Anticipating a fourth consecutive hit, Lee Jung-jae will jump into the “big match” of the cinema this winter. Following “The Thieves” (2012), “New World” (2012), and “The Face Reader” (2013), Lee Jung-jae is set to take on the box office competition with “Big Match” (director Choi Ho/ production BK Pictures). The actor met a turning point in his career with “The Housemaid” (2010), through which he gained the control of the Korean cinema’s box office as if to repay for all his previous movies that fell short of expectations. This time, equipped with a fighter’s looks, he races across downtown Seoul. “Big Match” depicts the breathless race of Choi Ik-ho (Lee Jung-jae) to outrun a genius bad guy (Shin Ha-gyun) and protect his brother (Lee Sung-min). The race takes the good and the bad guys across the whole of Seoul. After receiving high points at the monitoring preview, “Big Match” was the first to confirm its release date of November 27, thereby securing an advantageous position in the winter box office race.   

What raises anticipation for “Big Match” is that Choi Ik-ho is very different from the roles Lee Jung-jae played in his previous three movies: vulgar but somewhat pitiable thief Popei in “The Thieves,” undercover cop Lee Ja-sung who is torn between duty and loyalty in “New World,” and heartless Prince Suyang in “The Face Reader.” In the “Big Match,” Lee Jung-jae transforms into a staunch fighter who takes on missions around the city to save his big brother. The actor is now in his forties, but the age did not deter him from mastering the action scenes.

Lee Jung-jae started training for the action scenes five months before the filming started. He also lost weight and bulked up like a real fighter, and learned boxing, wrestling, and various kicking techniques to add realism to the action scenes. Rumors say that Lee Jung-jae always carried pain relief sprays on the set.

One of his strong points is that he has a singular presence but also forms a good chemistry with other leading actors. Acting alongside Kim Yun-suk, Kim Hae-soo, Jeon Ji-hyun, Oh Dal-soo, and Kim Hae-suk in “The Thieves,” Choi Min-sik and Hwang Jung-min in “New World,” and Song Kang-ho, Cho Jung-suk, and Baek Yun-sik in “The Face Reader,” Lee Jung-jae shined both alone and together. Who would have thought that Lee Jung-jae, who had mainly played single lead roles in melodramas, would shine among multiple leads? He acts alongside Shin Ha-gyun, Lee Sung-min, and Ra Mi-ran in his upcoming movie.

There is another reason “Big Match” is a little more important than other movies to Lee Jung-jae. “Big Match” must be his winning card. “The Thieves” had Jeon Ji-hyun, “New World” Hwang Jung-min, and “The Face Reader” Song Kang-ho, but Lee Jung-jae is the leading name in “Big Match,” although he is closely supported by other leading actors. Just as how Choi Ik-ho has to confront his hardest challenge yet, Lee Jung-jae must wait for the verdict from the audience.