Best known to international audiences for his striking performance as a vengeful prisoner in the 2003 Park Chan-wook thriller “Oldboy,” Choi plays Byun Jong-goo, the ambitious mayor of Seoul running for his third term, in the upcoming film. He also starred alongside Hollywood starlet Scarlett Johansson in the French film “Lucy”.

The trailer features the unknowable and multifarious politician Byun, who in one moment addresses citizens in a heartfelt speech, then steps off the stage saying it is nothing but an orchestrated show.

“Making everybody believe, that’s what an election is,” Byun says in the trailer. “It’s like retrieving a pearl from a pool of feces.”

The film marks Choi’s first portrayal of a politician in his 28-year career. The film will also feature Kwak Do-won of last year’s “The Wailing (Goksung)” as Byun’s jaded aide and head of campaign.