Hyeomnyeo: Kar-ui gi-eok

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

I just saw another Korean epic called Assassination last week at my local theater so I thought I give this one a shot.

The two movies are similar in their epicness, as they both had great cinematography that made it feel like a painting come to life and they seem to be working a very large story with lots of elements but is not too hard to follow, which is good for me cause subtitles can be too much to read sometimes. The scope of Memories of the Sword was big and long (at two hours and sixteen minutes), and covered a lot of drama.

I don't think I've ever seen Lee Byung-hun, who I know to be a actor from Korea, in a Korean film. He's somewhat a thing in the states, so I assumed that made him a huge star in his native land. It's the first time I did not see him in an action film with his shirt off holding a sword. It's a little misleading for those of us expecting more battle scenes from him, instead he plays more of a dramatic role that evolves romance, which I rarely see in Asian films cause I mostly deal in marshal arts action.

Which the movie does not have a lot of, but the little it does I was very impress with. Overall it was not a bad movie to sit through.

While the Goryo Dynasty in the medieval Korea, three warriors named Deok-ki, Poong-chun and Seol-rang have led a riot against the king and his foreign allies from Kitan, China. But Deok-ki betrays them, which results in the death of Poong-chun. But Seol-rang is able to escape with Seol-hee, Poong-chun's little daughter, and her sword. 18 years later, Seol-rang got blind but she raised and taught Seol-hee very well. Both feel that the time for revenge is right, but Deok-ki is now one of the most powerful men in the country. All of them know, that spilling blood is the only way of redemption. This story is heart touching and lovely full of action

This was okay. It was nice looking. It could have stood to have more fighting and less long sequences of sorrow. All the sorrow, which I guess is what the plot revolves around, could have been avoided if everyone involved had made less inexplicably poor decisions.

It could be viewed as a Korean take on the great "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" but the movie has enough substance to stand on its own feet. The cinematic qualities are most impressive. Camera work, lighting, colors...it never stops to look beautiful. If the Shakespearean drama in the story doesn't put you away, be sure to not miss this one. Also, do yourself a favor and watch it in the cinema or at least from a blu-ray. The visual feast you will be getting is worth it. Just a warning: It's not an action movie. It's much more drama than action and even when action happens, it's mostly highly stylized. As for the acting, Byung-hun Lee is the memorable person in this. He really shines as the somewhat confused villain. Rest of the cast I'd probably just describe as OK. My movie-loving heart was glad I got to watch this and is looking forward to future Korean epics. :)