Kim Nam-gil and Kim Young-kwang, 3 Viewing Points for the Gun Disaster Action Thriller 'Trigger'

The Netflix series 〈Trigger〉 released on the 25th is a gun disaster action thriller that tells the story of two men holding guns for their own reasons amidst the delivery of illegal firearms of unknown origin and the constant occurrence of gun incidents in South Korea. Since the teaser video was released, the most attention has been drawn to the intriguing setting of 〈Trigger〉. In South Korea, where firearms are illegal, the concept of guns being delivered through everyday 'delivery' has caught the viewers' attention. As director Kwon Oh-seung described 〈Trigger〉 as "a story that anyone has imagined at least once," the episodes in the work are expected to intricately traverse the boundary between reality and imagination, immersing the viewers. In a modern world where everyone has their own 'trigger', the narrative of 〈Trigger〉 focuses on what a world without safety devices looks like and what choices the characters within it will make. On the day of the release, Netflix presented three viewing points.

(1) Firearms of Unknown Origin Delivered by Delivery! A Setting Anyone Has Imagined at Least Once

 The Netflix series 〈Trigger〉 released today (25th) is a gun disaster action thriller that tells the story of two men holding guns for their own reasons amidst the delivery of illegal firearms of unknown origin and the constant occurrence of gun incidents in South Korea. Since the teaser video was released, the most attention has been drawn to the intriguing setting of 〈Trigger〉. In South Korea, where firearms are illegal, the concept of guns being delivered through everyday 'delivery' has caught the viewers' attention. Kim Nam-gil stated, "The planning of the work was fresh," and added, "It was impressive that instead of simply consuming the material of firearms superficially, it explores human nature and social structure through the symbol of 'gun'. It is a work that is both an action film and close to a psychological drama, questioning how far a person can collapse and what they can protect." As director Kwon Oh-seung described 〈Trigger〉 as "a story that anyone has imagined at least once," the episodes in the work are expected to intricately traverse the boundary between reality and imagination, immersing the viewers. In a modern world where everyone has their own 'trigger', the narrative of 〈Trigger〉 focuses on what a world without safety devices looks like and what choices the characters within it will make.

(2) Kim Nam-gil X Kim Young-kwang Confronting Each Other with Different Beliefs, Intense Acting Synergy

The meeting of Kim Nam-gil and Kim Young-kwang, who have shown a unique presence in the action thriller genre, is the biggest reason to look forward to 〈Trigger〉. Kim Nam-gil plays the police officer 'Lee Do' who takes up arms again to uphold justice. Having previously served as a military sniper, he is a character who understands the duality of firearms better than anyone else, and he struggles to make people put down their guns when illegal firearm-related incidents occur. As Lee Do picks up a gun to save someone, he has also maintained restraint in the action. The impactful action based on Lee Do's heavy emotions is expected to provide genre-specific enjoyment to the viewers. Kim Young-kwang's transformation is already raising the viewers' expectations. Kim Young-kwang plays 'Moon Baek', a mysterious ally of Lee Do, who possesses a free-spirited charm, unlike the serious and calm Lee Do. Lee Do and Moon Baek, who encounter each other at the scene of the incident, begin an unexpected cooperation, and their relationship gradually changes. Kim Nam-gil and Kim Young-kwang, who collaborated for the first time through 〈Trigger〉, revealed their deep trust in each other. Regarding their chemistry, Kim Nam-gil said, "Kim Young-kwang portrayed the changes that occur to Moon Baek well throughout the progression of the drama, and thanks to that, I was also able to depict Lee Do's emotional line more clearly. We were able to share a dense rhythm by matching each other's rhythm well," raising expectations. Kim Young-kwang also stated, "The chemistry was very good," and added, "Kim Nam-gil maintained his character consistently with his own strength, and I was able to naturally continue the character's attitude by reflexively responding to that."

(3) Various Stories of 'People' and Dynamic Variations of Action

〈Trigger〉 features various characters who take up arms for their own reasons, and each episode connects to their inner triggers. Lee Do and Moon Baek weave the narratives of the characters together as they follow the incidents. Director Kwon Oh-seung stated, "The most important thing I considered when setting up the episode situations was a realistic consensus that anyone can relate to," and added, "It was important that the characters who pick up guns are not special or extreme characters, but ordinary people that we can easily encounter around us." He continued, "The gun action in 〈Trigger〉 is different from flashy action films that consume guns in an entertaining way. The action varies depending on who is holding the gun, and I aimed to implement realistic and emotionally charged gun action that matches the situation, emotions, and attitudes of the person who encounters the gun." Co-director Kim Jae-hoon stated, "In 〈Trigger〉, various characters take up arms for different reasons and emotions," and emphasized that he paid special attention to ensure that the gun action connects with the emotional aspects of the characters, focusing more on expressing the emotions of the characters holding the guns rather than emphasizing physical action. In this way, 〈Trigger〉 has maintained the genre's fun of action thrillers while also putting effort into depicting the psychology of the characters. Kim Nam-gil added, "In each episode, the character holding the gun changes. The process of following why they had no choice but to choose the gun and what that 'trigger' is becomes a viewing point." Kim Young-kwang emphasized, "In the work, the gun spreads like a virus. However, whether to pull that trigger or not depends solely on the choice of the people who receive it. This point is the core viewing point of 〈Trigger〉."