Kundo - Pakt der Gesetzlosen

Imagine if you took an Italian western, Kurosawa's "Seven Samurai" and "Robin Hood" and then transported all this to 19th century Korea. This is pretty much what you get in Jong-bin Yun's masterpiece, "Kundo: Age of the Rampant". It's a new martial arts epic that I cannot recommend strongly enough--and fans of this sort of picture are bound to be satisfied with this excellent film.

The film begins during the latter years of the long Joseon Dynasty. The country is racked with famine, disease and locusts. But these locusts aren't the kind you're thinking of...they're the human kind. These are the various lords and governors who exploit the people and make the suffering and starvation even worse--as they strip the land from the people and force them into slavery. However, an honorable gang of bandits have made it their mission to right wrongs, care for the poor and punish the evil men in charge. For a while, their mission goes off without a hitch, as bureaucrat after bureaucrat are captured and sentenced for their crimes. However, one of these evil men, Yo-Joon, is something else. He is not only among the most evil and bloodthirsty, but he's an incredible fighter and more than a match for any of these Robin Hood-style bandits. Plus, he has his loyal band of seven evil warlords and an army...what good could these bandits do against such odds? Well, being heroes, they do what heroes must do even if the mission seems like certain death.

The film's plot is very reminiscent of an old western and the music really heightens the effect. It's not exactly Ennio Morricone's in style but has many similarities to his scores that this great and very prolific Italian composer wrote for epics such as "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly" and "A Fistful of Dollars". It's rousing and energetic to say the least. And, the main bandit, Dochi, is also cut from the same mold as these great old films. All in all, a terrific film that features top-notch acting, music and production values--as good as any martial arts movie you could find. See this film...just don't take your young kids. Only a crazy person would let them watch this film or films like it. It's extremely realistic in its violence and bloodshed--as you would expect. So, even if they beg you, find another film for them and watch this one when the little ones are asleep, as it clearly earns its R rating.

We/I might not know this one particular story of Kundo, but we have seen this underdog story before. Which is not to be held against the movie, because it does a fine job telling the story of class distinction and the "small" people rising up against oppression. You might not agree with everything happening here, but you can't fault the movie or the story for that.

The action is more than decent enough and our hero against his own will, has a great journey to undertake. Some have compared this to some of the classic Japanese movies. But even if you don't agree with that either, you only have to like the story to get into it and enjoy the movie.

A fine historical adventure film, clearly indebted to the Robin Hood story and indeed referencing ROBIN HOOD: PRINCE OF THIEVES quite openly at the end. It's much more humorous than I was expecting, an all-star-cast story of the corrupt Joseon nobility and the outlaws who team up to take them down. Laughs early on give way to wholesale slaughter at a later point, with the usual heavy emoting interspersed with well-staged action sequences. An effortless watch, as usual with Korean cinema.

A great Kung Fu flick made by Koreans.

Or should I say an Eastern, as the filmmakers used a lot of, what looked like American western tricks, like with the music and the sudden close ups, to give it that Western vibe.

At the same time, cinematically it reminds me of a back in the day Kung Fu film like what the Shaw bros. would do. What an excellent martial arts flick this turned out to be, jumbled with everything you except to see from a film by the likes of Tarantino paying homage to the Kung fu genre. I've always been a fan of Korean Cinema and this movie just increased my fandom. This was a great movie I recommend everyone to see.

This had a great balance of action with over the top martial arts in the context of corrupt Josean Empire. It was a great story, the chapters and Westernized score gave it a Tarantino flavor like a Kill Bill morning of the 1800s. The dialogue and story also had that comedic appeal that's subtle without overshadowing the action a hard balance to attain (I've seen it in the Bond Franchise, First 3 Die Hards, and Sergio Leone Classic "The Good The Bad & The Ugly". I found it Brilliant!