TOP 10 KOREAN MOVIES

[divinefish]

I dont think i seen enough korean movies to have a 'top 10' but out of the 7- 8 korean movies i have seen, the only one that i enjoyed enough to consider it a fav was my sassy girl.

[Long]

Watched an interesting Korean movie on the weekend.... Thought I'd share my summary and thoughts on it.

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SWORD IN THE MOON (2003)

Cast

Choi Min-su as Choi Ji-hwan
Jo Jae-hyeon as Yun Gyu-yeob
Kim Bo-kyeong as Kim Shi-yeong

Review

In the spirit of highly acclaimed Korean period films like “Musa – The Warrior” and “Bichunmoo” comes “Sword in the Moon” directed by Kim Ui-seok. This film is based during 17th century in Korea following a revolt in the capital of Seoul. Like “Bichunmoo”, “Sword in the Moon” is also based on a best selling comic.

The film opens with a pair of blood stained swords flying through the air. One of the swords lands in a puddle of water, in the middle of a group of warriors. A lone samurai warrior appears, before claiming the sword. He duels with all of the warriors and brutally slains them one by one. This samurai warrior is none other than General Yun Gyu-yeob (played by Jo Jae-hyeon). He is known as the ‘human butcher’ because of his ruthless and merciless methods of dealing with his opponents. He is also the Emperor’s protector.

Following an assassination attempt on the Emperor later in the day and a spate of recent assassinations of the Ministers that had participated in the revolt and execution of the imperial guards, General Yun is ordered to hunt down and capture down those responsible. He reluctantly accepts his mission, mobilizing his troops to protect all of the Ministers and their family. But he does not seem to care too much about their safety. He advises his guards to do only what is necessary to fulfill their mission.

Later in the evening a grey haired assassin on horse back enters the capital. His face is well hidden under a bamboo rain hat. He’s eyes are as sharp as that of a hawk. That evening two corrupted Ministers are murdered in their own residence. One of them was killed whilst bathing with his wife by the grey haired assassin. The other was killed in his bedroom by a masked female assassin. The guards attempt to pursue after and capture the two assassins. But they fail. But General Yun does not give up easily as he pursues after the grey haired assassin. He finally caught up on the rooftop. But strangely General Yun does not confront the grey haired assassin. Instead he stands with a totally shocked and stunned expression on his face. The grey haired assassin takes the opportunity to escape.

When one of General Yun’s subordinates informs him that the grey haired assassin’s sword was engraved with the words ‘Sword in the Moon’ on the side of the blade, he is immediately troubled. He goes to the library to search for clues before stumbling upon a likely answer. His earlier suspicions had been confirmed. The grey haired assassin was a former imperial guard and colleague of theirs named Choi Ji-hwan (played by Choi Mun-su). They were acquaintances long ago before the revolt.

Many days later Ji-hwan strikes again. He ambushes and murders a Minister under the protection of General Yun at the bamboo forest in broad daylight. General Yun immediately gives chase. He finally catches up with Ji-hwan at a clearing near a bridge. He advises Ji-hwan to leave Seoul and never return again, otherwise he would be forced to kill him. Ji-hwan rides forward and places the edge of his sword against General Yun’s neck. General Yun shows no sign of resistance, as if he is almost begging for death. But Ji-hwan does not kill him however. Instead he rides off into the distance. It was a defiant act to show General Yun that he would not back off and would continue to murder the various Ministers who had participated in the revolt.

Ji-hwan would return to his secret hide-out between the mountains where he and his lover, Kim Shi-yeong (played by Kim Bo-kyeong) lived and resided. One evening, Shi-yeong left the mountain side to head into Seoul. She attempted to murder a high ranking official named Jung Yeo-kyoon. He was the man most responsible for the revolt and had betrayed Shi-yeong’s father. But she fell into an ambush set by General Yun and was subsequently captured. Realising that his lover had been captured, Ji-hwan immediately sets out to save her. He battles with many skilled swordsmen before finally reaching the prison disguised as an imperial guard. General Yun had been guarding the prison. But once again, instead of confronting Ji-hwan, General Yun decides to let him go. Allowing Ji-hwan to save Shi-yeong.

As Ji-hwan rides off into the night, we learn through a flashback, that he and Jin-hwan both trained at the ‘Sword in the Moon’ school of elite imperial guards. The school was called ‘Sword in the Moon’ by the common people, as they hopped that the warriors would protect their well being and maintain peace in the country. The meaning behind the name, was that the ‘sword in the moon’ prepares for a bright day. It was during their training that Ji-hwan had once saved General Yun’s life during a battle with enemies. They become very good friends as a result, often testing their friendship and bravery under water, by seeing who could hold their breath the longest. The warriors at the ‘Sword in the Moon’ clan were like a big family. Everyone got along with one another. During his time at the school, Ji-Hwan had also fallen in love with Shi-yeong, the daughter of the Headmaster, Kim-in.

Upon completion of their training, Ji-hwan and General Yun went separate ways. Ji-hwan returned to Seoul to guard the palace, whilst General Yun was sent to the Northern boarders to defend the country against the nomad invaders. Two years had passed when a revolt occurred in the capital of Seoul. General Yun and his men were immediately ordered to return to the capital to quell the rebellion. They were captured upon their return by the renegade faction lead by Jung Yeo-kyoon. Seeing his young troops being beheaded one after another, General Yun makes a deal with the leader of the renegades. That he would serve the renegades for the rest of his life, if they agreed to set his men free. The leader of the renegades agreed on the condition that General Yun lead the attack on the existing Emperor in Seoul and also murder his own master, Kim-in.

Left without a choice, General Yun killed Kim-in. He then lead the attack on Seoul, whipping out the other half of the ‘Sword in the Moon’ clan in the process. He also stabbed a shocked and unprepared Ji-hwan who was charged with defense of the royal palace. Though seriously wounded by General Yun’s blade, Ji-hwan managed to live through the night. He would later be rescued by Shi-yeong who pulled him away from the various dead corpses of his comrades. Having survived Ji-hwan vowed to take vengeance on all those who had taken part in the revolt. But he would not kill a single warrior from the ‘Sword in the Moon’ clan. For they were like family to him. That’s why Ji-hwan had gone on an assassination spree, killing all of the corrupted Ministers, whilst sparing the lives of the imperial guards who confronted him.

As Shi-yeong recovered from the injuries she had received whilst she was in prison, the arrogant Jung Yeo-kyoon upsets the Emperor. In the evening he is murdered by the Emperor’s men. Meanwhile, General Yun’s troops no longer want to live the life of shame that they have been living for the past few years. One of the soldiers commits suicide. By now General Yun’s morale was extremely low. So low that he was prepared to drown himself in his own bath tub. But one of his concerned comrades revived him before he could complete his suicidal act. He is summoned to see the Emperor, who demands his protection for a ceremony when he’ll cross the river and be acknowledge as the Emperor of Korea. He suspects that the mysterious assassin would attempt to murder him on that day.

The Emperor’s predictions are correct, as Ji-hwan rides along the bridge to scope out the scenery before the big day. He picks out a spot before returning to the cave. Concerned that Shi-yeong would follow him to his death, he drugs her. Shi-yeong passes out in the middle of her sentence where she explained that she had wished to avenge her father’s death at first, but after many years all she wanted was Ji-hwan to look at her with love and affection again. Ji-hwan explains that he was a former shadow of himself since the night of the revolt. That he felt shamed for wanting to live, and drinking the blood of the deceased to do so, instead of dying with his comrades like he should have done so.

Ji-hwan then disguises himself as a slave and attempts to murder the Emperor during the bridge crossing ceremony. But before he could do so, Shi-yeong, arrives at the scene and attempts to kill the Emperor herself. She fails, leading to Ji-hwan failing in his attempts as well. They are immediately surrounded by imperial guards. Despite battling bravely, Shi-yeong is finally slained. Before her death, she manages to obtain her wish. Ji-hwan looks at her affectionately for the first time since the revolt. She dies in peace. Ji-hwan battles on. A useless fight that he’ll never win. But he tries never the less. He is stabbed many times, but does not die. At all times the Emperor watches with a sly smile, and a snicker here and there, knowing that he is completely safe from harm. Ji-hwan takes two arrows to the chest and continues to fight on.

At this stage, General Yun, rides on horse back to the middle of the battle. He advises Ji-hwan to let go of his sword and save himself. General Yun offered to die in his place. Ji-hwan finally agrees and sheaths his sword. General Yun places Ji-hwan on his horse and leads him towards the Emperor. He then gets down on his knees and begs the Emperor to spare them. Not wanting to be shamed and disgraced for a second time, Ji-hwan unsheathes his sword. At that moment, General Yun, finally realized that dying was better than living a life of shame. He too, finally unsheathes his sword and battles with the thousands of imperial guards protecting the Emperor. Ji-hwan is slained during the battle. But General Yun fights on. Whether he lives or dies, is no longer important. He had regained his honor. Ji-hwan like he has always done had finally saved him…

Rating – 3/5

This is the third Korean period film I’ve seen. I have to say that I’m not completely satisfied with how this story is told through numerous flashbacks. This technique is normally a master stroke in detective, murder mystery, and crime films, as it is a very useful way to twist and bend plots. However, I do not really see the purpose of flashbacks in a straightforward period film, where there is virtually no advantage to be gained in using this technique. In fact I thought this film would have had a greater impact on the audience had it been told from beginning to end without the flashbacks.

In my opinion the flashbacks really detracted from the film and virtually reduced character development to a mere zero. This leaves the audience scratching their heads about the various motivations of the various characters. In addition, it makes it harder for the audience to truly appreciate and relate to the characters and the various struggles. To fully understand this film one had to first deconstruct and make linear the storyline. This is one of the faults of the film. It would have been a greater story from start to finish without flashbacks.

As plots go, this film is really weak. There are plenty of holes in the plot, and it did not really tie up well at the end either. You basically had secondary characters being killed off without retribution of some kind to the murderer. This is unheard off. Also it is anti-climatical when one of the prime evil dudes, Jung Yeo-kyoon , gets killed before the end. Also what makes matter worse is that that he isn’t even killed by any of the main characters. Though Jung Yeo-kyoon’s death is ironical (ie, that he is killed by the very man who he put on the throne) it leaves little for the main characters to do after his death. It makes Ji-hwan’s quest to murder the Emperor and subsequent death even more senseless, particularly when the Emperor is being portrayed as someone who cares for the people. It doesn’t particularly appease to the audience with the main hero is seeking to murder someone who is perceived as being a ‘good’ Emperor.

The love between Shi-yeong and Ji-hwan received little treatment. I felt this could have been further drawn out. As mentioned above, the ending is like most Korean period films. Where the hero goes on a senseless pursuit of death and in the process all the people they love are also killed. To die and to be saved at the same time is a rather intriguing theme. I must admit that I am not a fan of the ending of this film. It was just as much of a senseless ending as “Bichunmoo”. If there were a true and significant purpose behind the death of the hero, like Siu Fung did in “Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils” then I would understand it. The main character in that story, Siu Fung, died to save the people from suffering and war. But in this story, the main character, Ji-hwan, basically dies because he sought death as he was sick of living. That alone doesn’t make a great ending. Particularly, when he could have just retired and lived a secluded life with his lover, Shi-yeong. His quest basically ended when the evil Jung Yeo-kyoon was murdered. In instances where hero are stubborn in the pursuit of death, it is not something that audiences (especially Western audiences) can relate to.

I’m not familiar with the actors or actresses, so can’t really comment on them. But I think they did a good job in portraying the emotion of the movie. Kim Bo-kyeong looked really pretty. That lake scene showed off her good figure. Choi Min-su brooded to much and was a little stiff at times. But I love those sharp eyes of his. Jo Jae-hyeon looked dashing. But you had trouble understanding what he’s character is about sometimes. Overall I thought the casting was good. But I should mention that when I watch films, I watch it for the storyline, and not because my favorite actors/actresses are in it. Sometimes it is actually beneficial to watch movies where I don’t have a clue who the various actors and actresses are.

The battle scenes in this film were okay. However, once again, the use of hand held cameras, quick cutting, and fast shifting camera movements do not equal quality fighting at the best of times. All it amounts to is seeing some random stunt men getting stabbed here and there. The most memorable duel was between General Yun and Ji-hwan by the fountain. But even that scene cannot be classified as a top notch fight in most period films.

The saving grace for this movie is the scenery and costumes. They were great. The sound track was okay. Even featured a weird version of the tune used in ‘Jaws’. The theme song ‘Sword in the Moon’ was excellent. There were two versions of that song, one in Korean and one in English. But I founded really surprising that my DVD only contained the English version of that song. I much preferred the Korean version that I heard in the background to the making of “Sword in the Moon” feature.

Overall, I really enjoyed watching this film. Despite what I said above, the film added some good variety to the normal period/wuxia films in my DVD collection. So at minimum, I recommend this film as one worth watching. But once again its not a ‘thinking man’s’ movie. The more you think, the more flaws you’ll uncover in the plot. Just sit back and enjoy the fighting scenes, occasional nude girl, beautiful scenery (sometimes) and the theme music.

[allunderheaven]

my sassy girl has to be my fav, got me into romantic comedies, brilliant!

in no particular order

ill mare
ditto
my wife is a gangster
the classic

[Versace]

How come you guys missing out on the excellent Chan-Wook Park revenge trilogy

First - Sympathy With Mr. Vengeance
Second - Oldboy (IMDB top #142/250)
Third - Sympathy for Lady Vengeance (In Development)

its understandable after JSA. Mr. Park already given the greenlight to do any film he wants and follow that with the gory Sympathy and because it is againt those typical korean melodrama such as Il Mare, Ditto or Sassy Girl most his later movies are ignored in SK but embrace and won much critical praise in the west

Oh my! Someone got good tastes as mine. I'm looking forward to watching "Sympathy for Lady Vengeance"

1) Old Boy
2) Sympathy with Mr Vengeance
2) Ditto
3) Musa
4) Don't Believe Her

Yes, I have quite a wide range of taste

[Ji-eun]

I love My Sassy Girl and Windstrurck. Il Mare is also good.
I love He Was Cool. It was so funny!

[Sassyapril]

1. My Littel Bride
2. My Sassy Girl
3. Innocent Steps
4. Impossible Love
5. Il Mari
6. The Classic
7. My Tutor Friend
8. 100 days with Mr. Arrogant
9. Spy Girl
10. My Boyfriend is Type B

I LOVE KOREAN MOVIES!!!

[chuy605]

TAEGUKGI is a good one.

[k-lover]

He was Cool --my favourite korean movie!!
My Sassy girl
Windstruck
My Tutor Friend
Innocent Steps
Volcano High

[d1_s14]

well im at work now, trying to think of my favourite Korean movies..but my mind is blank, so im not doing very well... some of my favourites are (in no particular order -

- My Sassy Girl

- My Brother (so sad especially wen you have a brother!)
- A Bitter Sweet Life

- The Classic (dont rely remember this movie, but i know i liked it, in fact i dont even know if its korean?)

- The Host (definitely an achievement for korean film, America is bound to copy this)

- Old Boy (this movie was insane)

- Zatoichi (i know this isnt Korean but i had to add it! ) -Takeshi Kitano

[shen long]

Oldboy
JSA
TaeGukGi
Musa
My sassy girl
The king and the clown
Welcome to DongMakGol
friend
failan
sex is zero

[kfanclub]

My favorite list
1.A moment to remember
2.The king and the clown
3.failan
4. IL Mare
5.My Littel Bride
6.The Classic
7.Tale of Two Sisters
8.Lover's concerto
9.My sassy girl
10.The Beast And The Beauty

[BearBearNweather]

My top 3:
1) A Moment to Remember - Touching story and Jung Woo Sung looks really good in it
2) IL Mare - sweet and I love happy ending. The cute pup in it is definitely a bonus.
3) My Little Bride

[annaaa]

1. a millionaire's first love. my absoute fav.
2. Seducing Mr. Perfect.
3. My little bride
4. the classic.
5. art of seduction
6. my wife is gangster 2
7. a moment to remember

and i didnt finish my sassy girl but that was pretty good.

[Sunlight_zero36]

1. A Moment to Remember
2. My Sassy Girl
3. Daisy
4. Windstruck
5. Little Bride
6. Seducing Mr. Perfect
7. Lover's Concerto
8. the one with Ha Ji Won and Kwon Sang Woo ... (something to do with nuns or priests? Sorry, I forgot the name)
9 ... none in my mind at the moment.

[yearning]

My list: (no order)

1) My Sassy Girlfriend
2) Windstruck
3) Il Mare
(can you tell that I like Jeon Ji Hyun? Haha, naw, it's the movies more than her)
4) Please Teach Me English
5) He Was Cool


Too bad my list is only 5 movies. I've watched over 30- Korean movies, but the rest of them were either mediocre or really really bad. I personally thought Tutor Friend was absolutely horrible, and although Oldboy was interesting, the incest thing just creeped me out so much.

sunlight, the movie you are thinking of is "Love So Divine"...okay movie, but too boring for me. Plus the fact that I find Ha Ji Won annoying and Kwon Sang Woo didn't look hot in it.

[yannlc]

just finished watching 200 pounds beauty & i would rate it one of my favourites. kim ah jung is so pretty!

[annaaa]

just finished watching 200 pounds beauty & i would rate it one of my favourites. kim ah jung is so pretty!

yea! i forgot to mention it on my list its so good i think it could be #3. the OST is good too so thats a plus!

[atlantean0208]

My top 10:

1) My Sassy Girl
2) A Bittersweet Life
3) Oldboy
4) Public enemy
5) Volcano High School
6) The Host
7) A Tale of Two Sisters
8) Windstruck
9) Once Upon a Time in High School: Spirit of Jeet Kune Do
10) Arahan

My other favorites not in the top 10 and in no particular order:

My Wife Is A Gangster
Sympathy With Mr Vengeance
Sympathy With Lady Vengeance
Attack the Gas Station
2009 Lost Memory
Il Mare
The Art of Fighting
The City of Violence
Another Public Enemy
Taegukgi
My Little Bride
Ghost House
Fighter in the Wind
The Big Swindle
My Tutor Friend
Save the Green Planet
Memories of Murder
Tube
Wonderful Days
Into the Mirror
Silmido
Marrying the Mafia
Sex is Zero
Joint Security Area

[ann1520]

1.100 days with Mr. Arrogant
2. My Tutor Friend
3. My Sassy Girl
4. The Classic
5. Sad Movie
6. 200 lb. Beauty
7. Seducing Mr. Perfect
i am not korean so i dont have 10.. =/

[PJ]

My favorite Korean movie is Resurrection of the Little Match Girl. Depending on how you look at it, this is either an incoherent train wreck or a dream-like camp masterpiece. It's like 8 1/2 meets The Terminator. bonus: Laura Croft appears as a lesbian.