The Assassin(s)
Southeast Asian Premiere
Hur Jin-ho South Korea 2026 131 min PG13 (Some Coarse Language and Violence)
Undeterred by the intimidation of state agents, an intrepid detective, reporter and news editor join forces to uncover the truth about a shooting in this gripping procedural thriller.
South Korea’s Liberation Day, 15 August 1974. Detective Cheol-gu leaves for work as part of the security team at the National Theater of Korea where president Park Chung-hee is due to make a national address. But the day descends into chaos when a shooting occurs.
After finding out that the crime scene tells a story contradicting official accounts, Cheol-gu, together with a young reporter and a newspaper editor, launches his own investigation to unearth the truth. Faced with the strong-arm tactics of a tyrannical government to silence dissent, the trio put their lives and careers on the line to pursue justice.
Though The Assassin(s) is a dramatised account of a historical event, the state-sponsored violence and communist bogeyman that mark this turbulent period of South Korean history are well documented. Hur Jin-ho’s sleek and accomplished procedural thriller offers a chilling look into a dictatorial regime where media freedom is suppressed and the law is twisted for political ends.
Synopsis Writer: Fiona Lim
Festival Opening
21 Oct, Wed 8:30PM / 131 min
Marina Bay Sands, Sands Theatre
22 Oct, Thu 2:00PM / 131 min
National Museum Singapore, Gallery Theatre
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AT THE FEST!
All regular screenings are on a free seating, first-come, first-served basis.
Our Festival Opening, Festival Closing, and Special Presentations will have reserved seating.
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RUSH QUEUE:
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The Assassin(s)
암살자(들)
Hur Jin-ho
South Korea
2026
Korean, Japanese
English
131 min
PG13 (Some Coarse Language and Violence)
Southeast Asian Premiere
Hur Jin-ho
The oeuvre of South Korean filmmaker Hur Jin-ho has mostly focused on the exploration of love and human relationships. These include Christmas in August (1998), which screened at Cannes and competed at SGIFF, One Fine Spring Day (2001), which premiered at Rotterdam, and Dangerous Liaisons (2012), which also premiered at Cannes. His previous feature, A Normal Family (2023), screened at SGIFF.
Yoo Hai-jin,
Park Hae-il,
Lee Min-ho
Kim Won-kuk