[Slate] The Bold Man's Fleeting Glory... Why Did the Fortress Built on Principles Collapse?

Disney+ 'Casino'... A Microcosm of Our Society Seen Through Cha Mu-sik
Choices Driven by Desire Lead to the Downfall of a Principled Protagonist
Breaking Power Clich?s... Depicting Violence Through Expressions Instead of Action

The theme of Disney+'s 'Casino' is summarized in the second scene of episode 1. It is a conversation between the protagonist Cha Mu-sik (Choi Min-sik) and his subordinate Yang Jeong-pal (Lee Dong-hwi) in a car.

"Ah, hyungnim. Do you know about Gwonmu-sipil-hong?" "What?" "Ah, flowers, hyungnim. They can't stay red for ten days. Cherry blossoms and forsythias all wither after ten days. That's what it means. Look, all the flowers have fallen now." "It's not Gwonmu but Hwamu. Hwamu-sipil-hong. It's a phrase comparing flowers to power, man. Read some books, huh? Power and life are all transient, all futile, meaningless, something like that."

Cha Mu-sik rises to power in Caliz, Philippines, through all kinds of efforts from the bottom up. He operates the largest casino and enjoys both wealth and authority. His fierce momentum begins to decline as he becomes blinded by desire. The conversation with Yang Jeong-pal is placed at that starting point. Although Cha Mu-sik understands the principle of Hwamu-sipil-hong, he repeatedly relies on temporary measures and shortcuts. Like a car stuck in a swamp, he only spins his wheels in vain.

Director Kang Yoon-sung said, "I wanted to depict human forgetfulness and weakness," adding, "I hoped viewers would reflect on life through the unfamiliar world of casinos." "I wanted to convey the energy of desire flowing inside rather than the games played in the casino. In a way, it is a microcosm of our society. Each person follows their desires faithfully, though in different directions. At the moment they intersect, yesterday's comrades become today's enemies. Even the operators are no exception. They all rush in like moths drawn to a lantern and burn themselves out. Through this process, I wanted to approach the true nature of humans."

The reality emerges by correcting misconceptions about power. The first is the null effect (別無效果) of the ideal characteristic that power leads to something. Generally, power is perceived to be given to those who are lucky or have special abilities. However, humans always exhibit the same characteristics and capabilities regardless of the group's strength. Of course, in some situations, personal traits become the source of power. But there is no personal trait that can be powerful anytime and anywhere.

Cha Mu-sik is no exception. His apparent success is due to his bold personality. He fears no danger and demonstrates excellent skills. However, at critical moments, his greatest weapon acts as poison. While experiencing casinos in the Philippines, he loses all his assets due to uncontrollable competitiveness. When Go Young-hee (Lee Hye-young), the chairwoman of Pastella, loses a large sum of money she won, he openly shirks responsibility, causing trouble. Despite the objections of Daniel (Vembul Roco) and John (Kim Min), he leads his subordinates to take revenge on Raul (Epi Quizon) and Jose (Jeffrey Santos), facing the greatest crisis of his life.

Director Kang shows both sides of Cha Mu-sik's bold personality by presenting his past and present. "You need to know Cha Mu-sik's history to fully understand the story. It is deeply related to the incidents in the Philippines. Even the location, the casino, is significant. His father Cha Kyung-deok (Kim Roe-ha) was a gambler. Young Cha Mu-sik inevitably was influenced. His fearless personality when facing stronger opponents is no different."

The second is that authority or rank is not identical to the position of power. Cha Mu-sik is the casino manager hired by Min Seok-jun (Kim Hong-pa), chairman of Caliz Hotel, but he holds greater power. With surplus comps (hotel mileage), he sponsors regular seminars and builds relationships with the mayor, governor, police chief, and generals in the Philippines. They extend help whenever Cha Mu-sik is in trouble. However, just because they are leaders of institutions does not mean they control the organization. They only secure authority at the top but have minimal power. They are essentially Daniel's puppets. Cha Mu-sik explains Daniel as follows.

"He's such a legendary figure that everyone in this field knows him. If El Chapo is the kingpin of drugs, Daniel is the god of gambling. He has influence over every casino in the Philippines. I felt like I grabbed a lifeline."

The discord is also evident in the relationship between Cha Mu-sik and Seo Tae-seok (Heo Sung-tae). Seo Tae-seok acts arrogantly. He is irritable and bullies juniors. He is unrestrained even in front of senior Cha Mu-sik. Cha Mu-sik is the opposite. He gets along casually with employees, even wearing a ridiculous headband to play dodgeball at the company sports day. No matter how angry he is, he hides his claws until provoked. Seo Tae-seok fails to see this and mistakenly believes he holds real power.

Director Kang shows the sharp conflict through emotional clashes rather than action scenes, which he demonstrated in films like 'The Outlaws (2017)'. He removed many action scenes from the script. He was convinced that the direction of power is better expressed on faces than through violence. He said, "Choi Min-sik's advice played a part. He said showy action has limits in storytelling. I was struck and reflected on it. I gained confidence to inject realism. I put a lot of effort into capturing the moments when the actors' faces emotionally change."

The third is the misconception that manipulation, coercion, and brutal acts inevitably accompany the process of gaining power. Various literature and films, including Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' and 'Othello,' depict vile and cunning acts as shortcuts to power. 'Casino' is also a picaresque (a work with a rogue protagonist) but with a slightly different tone. Cha Mu-sik transfers ownership of gambling halls to juniors, taking only the principal, and generously gives commissions to casino agents. He does not covet Chairman Min Seok-jun's position. He values loyalty and recognition more than anyone.

The power he secures in this way begins to corrupt as he becomes enraged by the betrayal of Kim So-jeong (Son Eun-seo) and Philip (Lee Hae-woo). He falls into depravity to the extent that he cannot resist the temptation of black money. Director Kang said, "A momentary mistake twisted an otherwise smooth life," adding, "I wanted to show that even a fortress built firmly on principles can collapse helplessly."

"There were many criticisms that season 1 was scattered because it contained too much of Cha Mu-sik's past. As a creator who handled both script and direction, I could not give up. It was necessary to have a backstory that Cha Mu-sik was a somewhat upright person. He did not earn money unfairly in the gambling world. He was far from murder. He was like a good older brother who adhered to principles but was flexible. Power and desire make even such a person infinitely vulnerable. Cha Mu-sik had to be cautious about that. Rationally, not instinctively."