details

Official Website:
Sony Pictures Classics [United States] |

Release Date: 15 October 2004

Box Office Details

Budget: $1,000,000

(estimated)

Opening Weekend: €59,325
(Italy)
(5 December 2004)
(11 Screens)

Gross: $238,507
(USA)
(14 August 2005)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min
 |
Turkey: 84 min
(TV version)

Did You Know?

Trivia:

Director Kim ki-Duk wrote the screenplay of the movie in one month, the movie was filmed in 16 days and the film editing was done in 10 days.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized:
His boxer-type BMW motorcycle, which has two cylinders, is dubbed with the sound of a four cylinder engine.

User Review

Try a little tenderness…

Rating: 10/10


Watched it two times the past week. In a nutshell – I dare anyone to
find a film that is more sober and so light and that at the same time
fills you with a deep warmth an and all encompassing feeling of great
tenderness. Really.

Its story is of such unbelievable simplicity that at the first sight of
such a script you'd wonder how on earth it would be possible to make it
into a film – or tell anything with it that goes beyond the script. Add
to this the fact that any dialogue almost entirely fails to manifest
itself…

But then you forget about Kim Ki-duk! If anyone was born with the eye
of the cinematographic magician, it must be him. Despite the fact that
I did not like The Isle at all, the photography was utterly
unbelievable. Same for Spring, Summer… But then I still thought
"well, anyone with reasonable skill can get a good image out of such
landscapes/spaces". But none of that here – mainly indoors or in the
city – just a guy spending his nights at other unknown people's places
while they're away, and in turn repairs stuff and cleans/does the
laundry. And STILL the images are nothing less than breathtaking. The
light is superb, the framing, everything… Also the storytelling…
pacing is perfect – he tells the story with images more than with
events. The film actually becomes light as feather, and then lighter.
Sublimation. And besides that, he manages to squeeze in some real drama
and the occasional laugh. Go figure.

I'm gonna quit here, there's really nothing much more I can add. Do
yourself a favour and see this inconspicuous little film that is so
profoundly simple and beautiful that you'll be wanting to send me a
thank you note afterwards for telling you this.