Nangman jagaek (2003) User Reviews

Crazy Assassins, Romantic Warriors

[jora_dyn · 7/10 · 10 March 2006]

This movie is great. I went into this film not knowing what to expect. I mean the only thing I knew was that it was Korean and that it was a comedy costume/period piece. Judging from the cover...

I found this movie absolutely hilarious. Basically you have these 4 warriors/assassins, who just really sort of suck at what they do. While on a mission they run into an abandoned house, which happens to be haunted by the ghosts of four beautiful ghosts. The story then starts to revolve around their quest to help the ghosts seek revenge.

Laughs all around. The funniest part about this film was how quickly it would just pull your emotions all over the place. One moment you're laughing, the next you are in tears (and not from the laughing). I definitely think this is one to see if you are looking for something different, and you will be in for a crazy ride.

absolutely great

[WhiteRau · 8/10 · 28 April 2009]

oh my sweet heaven! these guys are just too frickin' funny! the characters from Sex is Zero really make this shine. and the humour is utterly hilarious. i laughed so hard sometimes, i nearly wet myself.

if you get Korean comedies, with their seemingly weird ultra-serious subplot, and can handle the juxtaposition, then you'll just love this film. the humour in the midst of the serious moments can seem like a real weird mix, but, again, if you can dig it, it's great.

the action sequences are really well done and are really very satisfying. for all its humour, the film has some great fights! the pacing is just right and you're never bored watching the film.

lost two points because i thought the serious bits went just a bit too long. but then, that's the Korean taste in film: disparate unions.

WR!

Something for everyone?

[sillybuddha · 6/10 · 23 December 2007]

It seems like there's something for everyone here: swordplay, comedy, ghosts, magic, wire-work, beautiful girls, tragedy. That's sort of the appeal of Romantic Warriors, but also its curse:- it's hard to ride along with the current when the tone lurches from slapstick to revenge story and then to gross-out comedy. There's a bit of anti-Chinese sentiment as the big boss in the picture is a Chinese official who is meddling in the affairs of the country. The film is set in a period of civil war in Korea when the Chinese were trying to capitalise on the situation and cement their influence.

Although it's perhaps implied that the 'Romantic Warriors' are sort of Korean ninjas, they are more like a Robin Hood-style band of merry men. Having taken on a job to kidnap a man's runaway wife, they catch her in flagrante with her lover, a loud-mouth shaman. These two are the comic foils for the rest of the film as they are dragged along with the Warriors. We never learn of their fate at the end though they are prominent in the film throughout.

Essentially the Warriors choose to stay in an abandoned house while they hide from the Chinese. Unknown to them, it is haunted by the ghosts of five young women who have been collecting men's souls so they can reach nirvana (yes - I don't understand it either). The Warriors inadvertently drink the collected souls (which come from men in their tear-drops) and face the wrath of the ghosts who demand that they take revenge on the Chinese boss who killed them, so that they can reach nirvana / heaven. Various shenanigans ensue, including visiting a medieval nightclub (!) complete with smoke machines, and strobe lighting thanks to the use of mirrors and coloured glass! Crazy ideas like this (including one of the Warriors trying to do Ryu's fireball from the video game Street Fighter II) give it its charm. Or they may just annoy you.

There's more impetus for revenge when one of the Warriors has his little sister killed by the Chinese boss, but really the story is kind of second place to the over-the-top performances (although the Warrior who loses his sister gives an impressive performance of a good-natured, lovable oaf) and the silliness is strong in most of the scenes. You never really get to care about any of the characters though - only the leader of the group and the oafish Warrior are given any back-story - indeed the ghosts seem to get more screen-time (but then they are a group of attractive Korean ladies so it's not hard to see why).

There is a bit of wire-work and some action scenes (the Warriors do know how to fight when they get the chance) especially after the ghosts teach them spiritual sword techniques, but it's nothing special.

If you want an undemanding, silly-but-fun martial arts film with some genuinely funny (and disgusting) moments, and some Korean slapstick, Romantic Warriors may be worth a look. It's certainly different.