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'{{Infobox film | name = The Tower | image = The Tower (2012).jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster (December 2012) | film name = {{Film name | hangul = {{linktext|타워}} | hanja = 타워 | rr = Tawo | mr = T‘awŏ}} | director = [[Kim Ji-hoon (director)|Kim Ji-hoon]] | producer = Lee Han-seung <br /> Lee Su-man | writer = Kim Sang-don <br /> Heo Jun-seok ; Adaptation : Kim Ji-hoon <br /> Yoo Young-ah <br /> Lee Min-jae | starring = [[Sol Kyung-gu]] <br /> [[Kim Sang-kyung]] <br /> [[Son Ye-jin]] | music = [[Kim Tae-seong (composer)|Kim Tae-seong]] | cinematography = Kim Young-ho | editing = [[Kim Sang-bum (film editor)|Kim Sang-bum]] <br /> Kim Jae-bum | studio = The Tower Pictures | distributor = [[CJ Entertainment]] | released = {{film date|2012|12|25}} ([[South Korea]]) | runtime = 121 minutes | country = South Korea | language = Korean | budget = <!-- {{SK won|10 billion}} --> {{USD|9.3 million}} | gross = {{USD|36.4 million}}<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&wk=2013W1&id=_fTHETOWER201 "The Tower (2012)"]. ''[[Box Office Mojo]]''. Retrieved 2013-06-03.</ref> }} '''''The Tower''''' ({{ko-hhrm|타워||Tawo}}; "Tower") is a 2012 South Korean [[disaster film|disaster]] [[thriller film|thriller]] film about a fire that breaks out in a luxury skyscraper in central Seoul on Christmas Eve. The film is directed by [[Kim Ji-hoon (director)|Kim Ji-hoon]],<ref name=tall>{{cite web|last=Park|first=Eun-jee|title=''The Tower'' stands tall as a classic disaster film with a human side|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2964275|work=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|accessdate=2012-12-21|date=21 December 2012|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121227153341/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2964275|archivedate=27 December 2012|df=}}</ref> and stars [[Sol Kyung-gu]], [[Kim Sang-kyung]] and [[Son Ye-jin]] in the lead roles.<ref>{{cite web|last=Hong|first=Lucia|title=Son Ye-jin, Sul Kyung-gu, Kim Sang-kyung cast for action pic|url=http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2011032210142734596|work=10Asia|date=22 March 2011|accessdate=2012-11-18}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Kim|first1=Hyun-min|last2=Lee|first2=Eun-sun|title=THE TOWER's SOL Kyung-gu & SON Ye-jin: Actors' Experience from the Desperate Survival Drama|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/interview.jsp?blbdComCd=601019&seq=16&mode=INTERVIEW_VIEW|work=Korean Film Biz Zone|publisher=Korean Film Council|accessdate=2013-01-11|date=21 December 2012}}</ref> It was released in theaters on Christmas Day, December 25, 2012.<ref>{{cite web|last=Suk|first=Monica|title=Seol Kyung-gu, Son Ye-jin's Rescue Drama Arriving in Theaters in December|url=http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012102319572966241|work=10Asia|date=23 October 2012|accessdate=2012-11-18}}</ref> ==Plot== Lee Dae-ho ([[Kim Sang-kyung]]) is a single father and manager of the 120 story luxurious landmark building complex, ''Tower Sky'' in [[Yeouido]], [[Seoul]]. He is an earnest employee liked by his colleagues and is secretly in love and secretly even wanted to marry with Seo Yoon-hee ([[Son Ye-jin]]), a restaurant manager. The owner of the complex, Mr. Jo decides to hold a "White Christmas" party for tenants and VIPs on [[Christmas Eve]], with [[helicopter]]s circling above with huge lights attached below them, sprinkling snow onto the party. Dae-ho has promised to spend the day at an amusement park with his daughter Ha-na, but had to cancel when he is needed at the party. However, the building has faulty water sprinklers due to frozen pipes, but Mr. Cha, the ''Tower Sky'''s safety section head, is more concerned for the party than any possible architectural errors within the building, despite warnings from his fellow employers about these errors. (One example of their warnings is when cook Young-cheol (Jeon Bae-soo) accidentally leaves a stove on for too long and causes a minor fire.) Young-cheo is in love with a receptionist within the building named Min-jung, and even sneaks out of the kitchen while on duty to make her an ice cream. Meanwhile, Lee Seon-woo ([[Do Ji-han]]) is a rookie fireman entering the [[Yeouido]] Fire Station. When he gets accepted, he learns that many of the firefighters get more breaks than actual firefighting. In a prank to fool Seon-woo, the other firefighters ring the fire alarm for the squad to assemble while he takes a shower, causing him to appear in front of his entire team naked, much to the other firefighters' and even his own pleasure as they put his helmet on him for the first time. While the party is in full swing, and while Young-cheo proposes a rose to Min-jung in an elevator, huge gusts of wind cause one of the helicopters to lose control and the attached lights crash into the glass bridge connecting the two ''Tower Sky'' buildings and into a side of one of the buildings. Another one of the helicopters then crashes into the building, causing the helicopter to leak fuel and the building catches fire. Shards of glass fall onto the partygoers below, which include Mr. Yoon ([[Song Jae-ho]]) and his friend Mrs. Jung (Lee Joo-shil), while another one of the huge lights falls and crashes onto a bus. At one point, while evacuating, some people, including a security guard, board an elevator despite warnings not to use it, as the security guard rejects Yoon-hee and Ha-na from entering just as they are about to board. While traveling down, an explosion occurs below the elevator, which stops it in its path. This literally fries the people inside while melting their shoes until the elevator explodes, killing everyone in it. Dae-ho moves quickly to save Ha-na, Yoon-hee and his colleagues. At the same time, firefighters Kang Young-ki ([[Sol Kyung-gu]]) and Seon-woo fight to bring the blaze under control, helping Dae-ho in the process. Together they fight to save the lives of everyone. While Yoon-hee, Ha-na, Young-cheol, Ming-jung and the others take refuge in the building's Chinese restaurant, the firefighters decide to contain the blaze at its origin, the 63rd floor, where the helicopter crashed. Despite containing the fire on that floor, it spreads further within the building. In the end, Young-ki sacrifices his own life to save not only Seon-woo, but for all people in the future by detonating the switch manually inside the water storage tanks since he accidentally dropped the remote control switch while on his way. Meanwhile, the Mayor of Seoul orders the firefighters to detonate a bomb to demolish the building in order to prevent it from toppling over onto the other twin tower, which will result in [[Cascade effect|cascade effect]]-[[Structural integrity and failure|structural failure]] of Tower Sky and decimate the portion of the island district of [[Yeouido|Yeouido,]]<nowiki/>causing colossal damage and casualties. Before the credits roll, the camera points out in the air towards the remains of Tower Sky as dawn began to break on Christmas Day, which is now left with a single 108-story skyscraper, with Yeouido District shrouded below by a cloud of dust generated by the collapsing ruins of the Riverview Tower.<ref>{{cite web|title=Line up: The Tower (2012)|url=http://www.cjent.co.kr/eng/lineup/info.asp?MovieNo=313|work=[[CJ Entertainment]]|accessdate=2012-06-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The Tower (2012)|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/films/index/filmsView.jsp?movieCd=20124039|work=Korean Film Biz Zone|publisher=Korean Film Council|accessdate=2012-06-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Elley|first=Derek|title=The Tower|url=http://www.filmbiz.asia/reviews/the-tower|work=[[Film Business Asia]]|accessdate=2013-02-09|date=9 February 2013}}</ref> ==Cast== {{colbegin}} * [[Sol Kyung-gu]] – Captain Kang Young-ki * [[Kim Sang-kyung]] – Lee Dae-ho * [[Son Ye-jin]] – Seo Yoon-hee<ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Claire|title=Queen of romance returns in disaster flick|url=http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20121217000947|work=[[The Korea Herald]]|accessdate=2012-12-17|date=17 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Son|first=Jin-ah|title=Son Ye Jin talks about casting in ''Tower''|url=http://en.starnnews.com/news/index.html?no=152633|work=StarN News|accessdate=2012-12-21|date=19 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Jin-ho|title=Interview: Son Ye Jin Says She Loves Her 30s|url=http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=24524|work=enewsWorld|accessdate=2012-12-27|date=23 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Han|first=Jae-hee|title=Son Ye-jin a pillar of support in ''The Tower''|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2964503|work=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|accessdate=2012-12-27|date=27 December 2012|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231205900/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2964503|archivedate=31 December 2012|df=}}</ref> * [[Kim In-kwon]] – Sergeant Oh Byung-man * [[Ahn Sung-ki]] – [[Yeouido]] Fire Station chief * [[Song Jae-ho]] – Mr. Yoon, the old man * Lee Joo-shil – Mrs. Jung, Mr. Yoon's friend * [[Lee Han-wi]] – Mr. Kim, church elder * Kwon Tae-won – Jang, the Fire Commissioner * Jeon Guk-hyang – Ae-ja * [[Jung In-gi]] – Cha, the safety section head * [[Cha In-pyo]] – President Jo * Jeon Bae-soo – Young-chul, the cook * [[Kim Sung-oh]] – In-gun * Min Young – Nam-ok, the pregnant woman * Park Jun-seo – aide * Lee Joo-ha – Min-jung, the receptionist * [[Do Ji-han]] – Lee Sun-woo, the rookie fireman<ref>{{cite web|last=An|first=So-hyoun|title=Interview: Do Ji Han Calls ''Tower'' a Gift|url=http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=26024|work=enewsWorld|publisher=CJ E&M|accessdate=2013-01-13|date=13 January 2013}}</ref> * Jo Min-ah – Lee Ha-na, Dae-ho's daughter * Lee Sang-hong – Yeouido fireman * Jin Mo – Yeouido fireman * Chu Min-ki – Yeouido fireman * Kang Poong – Yeouido fireman * [[Kwon Hyun-sang]] – Young-hoon * Lee Chang-yong – command HQ specialist * Lee Chang-joo – Jo's private secretary * [[Park Chul-min]] – head cook * [[Kim Eung-soo]] – Jin * Park Jeong-hak – Jung * Park Yong-su – Park * [[Kim Soo-jin]] – Yeong-gi's wife * Nam Sang-seok – reporter in front of Tower Sky * Kwon Young-hee – reporter in front of Tower Sky * Lee Min-woo – reporter in front of Tower Sky {{colend}} ===English dubbing=== *Captain Kang Young-ki - [[Kirk Thornton|Buba Kachow]] *Lee Dae-ho - [[Patrick Seitz]] *Seo Yoon-hee - [[Erin Fitzgerald]] *Sergeant Oh Byung-man - [[Sean Chiplock]] *In-geon - [[Lucien Dodge]] *Lee Seon-woo - [[Johnny Yong Bosch]] *Lee Ha-na - [[Cassandra Lee]] *Cha - [[Christopher Corey Smith|Russel Jimmies]] *Mr. Kim - [[Kyle Hebert]] *Mr. Yoon - [[Steve Mann]] *Young-cheol - [[Todd Haberkorn]] *Min-jung - [[Erika Harlacher]] ==Production== Director [[Kim Ji-hoon (director)|Kim Ji-hoon]] (who previously helmed ''[[Sector 7 (film)|Sector 7]]'' and ''[[May 18 (film)|May 18]]'') was inspired by the 1974 Hollywood film ''[[The Towering Inferno]]'', and his personal experience seeing the [[63 Building]] in [[Seoul]] for the first time as a middle school student and imagining how it would feel to be trapped inside.<ref name=tall /> The crew built 26 different sets to create various spaces in the fictional 108-story Tower Sky such as a Chinese restaurant, elevators and a pedestrian overpass between the two blocks. For the scenes involving water on the 80th floor, actors [[Sol Kyung-gu]] and [[Kim Sang-kyung]] filmed in a water container set in [[Goyang City]], [[Gyeonggi Province]], without using stuntmen.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kim|first=Hyun-min|title=An Epic Film Capable of Moving Hearts: A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Production of TOWER|url=http://koreanfilm.or.kr/webzine/sub/feature.jsp?mode=A_VIEW&wbSeq=89|work=Korean Cinema Today|accessdate=2013-01-21|date=28 December 2012}}</ref> Kim worked on the film's [[post-production]] for two years. 1,700 [[cut (transition)|cut]]s out of 3,000 were based on [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] and 500 of the CG cuts were full [[3D film|3-D]] cut scenes. For more authenticity, live action shoots were combined with CGI, such as the shooting of a [[miniature effect|miniature]] in the United States with a [[motion control photography|motion control camera]] for the ending scene.<ref name=tall /> ==Box office== On its theater release on December 25, 2012, ''The Tower'' drew 431,759 admissions, the second highest opening day ticket sales in the history of Korean cinema (after ''[[The Thieves]]''{{'}} 436,628).<ref>{{cite web|last=Kim|first=Hyun-min|title=The Opening Score of THE TOWER Second Best in Korean Film History|work=Korean Film Biz Zone|publisher=Korean Film Council|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2107|accessdate=2012-12-30|date=27 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Kim|first=Nemo|title=Opening Score of ''Tower'' 2nd Best in Korean History|url=http://www.tenasia.com/opening-score-of-tower-2nd-best-in-korean-history/|work=10Asia|accessdate=2012-12-27|date=26 December 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Sunwoo|first=Carla|title=''The Tower'' stands tall on first day|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2964488|work=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|accessdate=2012-12-27|date=27 December 2012|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101022226/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2964488|archivedate=1 January 2013|df=}}</ref> It sold two million tickets in its first week,<ref>{{cite web|last=Sunwoo|first=Carla|title=''The Tower'' is No. 1 at the box office|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2964788|work=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|accessdate=2013-01-02|date=2 January 2013|deadurl=yes|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130107023425/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2964788|archivedate=7 January 2013|df=}}</ref> 3.54 million by its second week,<ref>{{cite web|title=''The Tower'' Still Drawing Moviegoers|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/01/08/2013010801107.html|work=[[The Chosun Ilbo]]|accessdate=2013-01-08|date=8 January 2013}}</ref> and 4.45 million by its third week.<ref>{{cite web|last=Kim|first=Hyun-min|title=THE TOWER Surpasses 4,450,000 in 21 Days|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2167|work=Korean Film Biz Zone|publisher=Korean Film Council|accessdate=2013-01-15|date=15 January 2013}}</ref> On January 22, 2013, it became the first Korean film in 2013 to reach the five million mark.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Oh|first1=Mi-jung|last2=Kim|first2=Erika|title=''Tower'' Becomes First Movie of the Year to Pass 5 Million|url=http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=27199|work=enewsWorld|publisher=CJ E&M|accessdate=2013-01-23|date=22 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=''Tower'' exceeds 5 million mark in attendance|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2013/01/23/20/0701000000AEN20130123004000315F.HTML|work=[[Yonhap]]|accessdate=2013-01-26|date=23 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Carla|first=Sunwoo|title=''Tower'' exceeds 5 million views|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2965960|archive-url=https://archive.is/20130216073611/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2965960|dead-url=yes|archive-date=16 February 2013|work=[[Korea JoongAng Daily]]|accessdate=2013-01-24|date=24 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=''The Tower'' Draws Over 5 Million Moviegoers|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/01/25/2013012500745.html|work=[[The Chosun Ilbo]]|accessdate=2013-01-25|date=25 January 2013}}</ref> ==International== The film was pre-sold by [[CJ Entertainment]] to Entertainment One in UK, Splendid in Germany, Benelux, Zylo for French-speaking territories, Horizon International in Turkey, Rainbow Entertainment in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia; and Jonon Source in Mongolia.<ref>{{cite web|title=CJ and Showbox close a bevy of international sales|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=1745|accessdate=2012-11-18|work=Korean Film Biz Zone|date=30 May 2012|publisher=Korean Film Council}}</ref> ''The Tower'' earned {{HKD|4,733,937}} at the [[Hong Kong]] box office.<ref>{{cite web |url= http://thehkneo.com/blog/?p=3581|title= The Tower |date=24 February 2013|accessdate= 2013-02-28|work= HK Neo Reviews}}</ref> ==Awards and nominations== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Award ! Category ! Nominated work ! Result |- | rowspan="4"|2013 || [[49th Baeksang Arts Awards]] || Best New Actor || rowspan="2"|[[Do Ji-han]] || {{nom}} |- | [[Mnet 20's Choice Awards]] || 20's Booming Star, Male || {{nom}} |- | [[22nd Buil Film Awards]] || Best Cinematography || Kim Young-ho || {{nom}} |- | [[50th Grand Bell Awards]] || Technical Award (visual effects) || Digital Idea || {{won}} |- |} ==References== {{Reflist|2}} == External links == * {{Official website|http://towersky2012.interest.me}} {{ko icon}} * {{Official website|http://www.thetowermovie2013.com}} {{en icon}} * {{IMDb title|2554270|The Tower}} * {{KMDb film|13302|The Tower}} * {{Hancinema film|The_Tower|The Tower}} {{Kim Ji-hoon}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Tower, The}} [[Category:2012 films]] [[Category:2010s thriller films]] [[Category:South Korean thriller films]] [[Category:South Korean films]] [[Category:South Korean disaster films]] [[Category:Films about firefighting]] [[Category:South Korean Christmas films]] [[Category:Films set in Seoul]] [[Category:Films shot in Seoul]] [[Category:Films shot in Incheon]] [[Category:Films directed by Kim Ji-hoon]] [[Category:CJ Entertainment films]] [[Category:Korean-language films]]'