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The Tooth and the Nail (2017) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The Tooth and the Nail (2017) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2017 · 109 mins · Korean
Directed by
Kim Hwi, Jung Sik
Starring
Oh Kwang-rok, Kim Joo-hyuk, Moon Sung-keun, Kim Tae-woo, Park Ji-a, Park Sung-woong

A magician named Seok-jin working at a club encounters a captivating woman, Ha-yeon, who becomes his assistant and fiancée. However, their lives are thrown into turmoil when Ha-yeon is found dead. Seok-jin is compelled to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death, uncovering unsettling truths and grappling with the lingering evidence of a missing corpse.

On this page (7)
  1. 1 Characters explained (5)
  2. 2 Where & when it takes place
  3. 3 Themes & meaning (3)
  4. 4 Character & meaning questions
  5. 5 Movie threads
  6. 6 Movies like The Tooth and the Nail
  7. 7 Every angle

5 main characters · contains spoilers

The Tooth and the Nail Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Tooth and the Nail (2017), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Lee Seok-jin

    A renowned circus magician whose wife Ha-yeon’s murder propels him from fame into a calculated pursuit of vengeance. He battles alcoholism yet rechannels his pain into a determined hunt for the truth, adopting disguises and new identities along the way. His journey blends heartbreak with a methodical, almost magical, focus on exposing the crime network behind Ha-yeon’s death.

    • 🎭 Circus
    • 💔 Loss
    • 🕊️ Love
  • Nam Do-jin

    played by Kim Joo-hyuk

    A Korean man with a Japanese identity who runs a counterfeit operation and resides in a stone mansion. He uses cunning and violence to silence threats to his secret, masking his crimes with a veneer of propriety. In court, circumstantial evidence pulls the veil from his deception, culminating in a life sentence for his crimes.

    • 💼 Mastermind
    • 💰 Crime
    • 🕶️ Deception
  • Jeung Ha-yeon

    played by Im Hwa-young

    A beautiful circus performer whose connection with Seok-jin becomes entangled with illicit efforts surrounding the copper plate. Her life is tragically cut short, igniting Seok-jin’s quest for revenge and exposing the peril that surrounds those who cross the criminal underworld. Her memory haunts the story as the catalyst for the entire vengeance arc.

    • 💔 Loss
    • 🎪 Performer
    • 💖 Love
  • Ms. Sung

    played by Park Ji-a

    A brothel owner who holds a key piece of the copper plate and taunts Seok-jin with insinuations about Ha-yeon’s past. Her arrogance and access to secrets place her at the center of the conspiracy, making her a dangerous figure in the criminal web. She is killed by Do-jin, a casualty of the escalating power struggle surrounding the counterfeit operation.

    • 🕯️ Crime
    • 🗝️ Secrets
    • ⚖️ Power
  • Choi Seung-man

    played by Go Soo

    Seok-jin’s alias when he becomes a penniless taxi-driver and infiltrates Do-jin’s circle. He observes Do-jin’s movements and ultimately becomes a crucial witness who exposes the truth in court. During the confrontation, his right finger is severed, a stark reminder of the risks involved in Seok-jin’s pursuit of justice.

    • 🧭 Identity
    • 🕵️‍♂️ Witness
    • 🔥 Revenge

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:41

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Setting

Where and When Does The Tooth and the Nail Take Place?

The setting of The Tooth and the Nail (2017): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Late 1940s

In the years after Korea's liberation, Seoul grapples with upheaval and shadowy networks. The postwar era breeds corruption, counterfeit currency, and clandestine operations that drive the thriller. The film situates its drama within this volatile period, where truth is hard to pin down and revenge blurs with justice.

Location

Seoul

The film unfolds in late-1940s Seoul, centered on a stone mansion that serves as a hub for power and crime. The city’s postwar turbulence frames a narrative of counterfeit money, hidden identities, and dangerous vendettas, all set against a backdrop of a society reconfiguring after liberation. From the streets to the mansion’s halls, the setting underscores how wealth and memory can mask deadly secrets.

  • 🌆 Urban
  • 🏛️ Mansion
  • 🗺️ Postwar Korea

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:41

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3 major themes

The Tooth and the Nail Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Tooth and the Nail (2017) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Justice

    The pursuit of truth and the legal process drive the drama, revealing how evidence can be fragile and memory can shape guilt. Prosecution, testimony, and courtroom strategy clash with personal vendettas, highlighting the tension between formal justice and moral truth. The film probes whether justice can be truly fair when driven by vengeance and secrets.

  • Revenge

    Ha-yeon’s death ignites a relentless quest for vengeance, turning Seok-jin into a man transformed by grief. The pursuit exposes the cost of revenge on both the avenger and those around him, as disguises, manipulation, and calculated danger escalate the body count. The narrative questions whether retribution can restore what was lost without creating new wounds.

  • Identity

    Characters assume multiple identities to survive and uncover truth, with Seok-jin adopting the alias Choi Seung-man and Do-jin maintaining a hidden, foreign-front. This fluid sense of self blurs lines between victim and perpetrator, and between ally and foe. The theme shows how identity can be a shield, a weapon, and a trap in a world coated with deceit.

Last updated: October 01, 2025 at 12:41

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Character & theme questions

The Tooth and the Nail Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Tooth and the Nail (2017): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is the movie set?

The film is set in late-1940s Seoul, during Korea's postwar period after liberation. The story centers on a stone mansion that serves as a hub for power and crime, with the city's turbulent postwar atmosphere framing the narrative of counterfeit money, hidden identities, and dangerous vendettas.

  • seoul
  • postwar korea
  • setting
  • stone mansion
  • 1940s
Q2

When does the story take place?

The story unfolds in the late 1940s, in the chaotic years following Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule. This volatile postwar era breeds corruption, counterfeit currency, and clandestine operations that drive the thriller's tension and moral ambiguity.

  • late 1940s
  • postwar era
  • historical setting
  • korean liberation
Q3

What does the movie say about justice?

The film explores the tension between formal justice and moral truth, showing how evidence can be fragile and how memory shapes guilt. Prosecution, testimony, and courtroom strategy clash with personal vendettas, questioning whether justice can be truly fair when driven by vengeance and secrets.

  • justice
  • courtroom
  • truth
  • revenge
  • legal system
Q4

What role does revenge play in the story?

Ha-yeon's death ignites a relentless quest for vengeance that transforms Seok-jin into a man driven by grief. The pursuit exposes the escalating cost of revenge, as disguises, manipulation, and calculated danger increase the body count. The narrative questions whether retribution can restore what was lost without creating new wounds.

  • revenge
  • vengeance
  • ha-yeon
  • grief
  • transformation
Q5

How does identity function in the movie?

Characters assume multiple identities to survive and uncover truth. Seok-jin adopts the alias Choi Seung-man, while Do-jin maintains a hidden Japanese identity despite being Korean. This fluid sense of self blurs lines between victim and perpetrator, showing how identity can be both a shield and a trap in a world of deceit.

  • identity
  • aliases
  • disguise
  • do-jin
  • seok-jin
  • chameleon
Q6

Who is Lee Seok-jin?

Lee Seok-jin is a renowned circus magician whose fiancée Ha-yeon's murder propels him from fame into a calculated pursuit of vengeance. Despite battling alcoholism, he rechannels his pain into a methodical hunt for the truth, adopting disguises and new identities to expose the crime network behind Ha-yeon's death.

  • lee seok-jin
  • magician
  • avenger
  • protagonist
Q7

Who is Nam Do-jin?

Nam Do-jin is a Korean man who uses a Japanese identity to run a counterfeit operation from his stone mansion. He employs cunning and violence to protect his secrets, masking his crimes with a veneer of propriety. His hidden identity and criminal enterprise form a central part of the film's conspiracy.

  • nam do-jin
  • counterfeit
  • criminal
  • stone mansion
  • identity
Q8

Who is Ha-yeon?

Ha-yeon is a beautiful circus performer and Seok-jin's fiancée whose tragic death ignites the entire vengeance arc. Her connection with Seok-jin becomes entangled with illicit efforts surrounding a copper plate, and her death serves as the catalyst that drives Seok-jin's transformation from magician to avenger.

  • ha-yeon
  • fiancée
  • circus performer
  • catalyst
  • murder
Q9

What is the significance of the stone mansion?

The stone mansion serves as the central hub for power and crime in the film. It is where Do-jin runs his counterfeit operation and where the key events of the conspiracy unfold. The mansion represents how wealth and memory can mask deadly secrets in postwar Seoul.

  • stone mansion
  • do-jin
  • headquarters
  • crime hub
Q10

What is the atmosphere of postwar Seoul in the film?

Postwar Seoul in the film is depicted as a city grappling with upheaval and shadowy networks. The atmosphere is characterized by corruption, counterfeit currency, and clandestine operations. Truth becomes hard to pin down and revenge blurs with justice in this volatile period of societal reconstruction.

  • postwar seoul
  • corruption
  • atmosphere
  • noir
  • 1940s korea
Q11

Who is Ms. Sung?

Ms. Sung is a brothel owner who possesses a key piece of the copper plate and taunts Seok-jin with insinuations about Ha-yeon's past. Her arrogance and access to secrets place her at the center of the conspiracy, making her a dangerous figure in the criminal web. She becomes a casualty of the escalating power struggle.

  • ms sung
  • brothel owner
  • copper plate
  • conspiracy
  • secondary character
Q12

What is the tone and emotional impact of the movie?

The film has a distinctly dark tone, dominated by themes of loss, conspiracy, and violence. The emotional weight is heavy, anchored by profound personal loss. While the ending brings justice, it is bittersweet, the protagonist's victory is haunted by the memory of his lost love and child, creating a lasting sense of tragedy.

  • dark tone
  • emotional weight
  • bittersweet
  • tragedy
  • loss

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Tooth and the Nail, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Tooth and the Nail tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Grief-Fueled Revenge Thrillers like The Tooth and the Nail

When love is lost to violence, a calculated quest for vengeance begins. If you liked The Tooth and the Nail, explore more movies where a devastating loss ignites a methodical and dangerous quest for answers. These similar thrillers focus on calculated revenge, heavy emotional weight, and the uncovering of hidden conspiracies, delivering a tense and somber viewing experience.

  • revenge-driven
  • somber
  • calculated
  • tense
  • gripping
  • melancholic
  • Tone: dark, somber, revenge-driven
  • Pacing: steady, methodical
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative follows a clear, tragic inciting event that sets a morally grounded but emotionally broken character on a path of investigation. The pacing is steady and deliberate, mirroring the protagonist's careful planning as they infiltrate or expose a corrupt system. The climax delivers a form of justice, but the resolution is inherently bittersweet, as the personal cost of the journey is permanent.

Why they belong together: These movies are grouped by their shared emotional core: a devastating loss that fuels a methodical, rather than explosive, revenge plot. They emphasize tension built through calculation over chaos, a consistently dark and somber tone, and a finale where victory is hollow, defined by the grief that started it all.

Slow-Burn Conspiracy Thrillers like The Tooth and the Nail

A tense, deliberate unraveling of secrets that powerful people want buried. Fans of The Tooth and the Nail will appreciate these similar movies featuring a steady-paced investigation into a dark conspiracy. These selections share a gripping, tense mood, a methodical pacing that builds dread, and themes of betrayal and hidden identities for a suspenseful experience.

  • gripping
  • suspenseful
  • tense
  • calculated
  • conspiracy
  • paranoia
  • Tone: dark, tense, suspenseful
  • Pacing: steady, slow-burn
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread typically begin with a single, unexplained event that leads a protagonist down a rabbit hole. The plot unfolds linearly but deliberately, with each discovery increasing the stakes and the sense of paranoia. The central conflict is against a shadowy, organized force, and survival depends on outthinking rather than outfighting the opposition.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their specific pacing and mood. They share a steady, slow-burn approach to building tension, a dark and suspenseful atmosphere, and a narrative focus on the meticulous process of exposing a hidden conspiracy, creating a consistent vibe of calculated dread.

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Every angle

The Tooth and the Nail (2017) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Tooth and the Nail in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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