2005 The Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes, 2005 FIPRESCI Tae-shik, once a silver medalist in the Asian Games, now gets paid to be beaten up in place of others in the middle of the street. With his back up against the wall and nothing more to lose, the old boxer decides to go for the amateur boxing title. One day, Sang-hwan needs money to pay off compensation fees which in turn leads him to rob a wealthy neighbor, landing him smack in juvenile detention. A guard suggests that Sang-hwan join the boxing club after a fistfight between the two inmates. Ryoo Seung-wan has showed a distinguished talent in describing outsiders driven to the wall. Although he has particular interest in the action genre, his characters are always elaborately pictured and full of vitality. His talent as a storyteller is best shown in Crying Fist. The two protagonists perform without exaggeration, impressively conveying the violent but fragile inside of those who have hit the bottom of life. In addition, the story up until these two men meet is delicately structured. Six boxing matches directly show Ryoo′s special attachment to the action genre.