The Match

This movie is just for Go players. People who don't know the game will not enjoy this movie. Even when they talk up the game to make it exciting it just isn't.

Where the movie fails is. The dynamic between teacher and student is not pleasant or inspiring. Lee Byung Hun plays a rather nasty teacher and sore loser and the student played by Yoo Ah In looks so morose for most of the movie. The younger actor who played him at a child is more charismatic and fun character. So after it switched to Yoo Ah In playing the older version things got dull.

Then instead of showing the younger player's great successes, they stop early before he dominates the world in the game.

Skip this one.

I certainly would've enjoyed this more if I liked or even been familiar with Go. Or baduk. But I'm not and as such I could only get excited with and about the characters. There are plenty of scenes where I liked these people but also some where I got pretty bored if I'm honest. Also, Lee Chang-ho as a kid seems to have a very different personality from his older self. I kind of missed his brashness and his cheekiness. He became an old man, much like his game.

Anyway, Yoo Ah-in constructs yet another unique character and he is basically a main character here so I am glad this movie could reach viewers without cutting him out, it was practically impossible. It was shameful he could not promote it really.

Lee Byung-hun does his thing too, but that is no surprise to anybody. His character was a bit eccentric so he had material to work with I guess.

Also, the 80s to 90s period was captured pretty convincingly I thought.

Super motivational and inspiring. Heartening is not the first descriptive I'd use but it is still in there! The ancient board is the best part because that's when the teacher takes the student seriously. This then allows the student to learn more seriously now. They both had to go back to the basics and learn from each other how to beat each other! What an exciting twist and turn, here and there! You'll definitely be at the edge of your seat, maybe even standing right in front of the tv wondering who it is that will win The Match!

I am running out of words to fill the required number of words needed to meet. 😂

The Match worked well with the cards it was dealt with.

I'm sure many watched for Lee and Yoo who are top actors of their generations; stars align. Their acting, rooted on the known legendary character developments of the giants of the game of Go in Korea, is carried out as expected.

Sentimental viewers may add value to familiarity and the homage to the national pride it represented from the tiny peninsula. However, as the film stands by itself, I wish it did add more creative license to the conflict between the two.

It felt more a documentary lavished by top acting than a movie for the sake of a movie.

"The Match" is a masterpiece that transcends the game itself, exploring the devastating cost of obsession, the weight of ideology, and the fragile human psyche pushed to its absolute breaking point.

This is not merely a great film about GO; it's a timeless exploration of the human condition under extreme duress. An absolute masterpiece deserving of the highest acclaim. Don't just watch it; experience it. Essential viewing.

Every frame, every silence, every move crackles with suspense. It's a visually stunning, intellectually charged, and emotionally visceral exploration of obsession, genius, and the crushing weight of ideology. An absolute masterpiece.