War of the Arrows

I'll make it short and sweet. This is an excellent movie. Beautifully shot, acted, directed and scored.

Make no mistake, it is violent and has a certain amount of gore. The action is obviously heavily stylized, but done so to appear more real as opposed to the likes of 300 or even Gladiator. It never glorifies violence, and the movie makes sure that the audience sees this through its commentary. That said, if you like action movies with a historical flair, then this one is definitely for you. And when I say action, I mean relentless, ongoing and very much in your face action. Once it starts, it just keeps on going and keeps you on edge for the ride. And what's surprising is that the movie still allows for character exposition; something South-Korean cinema is revered for and should be proud of (in case they aren't). There are some nods to Hollywood stylizing here, and of course, influences are inevitable, but make no mistake, this is not a Hollywood rip-off or carbon copy of any kind. While there are similarities in certain scenes and aspect of this movie to Mel Gibson's Apocalypto, it is only on the surface level. The intent is completely different.

Get your popcorn, you pop and your M&M's and enjoy the ride.

WAR OF THE ARROWS is an excellent historical action flick with a twist: almost all of the action sequences are centred around bowmen facing off. Now, I've always loved archery when it's depicted in films, so I was delighted to read the premise and watch the trailer for this movie. For me, there's something intrinsically exciting about the look and the skill that goes into wielding a bow efficiently; I'd much rather watch a shoot-out staged with bows and arrows than guns. WAR OF THE ARROWS turns out to be just the film for me.

As usual for the Asian historical epic genre of recent years, the film looks great. Director Han-min Kim crafts a great-looking movie that ably matches the finesse of other recent Korean movies known for their style and substance. The cast are fine, giving their all in emotive turns without ever openly overacting. And the action scenes blow you away time and again.

Okay, I'll admit that the first half-hour is a little shaky. The set-up, although exciting, is followed by a slightly dull "get to know the leads" type scenario which drags a lot. Once the plot begins proper, though, it doesn't let up. There are twists and turns galore, plenty of moments of high drama, and then in the second half of the movie things turn into a virtual re-run of the Mel Gibson epic APOCALYPTO. Think a pared-down narrative, small-scale action – one versus a group – and suspense going through the roof. Yes, it's that good, and even some slightly dodgy CGI doesn't let it down. If only ROBIN HOOD, another recent film about a forest-dwelling archery champion, could have been this good!

The very mention of arrows in a movie makes us think of Legolas. You know, that dude in The Lord of the Rings trilogy? The elf with straight silky golden locks who never misses when he shoots his unlimited supply of arrows? While Orlando Bloom has made quite an impression with that suave character, the arrow shooting men in this Korean production are a different breed altogether. They are rough, ragged and, well, to put it simply, manly.

Set during the second Manchu invasion of Korea, the manliest one of them all in this movie has to be the protagonist played by Park Hae Il, who goes against the Qing Dynasty to save his younger sister. He also happens to be the best archer in Korea, but because his father was killed as a traitor, one can imagine how limited his future in the country is. One unfortunate follows another, when his younger sister is abducted during her wedding ceremony. Thus begins the quest to save her sister and her husband from the Qing army. In the process, countless arrows are shot, and as you'd expect from a revenge movie, there will be lots of blood.

Director Kim Han Min's work was the second highest grossing movie in Korea last year, and it is not difficult to see why. The fast paced epic action movie boasts of exhilarating sequences which will keep you at the edge of your seats. While you may wonder how a war of arrows can possibly be exciting, you will be thrilled by the perfect execution and choreography of the battle scenes (beat that, Legolas!). The action comes at you fast and furious, and even though there aren't many hand to hand combat, the long distance fighting is heart stopping and riveting.

The story may be based on a period of Korean history which we aren't very familiar with, but the filmmakers make sure it doesn't alienate foreign viewers. Essentially, it is a story about heroism, justice and revenge – universal themes which anyone can identify with. This creates a win win situation: Box office success both at home and in foreign lands.

The 122 minute production, being an action flick, does not provide many emotionally engaging moments. Not that we are complaining though, because for most of the movie, you see the protagonist either chasing his sister's kidnappers, or the bad guys chasing him. There are invasions, battles, confrontations and quarrels. The set pieces are impressive, and there is quite a bit of decent use of computer graphics to enhance the storytelling.

The ensemble cast does a nice job of portraying the anguish and tension felt by the characters during this war of arrows. Park manages to exude a respectable charm with his predictably written character, while the fragile looking Moon Chae Won plays his sister in distress with grace and elegance. The two actors took home the Best Actor and Best New Actress at the 2011 Daejong Film Awards, an established award presented by Korea's Ministry of Culture and Information. The film also took home the accolades for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound Effects.

This undeniably enjoyable popcorn production packs just the right amount of punch and pizazz to engage and entertain for a good two hours at the movies

This movie had the potential to be amazing. Historical dramas always do. A person learns a little history and the thematic messages can be so relevant to the culture you live in today. However, war of the arrows failed to do that because it forgot to talk about it. Visually its obvious it takes place in a certain time way back when in history. But thats about it. Sure, there are enough references here and there to add to the plot but it begins to tear at the seams abit. I loved this movie because it had great pacing, it had great acting and overall it used every movie cliché and trope to its advantage. But it needed a little bit more substance in story. So if you are happy with excellent visuals, great acting ( THe guy who plays the villain, oh my word he is in my top ten list of villains) and killer archery scenes then definitely watch this movie. However, if you are going to scratch your head at the thin plot... don't. While I wished there was a bit more, it was entertaining and moving enough for me to give it a 8/10.

Back before the Big Bang that changed warfare (i.e.; the invention of the firearm- also know as "the coward's weapon of choice"), the bow and arrow were the weapons of choice- and one of the deadliest bows ever devised was the type of bow used by the Mongolians (which is bent ONE way, then bent BACK, doubling its power). In WAR OF THE ARROWS, we get a sense of what it might've been like to have used (or been shot by) just such a weapon. This is one of the best examples of how slow motion cgi can actually ENHANCE something as INTIMATE as killing with a bow and arrow- and the fx are utilized to their finest, here. The performances are all solid, and the storyline serves its purpose admirably. All around, a bullseye.