Duelist

Duelist (Hyeongsa)

Release Date : 2005
Director: Lee Myung Se
Writer: Lee Hyae Jyung

Cast:
Ha Ji Won ... Namsoon
Ahn Sung Kee - Detective Ahn
Kang Dong Won - Sad Eyes



Reviewed By : rambutan

The Duelist may be a sword fighting movie but it is not only for sword fighting movie buffs. There is a big slice of romance, mystery and ancient Korean political history. The story is set against the Chosun Kingdom era and tells the story of a young female policewoman who falls in love with the wrong guy, the guy she has to arrest. The film is the short version of the highly acclaimed, Korean TV award-winning series Damo (2004). Ha Ji Won, the lead actress in Damo, again takes the lead role here. She is one of my favourite actresses and she does not disappoint here (although her actions do tend to be a bit exaggerated here). A surprise element is the male star Kang Dong Won. I didn't think much of his looks or acting skills in 1% of Anything so credit must be given to the director and writer for creating the mysterious Sad Eyes. I fully sympathised with him and was totally in love! Critics have said The Duelist is more of form than substance. So what? Ultimately how good a movie is depends on how much you have enjoyed it and I enjoyed it thoroughly. I have watched this movie several times over the past few months and am still not getting tired of it.

In fact, I could watch the ending duel between the two protagonists a hundred times and still not be tired of it. It was simply too moving, sad and utterly but very subtly, erotic at the same time. Acting all round - including supporting cast - and direction were brilliant, landscape was colourful and vibrant and the music was to die for. Special mention must be made of the fighting scenes, which are a work of art. (OK, they may be a bit too arty; the lead actor and actress had to learn tango to make this movie but the upbeat music neutralised that). This movie also made me decide that autumn is my favourite season. Rating summary: I utterly enjoyed this movie and would rate this as a "must see" or at the least, "highly recommended" (4-5 stars). You don't have to look for a "deep" story to enjoy, the visuals and audio are stunning enough. Enjoy.