2005–2010: Rough Cut and Secret Reunion Jang Hoon (along with
Jang Cheol-soo and
Juhn Jai-hong) worked as an
assistant director under
Kim Ki-duk. His debut film
Rough Cut (2008), about a gangster who wants to become an actor and an actor who thinks he is as tough as a gangster, was written and produced by Kim.
Rough Cut was much more commercially oriented than Kim's own movies, and the star power of its two leading actors
So Ji-sub and
Kang Ji-hwan propelled the
indie to more than one million admissions, resulting in a profit 10 times its low budget. Jang's second feature,
Secret Reunion (2010), benefited from the director's populist sensibility. A story about two intelligence agents, one from South Korea and the other from the
North (played by
Song Kang-ho and
Kang Dong-won, respectively), who approach each other in acts of espionage only to develop an unlikely friendship, the film sold 5.5 million tickets, making it the second highest grossing Korean film of that year. Starring
Go Soo and
Shin Ha-kyun, the film was the most well-received among the ample number of
Korean War-themed films and
TV dramas commemorating the 60th anniversary of the war. Through the guise of a mystery narrative, the film revolved around the story of South and North Korean soldiers carrying out meaningless sacrifices trying to capture a nameless hill. but did not make the final shortlist. Jang became the subject of controversy when former mentor Kim Ki-duk's
documentary-style self-portrait
Arirang was released. In the
Cannes award-winning film, the elder cineaste explicitly criticized him as "a betrayer" after Jang signed with the film production company
Showbox/Mediaplex. Regarding the matter, Jang said, "I hope director Kim can find consolation through
Arirang. He is a great teacher and I still respect him very much. I feel very sorry as a pupil of his." Actor
Ko Chang-seok has appeared in all four of Jang's feature films in supporting roles. In May 2025, Jang's upcoming film
Canvas of Blood was one of the nine films granted by the
Korean Film Council with financial support as part of their “Mid-Budget Korean Film Production Support” project. In August 2025, actors
Kim Nam-gil and
Park Bo-gum were confirmed to star in the film. == Filmography ==