I can’t wait to watch this movie! The Swordsman, directed by Choi Jae-hoon (최재훈) and starring Jang Hyuk (장혁), Kim Hyun-soo (김현수), Joe Taslim, Jung Man-sik (정만식) was filmed in 2017 but due to some production/financial complications, it was only released las month in South Korea, in the midst of a pandemic and with relatively little promotion. Still, like a true underdog, the movie managed to take second place among all movies released that week (release date was Sep 23rd) and 1st among domestic releases.
With new movies released during Chuseok, The Swordsman went down a few spots but hey, it’s still out there fighting the good fight and it has gotten mostly positive reviews from press and audience. From what I could gather, the general concensus would be 1) Predictable story but moves at a good pace 2) Good acting 3) Amazing action sequences
It has been compared to other action movies like Taken, The Man From Nowhere (also from Opus Pictures), The Professional (aka Leon), etc. The movie has been sold to 55 countries and here is hoping a major streaming service also picks it up soon.
Here is some more good stuff to get you as excited as I am (but beware of spoilers)
TRAILER:
TRAILER: CHARACTERS
MUST WATCH: Impressive action sequence, all in one take. This is what got me the most excited!
THE MOVIE BEATS REVIEW: A thorough review but practically spoiler free. It focuses on the action sequences
“The right blend of of exciting sword-wielding action, drama, and warrior’s code to satisfy the appetites of more die-hard genre fans“.
Full written version:
https://www.themoviebeat.com/the-swordsman-2020-korean-movie-review/
Hancinema review: A good read, with some analysis of the character’s motivations. It contains spoilers
https://www.hancinema.net/hancinema-s-film-review-the-swordsman-145684.html
Visit the Soompi movie thread for more information:
Stuck on Hyuk 