Sado

Superb acting, beautiful costuming, elaborate sets, and engrossing locations mark this powerful tale of the strained relationships that exist between all fathers and their sons.

Over a period of eight days, an 18th. century Korean king punishes his only son for attempted regicide. Flashbacks reveal the chain of events that led the son to rebel against his father while the women and courtiers who love them both struggle to deal with the growing conflict.

What works for The Throne is that the movie evinces a common family psychological dynamic that exists between almost all fathers and their sons, but the dynamic is amplified by the fact that the family in question is a royal family and the stakes are higher. As all fathers struggle to challenge and build their sons without breaking them and as all sons endeavor to prove themselves and earn their fathers' seemingly unattainable respect, The Throne shows us how severe that dynamic can be when the fate of an entire country is at stake.

There is something for everyone in The Throne as fathers and sons might learn something about the other side's feelings and motivations while other family members and friends can relate to the helpless frustration of watching their loved ones fight each other.

With all of that psychoanalysis stated, The Throne also delivers exceptionally well for viewers who enjoy lavish costume dramas about royal families and their courtiers and/or period pieces about Asian history and culture. In summary, The Throne is excellent story telling.

Maybe, 40 minutes in the beginning little bit boring and slow, but must to watch until the end. I love how the plot told back-forward story, just watch the King's beard if you got confused hehe. This is drama of father and his son in the palace. The message that we can took from this movie is even though we don't believe to anyone, even as a King, please be nice to your own child.

Any time Yoo Ah-In is in the film or series, he will reward viewers with his talent, and he always seems to be maturing as an artist. This film is one of SK's finest and one of the actor's best performances. It is also based on a true story that is painful to watch unfold as it does in "The Throne", perhaps too slowly, yet the closure is also beautiful.

My respect goes to Yoo Ah-in (Crown Prince Sado)for his performance, though there were other quite good performances as well. I have watched many Korean films, and was surprised to have not seen Yoo Ah-in's face before, so I googled his name. He appears to have been a model before taking on acting, and rightfully so based on his good looks. Not sure if modeling came before acting, but either way, this guy is not just another pretty face actor. There were a couple of scenes in the film where his character simply commanded me to well-up. The "trivia of decorum" is a phrase that stuck with me after watching this film. The only advantage of being the first born boy to a monarch in many ancient cultures (not just Asian), was that you were at least guaranteed meals, especially if times were hard. Otherwise, the pressures on young heirs seems to have been almost unbearable.

I walked into this film, with the extent of my knowledge being the drawn portraits of Prince Sado and King Yeongjo floating around google images. By the time I left the cinema, I felt I've become close companions with these men.

There is a tragically mesmerizing direction Lee Joon Ik accomplishes in his intimate insight into the Royal family. It is difficult to project the arduous politics of the kingdom in a way which doesn't diminish the drama, but heightens its emotional punch. Believe me, it's quite a punch. A series of flashbacks investigates how the relationship between King Yeongjo and his son, Crown Prince Sado deteriorates. Essentially showing how a once proud father can condemn his son to a brutal punishment. It's a wonderful piece of film editing, gripping the viewers to a claustrophobic degree as we witness Sado's sufferings, while never losing interest in the family's origins whenever the film jumps back a few years or so.

Perhaps, the greatest element of this film is undoubtedly it's ability to depict deceased historical figures with a brooding complexity and vibrance. Particularly, Yoo Ah In's portrayal of Sado is captivating in its depiction of the man's compassion, thirst for freedom and his eventual conflicted psyche. Never is there once a hint of a stereotypical, one dimensional, cold blooded lunatic. No. This is an incredible portrayal of a human being, as these historical figures were.

The inability to emphasize with and encourage others is a fault exposed here. This is how the film transcends from a dramatic period piece to a work of art which deeply resonates in families caught in strife. It truly is an absorbing insight into life between the palace walls during the height of familial tension, boasting an emotional prowess that would tingle within you for some time. A masterpiece has been extracted from this segment of history.