Hyeomnyeo: Kar-ui gi-eok

I love all the actors and enjoy historical dramas. Cinematography and martial arts/sword play/fantasy in this one are excellent. For me, the weakness and lowered score are because of murky writing leading to uneven plotting and unclear storyline. It's a shame because the actors deserved better.

I wasn't really looking forward to this movie or anything. However when it finally arrived in theaters I decided to give it a try. Sometimes, the movies that I have no interest in ends up surprising me in a good way. However that wasn't the case for this flick, it was super mediocre at best. The plot is jumbled and it didn't seem to know what direction it wanted to go. Some areas build up and goes nowhere. To be honest I wanted to check this movie, not because of the Korean super star two timing manipulative jerk Lee Byung-hun. But because of the actress Kim Go-eun who seems to get better with each film. I was actually impressed with her in "Coin Locker Girl". This movie is a poor man's effort at emulating films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The acting is good but nothing special that makes it stand out or anything like that. The plot is basically crying, sobbing, getting over melodramatic and between fighting. That basically sums up this mess of a film. I could tell this was suppose to be some Shakespearian stuff, but it fails. Even the action sequences are bland. As a matter of fact the fight sequences in "The Sword With No Name" which came out in 2009 was done much better. The action in this is mashed with choppy, close up, constant in and out mixed with slow-motion. It's a headache to watch, even when it came to the action sequences it's a mess. Except near the end it's when it became bearable to watch. Overall, just watch "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" again.

5/10

A cheerful happy girl named Seol-hee, whom is living in the Goryeo era of Korea, has what seems to be a beautiful adventurous morning. But at the end of the day, after participating in a sword match in the town square, and an odd encounter with a powerful military leader named Yoo-baek, she discovers a tragic, heartbreaking destiny has befallen her: she's been training herself in sword combat to eventually hunt down the murderers of her father, but she discovers her own caretaker, Wallso, is one of the villains who was there when it happened. Long ago, Wallso (then called Seol-rang), and Yoo-baek (then called Deok-gi), were leading an uprising, with Seol's father, Poong-cheon accompanying them. However, when it seems the desire for freedom and justice is about to come true, Deok-gi betrayed his partners, killing Poong-cheon, and Wallso escaping with the infant Seol. In the aftermath, Deok prophesies that Seol will kill him and Wallso when she comes of age. Without a shred of emotion or pity for Seol, Wallso reveals she and Yoo-baek are the enemies she must slay, before kicking her out of the house. Distraught, betrayed, shocked, and heartbroken, Seol tries to deny and drown her future out, but after losing a couple other people, whom were close to her, Seol transforms herself inside, accepts her destiny, and prepares to make her targets pay...with blood!

Kim Go-eun has become one of my favorite Korean actresses! Also having seen her in a thriller film called "Monster", and a TV show called "Cheese in the Trap", she amazes me once more as Seol-hee, first cheerful and free spirited, then heartbroken and betrayed, then born again, battle hard, and out for blood!

This is actually my second time watching this movie. First time, I don't think I payed attention too much, but this time, my focus was better, and I absorbed the story, emotion, and action much better. I enjoyed the other performances, action sequences, and some of the effects very much.

Although a few parts of the movie were still a bit hard to follow, I still enjoyed Memories of the Sword! I'd certainly recommend it for explorers of international movies!

I loved this movies plot, but it was a little confusing at time how they put the script together and that's party to the style of movies I am use to here in the USA, That's not to say how this movie comes together Especially towards the end. The plot is amazing the Cinematography is beautiful and the sword fighting is on spot. The movie does jump around a little bit and that is what confuses most people but they're trying to give you a sense of the past that leads to the future and they also change characters names from what they started with to what they end up with so that kind of throws you off but like I said the end of the movie brings it all together beautifully I would highly recommend this movie it's got everything one would want like crouching Tiger hidden Dragon.

"Memories" seems to be a key word with this film, as memories are not always complete. Just as memories, so too poetry. A poem doesn't need complete sentences to be understood, it's more about the feelings that are conveyed. When I came to this realization, I enjoyed this film much more.

I guess the advertising for this film made comparisons to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? I don't know because I just borrowed this from the library & it wasn't until a couple reviews mentioned it that I heard the comparison. There are similarities, but that is all they are..

Don't focus on that for this film, enjoy it for what it is: a poem in cinematic form.