Duelist (2005)
"Hyeongsa" (original title)

Set years ago in the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the story follows a young police officer named Namsoon (Ha Ji-won) who, along with her fellow officers, discovers a counterfeit ring ... See full summary »

Director:

Myung-se Lee

Writers:

Hae-jyung Lee, Myung-se Lee

Stars:

Ji-won Ha, Sung-kee Ahn, Dong-won Kang

Cast

Credited cast:
Ji-won Ha	...	Namsoon
Sung-kee Ahn	...	Detective Ahn
Dong-won Kang	...	Sad Eyes
Young-chang Song	...	Minister of Defence
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bo-yeon Kim

Storyline

Set years ago in the era of the Joseon Dynasty, the story follows a young police officer named Namsoon (Ha Ji-won) who, along with her fellow officers, discovers a counterfeit ring operating out of the area they've been assigned to protect. However, as the criminals aren't just printing up their own money, they also plan to use it to topple the economy and take down the government. As her investigative work continues, Namsoon soon makes the acquaintance of a young man known only as Sad Eyes (Gang Dong-won), for the way that he looks out at you from underneath his hair - he doesn't say much, but he's got that look and that's all it takes to pique Namsoon's interest in him, even if she shouldn't be thinking those thoughts about someone she might have to toss in jail. Of course, Namsoon can't deny her feelings even if the object of her affection belongs behind bars, and it's not long before she's starting to act on her emotions.

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Plot Keywords:

martial arts

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Genres:

Action | Mystery

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [fr] Official site [jp]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

9 September 2005 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Duelist

Filming Locations:

South Korea

Company Credits

Production Co:

Production M, Wellmade Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min 108 min (uncut) 111 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

User Reviews

A visual feast

I saw this film at the opening night of the Hawaii International Film Festival, as an unannounced special screening. Outrageously colorful and stylized, it's a tale of a girl trained as a sword-fighter who works as a cop, and a mysterious masked swordsman who may or may not be in league with a gang who is flooding the country with counterfeit money. The plot is confusing enough, but it really doesn't matter: it's just an excuse for some amazing set- pieces involving crowds of sword-fighters, fighters chasing through markets and dye factories, barroom brawls, and over the top humor. And swordplay as foreplay. Not likely to get a US release, but a lot of fun. Modern Korean cinema, in my opinion, is leading the world in terms of set and scenic design, and innovative cinematography. Catch this film to see what I mean.