South Korean television series
All In (Korean: 올인; RR: Orin; MR: Orin) is a 2003 South Korean television drama series that aired on SBS from 15 January to 3 April 2003, on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 21:55 (KST) for 24 episodes.[1] Inspired by the life of professional poker player Jimmy Cha, it starred Lee Byung-hun and Song Hye-kyo in a story about one's man's rise through the fiercely competitive world of casino gambling as he clashes with his rivals over money, success, and love.[2]
The drama was a ratings success in South Korea, with its final episode reaching a peak viewership rating of 47.7%, which is the 42nd highest-rated Korean drama episode of all time.[3] It also won several awards, notably the Grand Prize ("Daesang") for Lee Byung-hun at the 2003 SBS Drama Awards.
Synopsis
Orphaned then taken in by his gambler uncle, Kim In-ha (Jin Goo) often hangs out with his friends in the basement of a movie theater. He unexpectedly befriends Choi Jung-won, a model student and the rich son of the theater owner. In-ha and Jung-won both fall for Min Su-yeon (Han Ji-min), the daughter of the projectionist at the theater.
When Su-yeon's father was killed by loan sharks, In-ha and Jung-won hatch a plan to avenge Su-yeon by setting fire to a gangster's hideout. But the fire spreads, accidentally killing the gang leader. In-ha is sentenced to seven years, while thanks to his family connections, Jung-won avoids jail time. As In-ha serves his sentence, Jung-won goes to the United States to study and Su-yeon decides to become a nun.
Seven years pass, and by pure chance, the three all end up working at the same casino. In-ha (Lee Byung-hun) and Su-yeon (Song Hye-kyo) fall in love, but are later separated when In-ha is forced to illegally immigrate to the U.S. He finds a job as a mafia hitman, and by a stroke of luck, again meets Su-yeon, and the two plan to get married. However, on their supposed wedding day, In-ha suffers a near-fatal gunshot wound and becomes comatose for 8 months. Unaware that In-ha is alive, the grieving Su-yeon returns to Korea.
In-ha eventually recovers, but Jung-won (Ji Sung) intervenes, saying that he is unworthy to love Su-yeon. In-ha decides to turn his life of misery around and becomes a professional gambler. He meets a business partner and, betting everything he has, returns to Korea to win back Su-yeon's love.
Production
Development and casting
All In was adapted from the novel of the same name by Noh Seung-il, inspired by the life of poker player Jimmy Cha. The title All In comes from a term in poker that refers to betting one's entire stake. Though the plot was adapted from the novel, the characters were wholly original to the drama.[2]
In 2000, SBS drama production team director Lee Jong-su first approached Jimmy Cha, on whom the original novel was based, to adapt the novel for a TV series, but Cha rejected the offer due to Korea's negative attitude towards gambling. Lee later approached Cha again twice, requesting to make a series about Cha's mother. Cha turned the offer down both times, but the project was already at the casting stage. A meeting was held, and screenwriter Choi Wan-gyu suggested changing the concept to focus more on Jimmy Cha's life as a whole.[4]
Lee Byung-hun had already been cast as the main role,[4] but his female counterpart had not been decided on; actors considered for the role included Lee Young-ae, Song Yoon-ah, Kim Hee-sun, and Shin Eun-kyung. The producers then suggested Song Hye-kyo to Jimmy Cha, and Cha gave SBS the OK to cast her.[5] Additionally, Joo Sang-wook was supposed to play the young version of Lee Byung-hun's character, but he was replaced by Jin Goo last minute.[6]
Filming
Filming began on 9 September 2002[7] and took place in several locations. An outdoor set was built in Jeju Island, for which the island provided 200 million Korean won.[8] Most scenes filmed in Jeju were shot on the Seopjikoji coast, located in the city Seogwipo.[9] From 28 November to 31 December 2002, location filming took place in the United States, with the casino scenes being filmed in Las Vegas.[7][10] The kiss scene between Song Hye-kyo and Lee Byung-hun was filmed over two days, moving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.[11] Production costs reached 250 million won per episode to a total budget of over 5 billion won, at that time the highest for a Korean miniseries.[12]
During the drama's filming, SBS promised they would stop broadcasting smoking scenes in their TV dramas. All In, which started production before the announcement, had scenes where characters smoked – as many of the scenes as possible were removed in editing, and during the scenes that couldn't be cut, subtitles were displayed during broadcast asking for understanding.[7]
Changes in writing
Initially, Ji Sung's character Jung-won was planned to die in the story, but as the show's scale increased, its plot became uncertain. Actors approached screenwriter Choi Wan-gyu mid-production to explain why their character had to die. Choi said to Maeil Business Newspaper, "All of [the actors] are very good at analyzing the drama, and their advice is very helpful. That's why I'm more worried about how to end it."[13] In the end, Choi decided that none of the main characters would die, stating that death was unnecessary for an emotional story.[14]
Additionally, Song Hye-kyo's character Su-yeon was meant to marry Jung-won, thinking Lee Byung-hun's character In-ha had died. Viewers expressed dissatisfaction with the storyline online,[15] and it was later dropped to create tension within the narrative.[16]
Regional broadcast
In April 2003, SBS signed a contract with the Taiwanese cable channel GTV to broadcast All In in Taiwan. Although the export price was not disclosed, it was said to be the highest for a Korean drama until then. At the time, the record export price had stood at over 400 million won for the Japanese export of Winter Sonata.[17]
In Japan, it first aired on the cable channel KNTV from 8 March to 25 May 2003.[18][19] Japanese satellite channel NHK BS2 broadcast All In under the title All In: Fated Love (オールイン 運命の愛, Ōruin unmei no ai) once a week from 1 April 2004,[20][21] and re-airings followed once a week on terrestrial TV starting 16 April 2005.[22][23] According to a poll conducted by TV Asahi variety show SMAP Station in May 2007, All In ranked as the seventh most popular Korean drama in Japan.[24] It was also broadcast in countries like Macedonia and Turkey on the channel Arirang TV, gaining enough popularity in Macedonia to be rebroadcast.[25][26]
