Genre: Action & Adventure, Art House & International, Drama
Theatrical Release: Jun 17, 2010
Synopsis: On the verge of the Japanese invasion, the Chosun Dynasty is thrown into chaos. Lee Mong-hak, an ambitious descendant of the royal family, betrays... On the verge of the Japanese invasion, the Chosun Dynasty is thrown into chaos. Lee Mong-hak, an ambitious descendant of the royal family, betrays friends including his old lover to organize a coup. His old friend Hwang Jeong-hak, an uncanny blind swordsman, seeks the help of a vengeful young man to stop him.
Starring: Cha Seung-won, Hwang Jung-Min, Baek Sung-hyun, Ji-hye Han, Hwang Jeong-Min, Seong-hyeon Baek, Cha Seung-weon
Director: Lee Joon-ik , Jun-ik Lee
Studio: Independent Pictures
Theatrical Release: Jun 17, 2010
Synopsis: On the verge of the Japanese invasion, the Chosun Dynasty is thrown into chaos. Lee Mong-hak, an ambitious descendant of the royal family, betrays... On the verge of the Japanese invasion, the Chosun Dynasty is thrown into chaos. Lee Mong-hak, an ambitious descendant of the royal family, betrays friends including his old lover to organize a coup. His old friend Hwang Jeong-hak, an uncanny blind swordsman, seeks the help of a vengeful young man to stop him.
Starring: Cha Seung-won, Hwang Jung-Min, Baek Sung-hyun, Ji-hye Han, Hwang Jeong-Min, Seong-hyeon Baek, Cha Seung-weon
Director: Lee Joon-ik , Jun-ik Lee
Studio: Independent Pictures
Blades Of Blood (2010) Review
"Blades of Blood" is an adaptation of the popular Korean manga "Like the Moon Escaping from the Clouds", which follows the quest of a blind swordsman from the Chosun Dynasty to seek vengeance against a former ally-turned-greedy politician. Korean director Lee Joon-lk definitely has an eye for detail and it showed - his latest fictional martial art epic "Blades of Blood" was gorgeously-photographed and its cinematography was nothing short of stunning, but it suffered from unintriguing, hard-to-fallow plot and unimpressive swordplay sequences. The story wasn't at all that interesting, and I really was struggling to pay enough attention to the screen. The uneven pacing and the unfocused story, made it hard to stay engaged. Thankfully, the visuals were captivating enough, and they were film's saving grace. The relationship between the two main characters, Hwang and Gyeon-ja, was beautifully-handled. Their chemistry was really strong, and thanks to that, their frendship felt really believable. The performances were decent, with Hwang Jeong-min, the blind man with extraordinary sword-handling skills, being the standout. His character was amusing, a bit quirky, but always fun to watch. Baek Seong-hyeon was also quite good in the role, but the script just didn't allow him to show more. The action scenes were well-shot, but I thought the fight choreography was uninspired and lacking in creativity. Furthermore, the use slow motion, during the fights was way too much and actually not as cool, as it intended to be. Overall, "Blades of Blood" offers spectacular visuals and some decent action sequences, but nothing much else.
"Blades of Blood" is an adaptation of the popular Korean manga "Like the Moon Escaping from the Clouds", which follows the quest of a blind swordsman from the Chosun Dynasty to seek vengeance against a former ally-turned-greedy politician. Korean director Lee Joon-lk definitely has an eye for detail and it showed - his latest fictional martial art epic "Blades of Blood" was gorgeously-photographed and its cinematography was nothing short of stunning, but it suffered from unintriguing, hard-to-fallow plot and unimpressive swordplay sequences. The story wasn't at all that interesting, and I really was struggling to pay enough attention to the screen. The uneven pacing and the unfocused story, made it hard to stay engaged. Thankfully, the visuals were captivating enough, and they were film's saving grace. The relationship between the two main characters, Hwang and Gyeon-ja, was beautifully-handled. Their chemistry was really strong, and thanks to that, their frendship felt really believable. The performances were decent, with Hwang Jeong-min, the blind man with extraordinary sword-handling skills, being the standout. His character was amusing, a bit quirky, but always fun to watch. Baek Seong-hyeon was also quite good in the role, but the script just didn't allow him to show more. The action scenes were well-shot, but I thought the fight choreography was uninspired and lacking in creativity. Furthermore, the use slow motion, during the fights was way too much and actually not as cool, as it intended to be. Overall, "Blades of Blood" offers spectacular visuals and some decent action sequences, but nothing much else.
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