After seeing the masterful Father (2020-also reviewed),I decided to check if any new titles were available in the Korea bundle I had purchased at the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival. In the mood for a action flick,I got set to draw swords with the swordsman.
View on the film:
Whilst clearly inspired by the " Zatoichi" films, writer/director Jae-Hoon Choi & cinematographer Won-ho Son strike their own path with spellbinding,ultra-stylised fluid Action set-pieces.
Glimpsing Tae-yul's worsening blindness in first-person sequences,Choi unveils Tae-yul to still be a master of the blade with glossy arc-shots and close-ups putting the audience up-close to the clashing of shining blades, until Choi pulls back to fantastic bursts of deep red unleashed by Tae-yul,unleashed across the stilted calm wide-shots of the Joseon Dynasty.
Forced to rely on instinct as his sight fades, Jang Hyuk gives a wonderful performance as Tae-yul,whose sharp mind-set Hyuk expresses with swift performance of his fighting moves,while Man-sik Jeong gives a thrilling, snarling turn as Min Seung-ho faces up against the swordsman.
View on the film:
Whilst clearly inspired by the " Zatoichi" films, writer/director Jae-Hoon Choi & cinematographer Won-ho Son strike their own path with spellbinding,ultra-stylised fluid Action set-pieces.
Glimpsing Tae-yul's worsening blindness in first-person sequences,Choi unveils Tae-yul to still be a master of the blade with glossy arc-shots and close-ups putting the audience up-close to the clashing of shining blades, until Choi pulls back to fantastic bursts of deep red unleashed by Tae-yul,unleashed across the stilted calm wide-shots of the Joseon Dynasty.
Forced to rely on instinct as his sight fades, Jang Hyuk gives a wonderful performance as Tae-yul,whose sharp mind-set Hyuk expresses with swift performance of his fighting moves,while Man-sik Jeong gives a thrilling, snarling turn as Min Seung-ho faces up against the swordsman.