Geom-gaek

Complicated intrigues (not pointed out clearly but made clear by parts of the dialogue without being explained in details or taking away), well over anticipated swordplay, good martial arts, good effects and some emotional parts lying right under the plot and dialogue if you can spot them. The only real drawback is that it takes it one step to far at atleast 1 point possibly 2. Not as much as to derail all sentiment, but enough to be disturbing for those enthralled up til that point. The reading of angles also shows how masters of martial arts (try) work to survive attacks by several oponents. A nice tough is the villain balancing on the borderline to evil rather than being pure evil all the time.

If the story was better told it could become a classic.

The fights scenes are very good.

The protagonist is moved by duty for his king and daughter. He's an interesting character and built on the tradition of the japanese Zatoichi.

Even though Joe Taslim smiles a lot as a proud villain, but overall this movie delivered what to be expected, or as expected by me. This not a kind of wuxia movies while the swordmen are flying around the tall trees with their blades. This a believable wuxia fight movie, where the swordmen could be exhausted catching his breath. The period pieces also feels authentic, and the story also in the right pace. Some scenes are too dark and need more lights though. Try it, you will love it, especially the Indonesian actor as the villain, Joe Taslim speaking Korean!

One thing that really gets me in Good Guy vs Bad Guy films is when the "Bad Guy" over plays his snarky nature with an arrogant smirk. The bad fellas in this are just ate up with this characteristic. It is great, at least for me, because it makes me dislike the character that much more and I feel more drawn into what's going on.

This was a well made film. It has some well choreographed swordplay and martial arts but there is also an underlying story that offers some emotional drama so it isn't all action. It is well put together making it suitable but it could have benefited from a little more detail about our main characters. I would've liked to have seen just a bit more in that regard.

I would totally recommend this if you are into Korean period films with great sword play. I don't think you'd be disappointed.

Tae Yul used to be well renown as a terrific swordsman and former guardian of an imperial family. Now aged with deteriorating eye sight he travels the mountains with his daughter in apparent hiding. Tae finds his way to a village named Joseon where he crosses path's with a swordsman from his past, Min Seung-ho, Joseon's greatest military warrior. As Tae attempts to keep a low profile a member of the Qing imperial family and the proclaimed best swordsman of that region by the name of Gurutai reaches Joseon with menacing plans for the village as he doubles as a slave trader. When Tae's daughter is taken by Gurutai and his men he is left with no other option than to fall back into the way of the sword to rescue his only family. In order to accomplish this Tae Yul is up against the two best swordsman in the empire as well as the entire Qing imperial army.

A visually stunning piece of filmmaking as the scenery, wardrobe, and sets take you to a different place entirely. The sword fight sequences are top shelf and are pure cinematic magic. The level of difficulty for the fight choreography is impressive and delivered incredibly, really some of the best camera work out there. The script and dialog are not winning any awards but the amazing fight sequences more than make up for that. If you can stand a foreign subtitled flick than you'll more than appreciate this superb film.