In 1770s Korea, King Jeong-jo of the Joseon dynasty has been on the throne for only a short time, but numerous assassination attempts have already been made on his life. His mother and grandmother are at odds; the court is divided and worse, the army is under the command of a general who may or may not be loyal to the king. While training himself in secret, Jeong-jo trusts only his clerk, whom he has known since before his father was executed years ago. Meanwhile, over the decades young children taken by a brutal slave-master are brought up to become assassins, and tonight is the fateful night....
It just isn't a Montreal Fantasia Festival for me if I don't see at least one seriously costumed historical drama from at least one Asian country, and this year "The Fatal Encounter" fit the bill perfectly. There's a massive amount of intrigue, lots and lots of intense combat scenes, a bit of torture here and there and, of course, a love interest as well. The film is apparently based on a real incident in Korean history, although of course how much license is taken by the filmmakers is another question. I must admit that I was confused for much of the film, simply because there are so many intrigues and plots going on at the same time, and it was very difficult to wrap my head around a "grandmother" who is younger than her "grandson" and considerably younger than that "grandson's" mother - but heck, this is the kind of film where you just go with the flow and trust that it will all come out right in the end! Definitely worth a look, but do try to keep all the plots straight in your head while viewing it....
