이명세 영화의 내러티브 분석- <형사 Duelist>(2005)와 <M>(2007)을 중심으로

This study aims to re-interpret the critical discourse surrounding the "absence of narrative" or "stylistic excess" in the late films of Director Lee Myung-se, specifically Duelist (2005) and M (2007), through the perspective of Normative Screenwriting Theory. Previous studies have often defined Lee’s late works as a departure from classical Hollywood narrative conventions or as postmodern deconstructions, pointing to an overabundance of visual style. However, by utilizing the three-act Structure and eight-sequence structure as analytical tools, this study demonstrates that these films actually maintain a robust and normative narrative framework beneath their stylistic surfaces. The analysis reveals that Duelist secures its narrative momentum through a clear external goal—suppressing treason—and a defined conflict between the protagonist and the antagonistic forces. It adopts an alternative strategy of filling the "void of textual probability" with Lee’s signature "visual probability," expressed through gaze and gesture. Similarly, M maintains plot tension within a mystery narrative centered on the restoration of first-love memories. It faithfully implements the principles of the three-act structure by depicting the protagonist’s internal growth and the resolution of guilt. In conclusion, Lee Myung-se’s late films are not destructions of narrative for the sake of aestheticism, but are rather the results of a formalist type of storytelling that expands the minimal requirements of drama through visual rhythm and image variation.