War of the Arrows (2011)

A skilled Korean archer goes up against the mighty force of Mongols with the sole purpose of rescuing his kidnapped sister.

Director:

Han-min Kim

Writer:

Han-min Kim (screenplay)

Stars:

Hae-il Park, Seung-ryong Ryu, Mu-Yeol Kim

13 wins & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Hae-il Park	...	Nam-yi
Seung-ryong Ryu	...	Jyushinta (as Ryu Seung-Ryong)
Mu-Yeol Kim	...	Seo-gun
Chae-won Moon	...	Ja-in
Han-wi Lee	...	Gap-yong
Gu-taek Kim	...	Kang-du
Kyeong-yeong Lee	...	Kim Mu-seon
Gi-woong Park	...	Prince Doreugon
Seung-Joon Lee	...	Wanhan (as Seung-joon Lee)
Jae-goo Lee	...	Hu-man
No-shik Park	...	Jang-sun
Da-wit Lee	...	Young Nam-yi
Min-seo Jeon	...	Young Ja-in
Ryôhei Ohtani	...	Nogami (as Rye Hei Otani)
Hyeon-tae Kim	...	Hu Reu-gang

Storyline

Two children Nam-yi and Ja-in are being chased by King Injo's guards and saved by their father Choi Pyeong-ryung, an officer of King Gwanghae and a skilled archer. He sends his own children to find a place of refuge with his best friend Kim Mu-seon. As they escape crying, Ja-in begs her brother to go back to their father but their father is killed in front of Nam-yi. Nam-yi, though bitten by the guard dogs, kills them and escapes with Ja-in. Nam-yi becomes the only family Ja-in has. 13 years later Nam-yi is now a skilled archer and hunter. He learns from Mu-seon's son Seo-goon that he and Ja-in plan to get married, with the approval of Mu-seon who is also Ja-in's godfather. During the wedding, Nam-yi is up in the mountains hunting deer. He hears the rumble of the invading forces. When Nam-yi makes it back to the village, he finds his step-father slaughtered and his sister taken away. Nam-yi then sets out to find the Qing army and take out their army with his bow.

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Plot Keywords:

korean history | archer | bow | joseon era | marriage | 

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Taglines:

A Hero Is Born The Legend Begins

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Genres:

Action

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R For bloody violence

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan] Official site [South Korea]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

10 August 2011 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

War of the Arrows

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$24,041, 30 September 2011, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$251,200

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$50,587,661

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dasepo Club, DCG Plus, SOVIK Venture Capital

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min (extended)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

It is the first to have Phantom Flex High-Speed Digital Camera in use during filming.

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Connections

Referenced in Movie Friends - Eine Videothek stellt sich vor (2013)

User Reviews

Just barely missed the mark

This movie had the potential to be amazing. Historical dramas always do. A person learns a little history and the thematic messages can be so relevant to the culture you live in today. However, war of the arrows failed to do that because it forgot to talk about it. Visually its obvious it takes place in a certain time way back when in history. But thats about it. Sure, there are enough references here and there to add to the plot but it begins to tear at the seams abit. I loved this movie because it had great pacing, it had great acting and overall it used every movie cliché and trope to its advantage. But it needed a little bit more substance in story. So if you are happy with excellent visuals, great acting ( THe guy who plays the villain, oh my word he is in my top ten list of villains) and killer archery scenes then definitely watch this movie. However, if you are going to scratch your head at the thin plot... don't. While I wished there was a bit more, it was entertaining and moving enough for me to give it a 8/10.