The Warrior (2001) Musa (original title)

Director:

Sung-su Kim

Writer:

Sung-su Kim

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:

Battle | China | Princess | Korea | Desert

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:
Er Cha Huo	...	Ying Jie-na
Jae-ho Song
Hae-jin Yu
Rongguang Yu	...	Rambulhua, Yuan General

Directed by
Sung-su Kim

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Sung-su Kim

Produced by
Seoung-Jae Cha	....	producer
Xia Zhang	....	producer

Original Music by
Shirô Sagisu

Cinematography by
Hyung-ku Kim

Film Editing by
Hyun Kim

Costume Design by
Baorong Huang

Production Management
Yang-il Kim	....	post-production supervisor: Australia

Sound Department
Justine Angus	....	sound editor
Kwangsoo Bae	....	adr editor
Ross Brewer	....	dialogue editor
Helen Brown	....	foley artist
John Dennison	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Dennison	....	sound supervisor
Sinyean Jo	....	adr editor
Tim Jordan	....	principal sound effects editor
Duncan McAllister	....	foley engineer
Duncan McAllister	....	foley recordist
Steve Murphy	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
John Patterson	....	sound editor
Julie Pearce	....	foley recordist
Penn Robinson	....	foley artist
Penn Robinson	....	sound editor
Robert Searls	....	adr editor
Tony Vaccher	....	sound re-recording mixer
Tony Vaccher	....	sound supervisor

Visual Effects by
Tae-hoon Kim	....	visual effects supervisor

Editorial Department
Tony Manning	....	color timer
Julienne Park	....	post-production coordinator: Australia

Music Department
Masamichi Amano	....	conductor
Philip Bagenal	....	music mixer
Philip Bagenal	....	music recordist
Marcellus Fernandes	....	music mixer
Marcellus Fernandes	....	music recordist
Koichi Suzuki	....	music mixer
Koichi Suzuki	....	music recordist

Other crew
Bob Buchholz	....	english language director
Doo-hong Jung	....	martial arts director

Production Companies

• Beijing Film Studio
• CJ Entertainment
• China Film
• Intz.com
• KTB Network
• Muhan Technology
• Sidus Pictures

Distributors

• GAGA (Japan) (theatrical)
• Humax Pictures (Japan) (theatrical)
• Yellowtail Corporation (Australia) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2003) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Central Partnership (Russia)
• Contender Entertainment Group (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• SND
• Tai Seng Video Marketing (2003) (USA) (video)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2006) (Germany) (video)

Special Effects

• E.O.N.

Other Companies

• Arrow Film Production Co.  camera and lighting equipment supplied by
• Atlab  prints
• Audioloc Sound Design  post-production sound services
• Audioloc Sound Design  sound post-production facilities
• Audioloc Sound Design  sound post-production
• Beijing Film and Video Laboratory  film processing
• Kodak  film stock supplied by
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services

Also Known As:

"Musa" - South Korea (original title)
"Musa the Warrior" - Canada (English title)
"Warrior" - Asia (English 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:

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

Filming Locations:

Liaoning, 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.

Korean Epic Film

There is a nothing like a good epic film. Here is a fine entry to the genre from South Korea, a nation that doesn't normally make these sort of films. Film in China and staring the beautiful Zhang Ziyi it had potential.

Set in 1374 relations between Korea and the Ming Dynasty in China are at a low. The Koreans send a diplomatic mission to resort their relationship, led by General Choi-Jung (Joo Jin-mo). However when arriving in a city he team are captured and exiled from China. Left for dead in the desert their run into a Mongol army party which have captured Princess Bu-yong (Zhang Ziyi). The Korean party save her and hope to return her to Emperor, saving their mission. Within the party is Yeosol (Jung Woo-sung), a recently freed slave who was loyal to his master and excellent fighter with a spear. He and the Princess have an attraction to each other. After freeing the Princess, the Mongols are upset. There were hoping to use her as a bargaining chip against the Ming's China. They chase the Koreans and destroy countryside villages to get her back.

The story and plot are simply and believable within the context of the film; always good signs. Within the group many of characters and relationships are developed, especially Yeosol, the General, the Princess and Jinlip, the veteran of the group. Even the main bad guy has some nobility about him. The costumes and weaponry are excellently done. The warfare was brutal and shows woman and children getting killed, something that rarely happens in Hollywood films. The film is deliciously violence. My only real problem with the film, which lets it down is the action. It is good that the action is violence, but it is so overly edited and the shaky-cam make it difficult to follow. If the action was better then the would have been even better.

If you enjoy films like the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Gladiator, Conan the Barbarian and Red Cliff, you will like this film.