Yesterday there was this new South Korean movie released on Netflix which made me interested as it looked promising with some martial arts involved. So even though I was in the middle of another series, I opted to watch this first before finishing that one. OK, let's dive into it then.

Brief Story Line

Story was set in the Joseon period where slavery was still in place and focused on Cheon-yeong (Gang Dong-won - The Plot, Train to Busan: Peninsula etc) who had been serving his master Jong-ryeo (Park Jeong-min - The 8 Show TV series, Dr. Cheon and The Lost Talisman etc) since childhood and became very good friends. When war erupted due to invasion by Japanese army led by one of its General Genshin (Jung Sung-il - Project Wolf Hunting, The Glory TV series etc), the country was in turmoil and King Seon-jo (Cha Seung-won - Believer, The Tyrant TV series etc) had to flee, leaving the people to fend for themselves. 

In this war, some slaves including Cheon-yeong, Beom-dong (Kim Shin-rok - Hellbound TV series, Queen of Tears TV series etc) and many others fought the Japanese under the leadership of General Kim Ja-ryeong (Jin Seon-kyu - Alienoid: Return to the Future, Revenant TV series etc). Meanwhile Jong-ryeo was part of the group that escaped with the King. It was during this time that Cheon-yeong and Jong-ryeo somehow became fierce enemies.

So how would the story conclude? You could find out in this movie.

End of Brief Story Line

Well to be honest, I am not major fan of South Korean movies/series set in Joseon period as I felt it was a bit challenging to be familiar with the characters cause a lot of time they wear big hats and having long & thick beard that made it difficult for me to differentiate them. And this one was no exception. It took some time (and a little help from my wife who caught glimpses of the scenes) for me to finally recognize the lead characters. I was actually quite surprised that Park Jeong-min was someone I had seen before cause he was unrecognizable to me.

Anyway, after many scenes that involved lots of going back and forth using flashbacks (which was a bit confusing), finally the movie got more exciting with the Japanese invasion and the beginning of irreconcilable conflict between Cheon-yeong and Jong-ryeo. There were plenty of wonderfully choreographed sword-fighting scenes to entertain me. Though sometimes it was combined with a little bit of drama (and plot twist that was not surprising), it did not make the movie felt boring. And that finale fight was amazing and really satisfying.

Before the movie started, it was mentioned that the film was a work of fiction based on historical event. Since I am no expert in Korean history, I could not say whether it was historically accurate, but I gather that at least the Japanese invasion that lasted for 7 years and the King was real. The duration of the film was 128 minutes which included closing credits that did not have any mid or post-end credit scene. In the brief synopsis by Netflix, the name of well known director Park Chan-wook (Vengeance trilogy, Decision to Leave etc) was stated as the producer and co-writer. It was directed by Kim Sang-man whose prior experiences including Girl Scouts and as art-director of the highly regarded Joint Security Area. 

As a martial arts movie, this one certainly did not disappoint as it was having many stylish fight scenes that I enjoyed. There was no romance here at all but it did have deep bromance. It  had quite a lot of violence and sometimes maybe a bit disturbing as few times they were quite graphic. The cast particularly Gang Dong-won, Park Jeong-min and Jung Sung-il were brilliant during the action sequence and their characterizations were quite convincing (although once again a South Korean actor portrayed Japanese character). I also like the appearance of Cha Seung-won as the despicable king and the rest were OK, including few other cast in support and minor roles.

Overall this was an enjoyable action film with interesting and yet familiar plot of childhood friends became enemies. It should entertain fans of sword fighting and such story. For me personally, I would have preferred less flash backs in the early part and more bloody fights, but in general it was something that I liked. So if you are looking for the general attributes I mentioned and if you wish to see the main cast performed some stylish sword fights, then I think you woud enjoy this. But do not expect this to be full of war scenes between Joseon and Japanese army as it focused on the two best friends turned adversaries and smaller scale war on land.

Mike's movie moments rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars