Taejoon Lee's KK Family List Available Online

[AlbertV]

Hey guys,

I subscribe to a newsletter from Hwarang-Do grandmaster and actor Taejoon Lee (aka Henry Taejoon Lee), the star of AMERICAN CHINATOWN. He talked about a film he shot in 1995 called KK FAMILY LIST, which was based on a real-life gang called the Korean Killers.

He made the movie available to view on one of his websites:

http://ktownchronicles.com/kkfamilylist/

Here was the e-mail I got explaining why KK Family List was never released in the U.S.

"If you enjoyed K-Town Chronicles (a movie Taejoon Lee did a few years ago with Mickey Rourke), wait 'til you get a load of this...

Back in the late 90's, Taejoon Lee (star of Hyung: Ktown Chronicles), set out on a significant film project titled KK Family List, co-starring with famous Korean actor, Shin Hyun Joon.

The film told the story of two "1.5 generation" Korean-American brothers, who struggled to find their place in American society and turned to the hardcore gang life for their own survival and to offer their community protection from neighboring ethnic gangs in the Los Angeles area.

The film began filming in 1995 and was done in the true spirit of gorilla independent film making - on a low budget, a ton of passion and a story which goes for the jugular from the very first scene.

Due to budget constraints, only 70% of the intended footage was actually shot. The crew spent 2 years editing the footage that was captured to make a complete film and tie everything together.

While not perfect, they finally completed the final film cut in 1997 and was set for wide released in South Korea.

Due to graphic content, the film was initially rejected by the Korean Rating board and certain scenes needed to be recut, before it was allowed to be released.

In late 1997, the film finally celebrated it's first (and only) wide theatrical release in South Korea and was very well received by the Korean public, media and critics.

Due to a complex set of issues, the film was never released in the United States even though it was shot in English and intended for an American audience. Although Korean copies circulated throughout Korean communities in the US.

A combination of its subject matter and scarcity of copies, made it a very sought after cult classic as the only film depicting life as a Korean-American immigrant and gang life as the Korean Killers (KK's) - an actual urban gang based out of Los Angeles. (Note: The plot and characters in the film are entirely fictional.)

The whereabouts of the original film footage remains a mystery and we actually spent many years searching for a copy of decent quality.

After much searching, recently we were able to obtain an old VHS copy of the film. We digitized it and have now made it available online for the first time, since the film originally finished production over 13 years ago.

Before viewing, we must warn you that the film contains scenes with graphic content (language, violence, & nudity). Viewer discretion is strongly advised. This film should NOT be viewed by children.

We must also state that the role played by Taejoon Lee (a.k.a Grandmaster Taejoon Lee of Hwa Rang Do), is of a gang leader from the notorious, Korean Killers, a real & violent gang based out of Los Angeles.

As a result, his work should be viewed as that of an actor playing a role.

The film is not meant to convey any philosophical lesson or agenda, but is a drama depicting the harsh realities of gang life for two young Korean-Americans.

To thank you for your support with Hyung, you are the first to be viewing this film, outside of the Korean release over 13 years ago.

We want you to enjoy it and spread the word to your adult friends about the film and hopefully bring it to the attention of a major film studio, garner interest for subject matter in both KK Family List and Hyung, as well as shine the light on the talents of Taejoon Lee - as an actor, choreographer, producer and, without a doubt, as one of the finest martial artists in the world."

[Yakuza954]

wow, I remember looking for this film years ago, but there was no trace of it. Thanks a lot.

[Rhythm-X]

The whereabouts of the original film footage remains a mystery and we actually spent many years searching for a copy of decent quality.

The very first credit (not counting the one for Ultra-Stereo) is for Miramax, which in and of itself explains pretty much everything.

[TibetanWhiteCrane]

They weren't shy about jacking Morricone's beautiful score for Once Upon A Time In America either! That's gonna fly in asia, but not the US!