Jaehwa Bernardo

South Korean actor Heo Sung-tae in 'The Informant.' Handout photo

Article (news)

'Squid Game' star's buddy cop movie hits PH screens

ABS-CBN News

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769925709057Heo Sung Tae stars in The Informant.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="South Korean actor Heo Sung-tae in &#x27;The Informant.&#x27; Handout photos"/>South Korean actor Heo Sung-tae in &#x27;The Informant.&#x27; Handout photos</div>Many international viewers first met South Korean actor Heo Sung-tae through his ruthless gangster role in Netflix&#x27;s hit survival drama &quot;Squid Game.&quot;Now, the 48-year-old actor swaps menace for laughs in the buddy cop film &quot;The Informant,&quot; which is set to arrive in Philippine theaters on February 4.In this action-comedy, screening exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas, Heo stars as Oh Nam-hyuk, a once-promising cop whose career went off the rails after a disastrous operation.Determined to make a comeback, Nam-hyuk utilizes an informant that he planted inside a dangerous smuggling syndicate, played by Jo Bok-rae. However, things don&#x27;t exactly go according to plan and the unlikely duo soon find themselves caught up in a much bigger mess.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769925741229The Informant poster.JPEG" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="633" alt="Poster of &#x27;The Informant&#x27;"/>Poster of &#x27;The Informant&#x27;</div>&quot;The Informant&quot; served as the opening film of the 24th New York Asian Film Festival, and won Best Foreign Language Film award at the 2025 Asia International Film Festival.At the film&#x27;s Seoul premiere last November, Heo admitted he did not do much preparation for the role, as he felt a natural connection with the character, according to<a href="https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20251120/heo-sung-tae-sheds-villain-image-in-action-comedy-the-informant"> the Korea Times</a>.&quot;I felt many similarities to the character and just thought about what I would do,&quot; the actor was quoted as saying in the report.He also reportedly joked that he channeled Korean actor Won Bin and Hong Kong cinema icon Stephen Chow for the film.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1769925774766The Informant_Heo Sung Tae and Jo Bok Rae.jpeg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="960" alt="Heo Sung-tae and Jo Bok-rae"/>Heo Sung-tae and Jo Bok-rae</div>&quot;The Informant&quot; is presented under Ayala Malls Cinemas&#x27; A-Reel Asia program, which brings the best of Asian cinema from neighboring countries closer to Filipino audiences.Heo gained widespread recognition in the first season of &quot;Squid Game,&quot; playing Jang Deok-su, who joins the titular deadly games and forms his own gang with fellow participants. He has since appeared in other notable dramas, including &quot;Insider,&quot; &quot;Behind Every Star,&quot; &quot;Big Bet,&quot; &quot;Crash&quot; and &quot;<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/6/15/park-bo-gum-kim-so-hyun-lee-sang-yi-share-uplifting-messages-from-good-boy-1201">Good Boy</a>.&quot;

Heo Sung-tae stars in the buddy cop film 'The Informant,' which is set to arrive in Philippine theaters on February 4.

Heo Sung-tae stars in the buddy cop film 'The Informant,' which is set to arrive in Philippine theaters on February 4.