Yoon Jong-bin’s first attempt at the female character’s narrative The new Korean mystery ‘Nine Puzzle’ was released in the final 11th episode of Disney+ on the 4th, and Ha Jungwoo Ha’s special appearance, which was accompanied by five surprise appearances such as Lee Sung-min and Hwang Jung-min without romance between Kim Da-mi and Son Seok-gu, failed to make it.
The mysterious puzzle pieces delivered every time a murder occurs reveal the tangled desires and grudges of humans as the number increases. The Disney+ series “Nine Puzzle,” which depicts the story of a collaborative investigation between the daring profiler Ina (played by Kim Da-mi) and the on-site detective Han Sam (Son Seok-gu), is a hot topic. Immediately after its release, it was ranked in the top 10 global rankings of the OTT content aggregation site FlixPatrol, and ranked first in Korea, Japan, and Hong Kong Disney+.
In particular, the work was born as a new mystery that never existed before when he met with film director Yoon Jong-bin, who is called a master of crime noir and espionage action films. He, who has made extremely realistic and male-oriented stories such as “War on Crime,” “Kundo” and “Surinam,” differentiated himself from his previous works in that he put the female protagonist at the forefront with cartoon production. This is also the first time director Yoon has directed a work that is not his scenario. The script was written by Lee Eun-mi, who wrote the drama “Tunnel” and “Navillera.”
Director Yoon, who met in Samcheong-dong, Seoul on the 5th immediately after the release of the final episode in the 11th, said, “I had faith that the attempt I hadn’t tried would be new rather than being told that it was ‘sick’ by directing it the same as before.” For example, even the main backgrounds and props of the play, such as police stations and police cars, were purposely decorated to give off a new atmosphere far from reality. Mystery cartoons such as Agatha Christie’s mystery novels and Detective Conan also appear as the main subjects.
“The script was immersive and had the power to see it until the end, but from the director’s point of view, I wondered whether such characters and events could exist in reality,” he said. “I was able to accept it when I changed the atmosphere to a virtual world between reality and cartoons.” Characters such as Lee Na, who always wears a tie, and Han Sam, who wears a beanie to work, are also completed in this way. Director Yoon said, “Some people may feel unfamiliar because they are different from the past, but on the contrary, I didn’t want to create a Korean criminal or girl crush character that was too obvious.” Kim Da-mi, who depicted the main character as clear as a child, confident, and as young as a vulnerable, praised him, saying, “He has unique, individual, and healthy energy.”
After the conclusion was revealed, the ratings were divided into likes and dislikes. There were favorable reviews that it was completed well, but there were also harsh criticisms about the fact that the crime design was not properly explained or that the criminal was given an excessive narrative. Director Yoon said, “It was more important to be able to accept the ending rather than the obsession to make a stimulating twist,” adding, “As a reader, I saw that the entire story was focused on ‘Why This Happened,’ and I directed it faithfully.”
The fact that top stars such as Lee Hee-joon, Lee Sung-min and Hwang Jung-min appeared as victims of the murder case over and over again also raised the atmosphere of the play. Most of them were leaving in the first episode as a dead body, and director Yoon laughed, saying, “I mobilized all my connections in the movie life.” He said, “They are characters who reappear in the second half, so I received help because I need actors with presence who are well imprinted in the viewers.” “I asked the actor Kim Jungwoo Ha (who worked with me on five previous films) if he could help me, but he refused, saying, ‘I really don’t have a role for you,’ and ‘I shouldn’t be distracted if I come out for no reason.’ That’s what happened.(laughs)
