Musa (2001)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Sung-su Kim

Writer:

Sung-su Kim (writer)

Release Date:

7 September 2001 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

We must go back to Koryo!

Plot:

1375. Nine Koryo warriors, envoys exiled by Imperial China, battle to protect a Chinese Ming Princess from Mongolian troops.

Plot Keywords:

China | Princess | Korea | Desert | Sword

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

Woo-sung Jung	...	Yeo-sol
Sung-kee Ahn	...	Jin-lib
Jin-mo Ju	...	Choi Jung
Ziyi Zhang	...	Princess Bu-yong (as Zhang Ziyi)
Yong-woo Park	...	Ju-myeong
Jeong-hak Park	...	Ga-nam
Hye-jin Yu	...	Du-chung
Seok-yong Jeong	...	Ha-il
Du-il Lee	...	Ji-san
Yeong-mok Han	...	Dan-saeng
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jae-ho Song
Hae-jin Yu
Rongguang Yu	...	Rambulhua, Yuan General

Also Known As:

Musa the Warrior (Canada: English title)
The Warrior (UK)
The Warrior Princess (working title)
The Warriors (informal English title)
Wu shi (China: Mandarin title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong bloody battle sequences.

Runtime:

158 min | Argentina:155 min | Canada:154 min | Hong Kong:129 min | UK:132 min

Country:

South Korea | China

Language:

Mandarin | Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

USA:R | Germany:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | France:-12 | Hong Kong:III | New Zealand:R16 | Norway:18 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | UK:18 | Malaysia:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Liaoning Province, China

Company:

Beijing Film Studio

Trivia:

During filming in China, Woo-sung Jung got knee-injury while shooting one of his fight scenes and had to stay behind after the Korean crew came back to Korea.

Mongols, Korean Warriors, Chinese, Honor, Love, Sacrifice

Based on actual events, Korean diplomats were sent into China with military escorts in 1375. Remember Europe was emerging from the Dark Ages at this time, but in Asia they were an advanced civilization. With the rise of the famous Ming Dynasty in China and the waning days of the Mongols, the Korean emperor was eager to formalize ties with the new Chinese government. This is the story of one of the those diplomatic missions.

This is an epic film, shoot over 9000 miles of China's northern region. Covering plains, prairies, forests, deserts and coastline. The cinematography is beautiful.

Though this is a Korean film, it utilizes the famous Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi, who portrays a kidnapped daughter of the Chinese Emperor.

Throughout most of the film the Korean warriors speak Korean. The Princess and the Chinese villagers speak Mandarin. Interestingly the Mongols also speak Mandarin to each other, historically inaccurate but Mongols don't go to movies these days. Some of the Koreans can also speak Mandarin. This is accurate since the educated Koreans of the time, could read, write and speak Chinese. This film is subtitled in English.

This is a grand story of honor, sacrifice and overcoming overwhelming odds. The Korean warriors must fight the larger forces of the Mongols. Using tactics and strategies not unlike that which you can find in Sun Tzu's the Art of War writings.

If you want some insight into the culture and attitudes of the people of this region, Musa is the movie for you.