Choi-jong-byeong-gi hwal

"You're now Ja-in's father, you must take care of your sister until you die." After getting into an argument with his sisters fiancé Nam-Yi leaves his village before her wedding. When he returns he is told of the attack and kidnapping of his sister and sets out with his bow to get her back and exact revenge. As many of you may know I have never really been a big fan of these epic martial arts type movies. There have been a few I liked but not many. This one may be the best one I have seen since "Hero". This movie grabs you from the opening scene and is action packed and keeps you interested the entire time. The story and action are very well done and there is not a dull moment in this at all. There are some very brutal scenes in this but it's not over the top at all and it helps the story. For fans of this genre this is a must see. For those like me who can go either way this is still a movie that is very much worth watching. Overall, one of the best of this genre I have seen. I give it an A.

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.

I have been on the Korean/Asians movies tip these days and the reason is simple it is hard to find a solid and an interesting movie in Hollywood, you see in a way they are doing remakes and even buying movies that are done in other countries to do them in Hollywood style. Well as a movie fanatic I found my getaway in foreign movies and man was I not entertained. This is one of the best movies of 2011 in Korea (Korean is making its mark in Movie industry) and it boasts with Four Awards The film won four awards in 48th Daejong Awards to Best Actor for Park Hae-il and Best New Actress for Moon Chae-won.) The film is about an archer who risks his life to save his sister from slavery under Prince Dorgan's rule. Other reviews have likened it to Apocalypto but this is nothing like it and Apocalypto doesn't even come close to it and I will tell you why… War of the Arrows is not your typical set battle piece it shows emotions you can see their fear, desperation and panic for example the way they portray death is sad, there is no joy in it even for your enemy, while Apocalypto showed victims and victimization this shows sacrifice and dedication and staying true to your promise no matter the situation. While Apocalypto was on Native Americans and doesn't make you relate to the whole ordeal this one makes you wonder what you could have done faced with the same situation. While Apocalypto showed blood thirsty humans turned to beasts kind of thing for their benefit this one is the survival of the fittest. The common thing in them is obviously the gore and violence. Taking this into consideration I find this one a winner. It is fast paced and will have you glued to your screen from the beginning till the end and what makes it a masterpiece is that the stunts are real it doesn't use you CGI except on the tigers scene which I will excuse as getting the real tiger could have dumbed it down a bit… Overall this is a masterpiece and worth your time

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.

This is a stylish and sleek movie that is unduly criticized by many, especially those from other Asian countries as can be seen among other reviews here.

Most do not seem to understand the main point of this movie because they do not know the historical background this movie was set against and consequently they just think this is a ripoff of Hollywood.

The time ... the 17th century. Korea just repelled the Japanese invasion with Ming China's aid which alternated between being an ally and being racist tormentors of the Korean populace.

Manchu(Jurchens) were a nation of fierce warriors from the north, or they thought of themselves that way at least. They had been under the Chinese yoke and just threw it off. They are eventually to invade China proper and to rule over Chinese for the next 300 years. If you saw Last Emperor you will understand this historical setting.

An important thing to remember here is that they were NOT Chinese. Their hatred of Chinese was immense, almost pathological.(and the reason that they invaded Korea was precisely that the Korean court acted like a vassal of Ming China.) This contrasts very sharply with today's Manchu who think of themselves as Chinese.

Just 40 years prior to this event there was the infamous Japanese invasion of Korea and Ming China sent a force to aid Koreans. But this force came from Liatung base, the primary function of which was to suppress Jurchens and Mongols.

Even though that war ended in the victory for Korea and China this created a power vacuum in Manchuria as Ming China no longer controlled the region effectively. This is how the Jurchens(Manchu) rose to power. They were burning with hatred of Chinese for their condescending and racist treatments of their people.

The Korean King who was the crown prince at the time of the Japanese invasion ascended to the throne in the early 17th century. And because of his war time experience he was a practical man and saw the newly arising Manchu as a force to reckon with. He tried to be neutral between Ming China and Manchu.

However he was deposed by a group of Korean nobility and they tried to justify their coup with a more pro china stance. This is how Manchu invaded Korea twice and the second one was more catastrophic as shown in this movie.

So this movie is about the anger of the Korean masses felt toward the effete and effeminate Korean nobility class who were incredibly more loyal to Chinese than to their own people. It is about a war that could have been avoided if the Korean King at the time(generally regarded as the weakest and the most effeminate king in the history of Korea) and the nobility could back their word with action or had a more practical sense.

The Korean government did not help their people, actually did not even want to as long as they could hold onto their power, so the people had to help themselves against all odds. This is the basic premise of this film.

Anyway for those who are not interested in Korean or East Asian history... Manchu are not Chinese and the language they spoke in the movie was not Chinese.(In fact it was the Manchu language which is now dead. It was recreated from the Korean records of the Manchu language. The movie creator deserves some credit for this.)

If you can free yourself from this common misconception that Manchu were just a type of Chinese people you are already half-way there. Manchu were no more Chinese than Mongols are.