Still, there's a definite and pleasing ambition to the film, and Park does try hard to add depth.Īng Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Zhang Yimou's Hero were clearly the main inspirations, and the film recalls both quite closely in terms of story and character, focusing on generation gap dynamics and feisty female fighters. While the script is generally well written and intelligent, it's convoluted in places, taking a long time to explain itself and often falling back on clumsy exposition and an over-use of flashbacks. The narrative is complex and multi-layered, with hidden motivations, confused identities and all manner of scheming from the start, and the film does take a fair bit of patience and concentration. After Deok Gi uncovers her identity in a sword fighting competition, Seol Hee learns the truth about the death of her parents and sets out on a bloody path of revenge.Īlthough at its heart Memories of the Sword is essentially a fairly straightforward tale of vengeance, Park Heung Shik certainly packs in a great deal of plot, and there's really a lot going on. A couple of decades later, Deok Gi is the head general of the army, haunted by the memories of the past though still keen to advance his position, while the now-blind Seol Rang has changed her name to Wallso, raising the child Seol Hee (Kim Go-eun) in secret and teaching her to fight. Things didn’t work out as planned, with Deok Gi having turned snake against his comrades in arms, leading to the death of Poong Cheon and forcing Seol Rang to flee with his young child and precious sword. The film is set during the Goryeo era, when freedom fighters Deok Gi (Lee Byung-hun), Seol Rang (Jeon Do-yeon) and Poong Cheon (Bae Soo-bin) led a desperate uprising against the hated king. While its premise is certainly nothing new and the genre playing field is already more than overcrowded, the film does at least boast a top notch cast, headlined by Lee Byung-hun ( Inside Men), Jeon Do-yeon ( The Shameless) and upcoming talent Kim Go-eun ( Coin Locker Girl), with a large and impressive supporting cast that includes Lee Jun-ho of 2PM, Bae Soo-bin ( 26 Years), Lee Kyung-young ( Assassination), Kim Tae-woo ( The Pirates) and Moon Sung-keun ( Haemoo). Vengeance and betrayal are very much the order of the day in Korean period drama Memories of the Sword, co-written and directed by Park Heung Shik ( My Mother, the Mermaid). She then leaves home and starts her long journey of revenge. However, on that same night, she learns how her father died and that Yoo Baek and Wallso are her destined enemies. After getting discovered by Yoo Baek in a sword sparring competition, Seol Hee successfully evades capture. Determined to take revenge on Deok Gi, now known as Yoo Baek, she teaches Poong Cheon's daughter Seol Hee (Kim Go Eun) how to fight with the sword. Seol Rang escapes with Poong Cheon's daughter and his sword but Deok Gi warns her that the child will become their biggest enemy.Įighteen years later, Seol Rang is now blind and has changed her name to Wallso. However, Deok Gi betrayed his comrades, resulting in the death of Poong Cheon. The film features the esteemed cast lineup of Lee Byung Hun( Inside Men), Jeon Do Yeon ( The Shameless) and Kim Go Eun ( Coin Locker Girl), as well as 2PM's Lee Jun Ho ( Twenty), Bae Soo Bin ( 26 Years), Lee Kyung Young ( Assassination), Kim Tae Woo ( The Pirates) and Moon Sung Keun ( Haemoo).įor the sake of freedom and justice, Deok Gi (Lee Byung Hun), Seol Rang (Jeon Do Yeon) and Poong Cheon (Bae Soo Bin) led a rebellion against the king and his foreign allies. Co-written and directed by Park Heung Shik ( My Mother, the Mermaid), the martial arts period romance epic Memories of the Sword is a rousing tale of love, betrayal and revenge among swordsmen during the Goryeo era. A sword is not just a weapon but also a place to store past memories.
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