User Reviews

I only write this (my first review on IMDb) because I totally disagree with the other two reviews here. This is an enjoyable movie about a (literally) bastard's (HAN Pil-joo) quest to kill his fathers murderer (LEE Mong-Hak). Pil-joo teams up with the Korean version of Zatoichi and sets out on his quest that will lead him to Mong-Haks courtesan girlfriend, and she'll team up as well. I really enjoyed this Korean take on Zatoichi, the scenery is beautiful and the props and costumes are very well made and all though some of the fighting scenes are quite cheesy the over all impression quite positive. The things I enjoyed most in this movie was the Zatoichi character and many very beautiful settings and I would recommend you to watch as well if you get the chance.

This is not a great movie, but it is certainly a good one. If you are expecting a typical Asian kungfu historical flick, you will probably be disappointed (just read the other reviews). If you are expecting a thoughtful story with dashes of Korean film staples like humor, depth and melodrama, you should check this one out. Jung-min Hwang is especially good as the blind sword master. And, yes, the ending is perfectly satisfying IF you can appreciate a Korean point of view and IF you don't have to have a neat, warm fuzzy, Western style wrap up. The movie's theme is very common in Korean cinema and I have certainly seen it before. (It is also the reason for the spoiler alert because I am about to tell you the whole point of the movie). Throughout history, Koreans, who all love their country, have traditionally feuded with each other instead of coming together to take on real and actual threats to the nation (in this case, Japanese invaders). This is clearly illustrated by the ludicrous situation at the end of the movie where two men are dueling each other while the enemy is quite literally at the gates. It's supposed to be ludicrous. It's supposed to make a point. Just because it isn't a point the Western mind finds satisfying doesn't make it any less valid. Or bad. Here is the Western style ending: the two men are dueling, but when they hear the Japanese guns firing, they set aside their differences and stand shoulder to shoulder with swords drawn to take on the invaders against overwhelming odds like Butch and Sundance. You would have liked that ending better but would have missed the whole message of the movie if it had been done that way. The most important idea in Western flicks like this tends to be freedom at any cost but in Korean movies, it's usually the importance of unity. If you know that going in, it greatly aids in the enjoyment (and understanding) of the movie.

BLADES OF BLOOD is a South Korean historical action flick, made with a smaller budget than many but with the same level of slick efficiency and care going into its storyline. The Joseon period being depicted here is a complex one, with Japan invading to the east and various political factions battling it out in the west. A simple story of a rise to power, a coup and one man's desire for revenge come together in a tale which is occasionally confusing - especially early on - but never boring. The action scenes are plentiful and fun, with good sword fights, and the swaggering characters are typically larger than life, including a great blind swordsman. The climax is more contemplative than you might expect, leaving this one on an existential note.

Posssessing only moments of greatness, this is a mostly unfocused story of a young man looking for revenge on the people who killed his father. He is aided by a blind swordsmen and the mistress of the man he's vowed to kill. The whole thing takes place during one of the Japanese invasions of Korea.

I originally saw this at the New York Asian Film Festival where it was the closing film. The print was indifferently subtitled with the title translated as Lades of Blood. It kind of went down hill from there. Seeing the film again on import DVD, the film does not have an official US release that I know of, I found it has some wonderful parts, but mostly it's very unfocused. Is it about the revenge story? How about the politics? What of the invasion? For get the invasion that only exists to set everything into clunky motion and to provide the WTF end of the film.

Yes the film has some great sword fights, but how they are filmed varies from fight to fight with the shaky-cam end fight annoying more than it thrills (it doesn't help since the end really is awful on it's own terms).

A terrible movie thats to be avoided.