A Self-Righteous Man (1988): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1988, A Self-Righteous Man is an action and war film directed by Ki-pung Choi, running about 102 minutes.

What it’s about. As the tragic war of fratricide is drawing to a close, a special agent nicknamed Dokbul, Kang Cheol-gu, is given an intelligence mission to identify and confirm the enemy's unusual movements. While on a mission, Cheol-gu infiltrates the enemy's camp alone and accidentally witnesses a bloody scene of massacre of civilians. He saves the only survivor, Hwang No-in, and is hinted that the enemy's plot is very dangerous. Cheol-gu approaches Mi-young, a People's Army nurse, to extract information, but is exposed to the enemy and escapes a crisis after a fierce battle. In the end, thanks to Cheol-gu's persistence, Mi-young realizes the illusion of the liberation struggle they are calling for, and transforms into Cheol-gu's collaborator to stop their horrific plot, germ warfare, and carries out the mission. However, the result of this tragic war is only futility. A war of illusions where more is lost than gained, and in the end, even the nickname Dokbul sheds hot tears.

Who’s in it. A Self-Righteous Man stars Jeon Young-rok as Kang Cheol-gu, the lone general, Kwon Jae-hee as Mi-young, a nurse in the People's Army, Hwang Hae as Hwang No-in and Lee Dong-jun as the head of the operation team, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 9.0/10, A Self-Righteous Man sits among the best-reviewed titles in the catalogue.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch A Self-Righteous Man page.

If you liked it. Fans of A Self-Righteous Man tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.