Gwansang

This historical drama at 2 hours and 20 minutes is nearly in epic territory. Telling the life story of a 'face reader', a man who predicts people's future by looking at their faces, it is a story of loss, ambition, greed, and how small people are swallowed by the powerful looking to further their goals. Set in 15th century Korea, the costumes are lavish (oh those hats!), the mannerisms accentuated, and societal roles clearly defined. Billed as the story of the rise to the throne of Grand Prince Suyang, who became king Sejo of Joseon, it is historically accurate, with the addition of the face reader to give it human interest. Technically, there is much to like about this film; well shot and acted, with some very pleasing cinematography. It is slightly let down by over-dramatic music at times, and 'generous' editing. It would have come in better at around 2 hours. The story is gripping, and the portrayal of life in that era in Korea is fascinating. It is easy to love the good guys, and hate the bad, and there is enough ambivalance about the two to keep one's interest. I really liked it, and give a solid 8.

Very detailed description of what really happened in that period of time and adding fictional face reading story into the story is very creative. Brilliant acting. Many beautiful scenes. Specially last ending was very emotio al.

The film narrates, in an enjoyable way, a crucial point in 15th Century Korean History and although the main character (the face reader) and his friends are fictional, most of the others are real historical figures, from King Sejo himself to his legendary adviser, Han Myung-hoe

It's a good movie, spiced with funny characters and beautiful women, well acted, edited and directed. The script has a classical breath that reminds of Shakespearian works but could be perceived somehow naive or slow paced by a Western audience.

Therefore I would not recommend it to someone who is not interested in the Asian way of describing human feelings or is not willing to experience something alien. The idea that face reading could reveal the human soul or that someone's destiny is carved in his own outlines is catching and very well developed.

I was surprised I had not heard of this film until recently since I've developed a love of Korean film over the years & regularly search for new titles. I always wonder about films with an IMDB rating below 8 but I thought I'd give it a tryjust because I'm a fan of Kang-ho Song. Now that I've viewed this film I'm not sure why it hasn't been rated higher? I feel very comfortable giving this 8 stars. The acting was good as I'd expect and the story seemed pretty solid to me. If I get picky I could ding it for a few minor things that I might like to see done differently. I thought it might have been made clearer why the face reader seemed unable to understanding the characters of those that were closest to him. (Or maybe that was the whole point and some of the subtleties in Korean were getting lost in English subtitles)? Other than that I can only think of one scene that may have dragged a little more than I liked ( the tragic scene towards the end ). I guess you'll have to watch it to find out if you agree with me.