I love all the actors and enjoy historical dramas. Cinematography and martial arts/sword play/fantasy in this one are excellent. For me, the weakness and lowered score are because of murky writing leading to uneven plotting and unclear storyline. It's a shame because the actors deserved better.
19 Reviews
Though it was well done. Found it romantic and I love the sword play.
subxerogravity1 September 2015
I just saw another Korean epic called Assassination last week at my local theater so I thought I give this one a shot.
The two movies are similar in their epicness, as they both had great cinematography that made it feel like a painting come to life and they seem to be working a very large story with lots of elements but is not too hard to follow, which is good for me cause subtitles can be too much to read sometimes. The scope of Memories of the Sword was big and long (at two hours and sixteen minutes), and covered a lot of drama.
I don't think I've ever seen Lee Byung-hun, who I know to be a actor from Korea, in a Korean film. He's somewhat a thing in the states, so I assumed that made him a huge star in his native land. It's the first time I did not see him in an action film with his shirt off holding a sword. It's a little misleading for those of us expecting more battle scenes from him, instead he plays more of a dramatic role that evolves romance, which I rarely see in Asian films cause I mostly deal in marshal arts action.
Which the movie does not have a lot of, but the little it does I was very impress with. Overall it was not a bad movie to sit through.
The two movies are similar in their epicness, as they both had great cinematography that made it feel like a painting come to life and they seem to be working a very large story with lots of elements but is not too hard to follow, which is good for me cause subtitles can be too much to read sometimes. The scope of Memories of the Sword was big and long (at two hours and sixteen minutes), and covered a lot of drama.
I don't think I've ever seen Lee Byung-hun, who I know to be a actor from Korea, in a Korean film. He's somewhat a thing in the states, so I assumed that made him a huge star in his native land. It's the first time I did not see him in an action film with his shirt off holding a sword. It's a little misleading for those of us expecting more battle scenes from him, instead he plays more of a dramatic role that evolves romance, which I rarely see in Asian films cause I mostly deal in marshal arts action.
Which the movie does not have a lot of, but the little it does I was very impress with. Overall it was not a bad movie to sit through.
Just go watch "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" again
KineticSeoul15 August 2015
I wasn't really looking forward to this movie or anything. However when it finally arrived in theaters I decided to give it a try. Sometimes, the movies that I have no interest in ends up surprising me in a good way. However that wasn't the case for this flick, it was super mediocre at best. The plot is jumbled and it didn't seem to know what direction it wanted to go. Some areas build up and goes nowhere. To be honest I wanted to check this movie, not because of the Korean super star two timing manipulative jerk Lee Byung-hun. But because of the actress Kim Go-eun who seems to get better with each film. I was actually impressed with her in "Coin Locker Girl". This movie is a poor man's effort at emulating films like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon". The acting is good but nothing special that makes it stand out or anything like that. The plot is basically crying, sobbing, getting over melodramatic and between fighting. That basically sums up this mess of a film. I could tell this was suppose to be some Shakespearian stuff, but it fails. Even the action sequences are bland. As a matter of fact the fight sequences in "The Sword With No Name" which came out in 2009 was done much better. The action in this is mashed with choppy, close up, constant in and out mixed with slow-motion. It's a headache to watch, even when it came to the action sequences it's a mess. Except near the end it's when it became bearable to watch. Overall, just watch "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" again.
5/10
5/10
Memories of the Sword
kosmasp5 May 2016
Who knew a Sword could have memories too. At least that's what the International (or is it just German?) title would have believe. But whatever the title is you are watching this, if you like Swordplay and romance in your Eastern movies, you will enjoy this too. The action is filmed greatly, something we came to kind of expect, this time coming from Korea.
Koreas action cinema may not get a lot of credit generally by people who just go to the movies watching the big Blockbusters (nothing wrong with that, everyone has to have their own taste in films), but if you open up your horizon and don't mind how unrealistic some of the stunts would be in the real world (see flying), than this can be more than entertaining to watch
Koreas action cinema may not get a lot of credit generally by people who just go to the movies watching the big Blockbusters (nothing wrong with that, everyone has to have their own taste in films), but if you open up your horizon and don't mind how unrealistic some of the stunts would be in the real world (see flying), than this can be more than entertaining to watch
good enough, said it all
eliara3711 September 2022
To be honest, I seen many movies with seol-hee. I must say I do not ever quite like her performance. I think she always doesn't give the role justice. I don't think she fits the lead parts I seen her in so far, maybe some other role would fit her better. How she portrays the main characters, doesn't make them likable for some reason in my eyes. I want to really like and get emotionally invested in characters. I think that mixed with bad writers made this mediocre. Like the storyline is good enough, together with beautiful cinematics, you will sit through this without trouble, but won't love it so to say. But the other actors, like the mother and the bad guy, loved them.
SPOILER ALERT!!
bremafadh15 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The acting is good. Also the martial art. But the story is not. I don't understand why the mother raised her daughter to do a revenge to her own father by manipulating her from the very first start. Why didn't she do the revenge by herself. I can't even feel sorry for the mother because she's the one who decided to kill Poong Chun when Deokki betrayed them.
Poor the daughter have to live a life like that.
Doesnt make sense.
Poor the daughter have to live a life like that.
Doesnt make sense.
Poor decision making all around.
kyla-7230216 December 2021
This was okay. It was nice looking. It could have stood to have more fighting and less long sequences of sorrow. All the sorrow, which I guess is what the plot revolves around, could have been avoided if everyone involved had made less inexplicably poor decisions.
Movie magic
shinji-ikari-118 December 2015
It could be viewed as a Korean take on the great "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" but the movie has enough substance to stand on its own feet. The cinematic qualities are most impressive. Camera work, lighting, colors...it never stops to look beautiful. If the Shakespearean drama in the story doesn't put you away, be sure to not miss this one. Also, do yourself a favor and watch it in the cinema or at least from a blu-ray. The visual feast you will be getting is worth it. Just a warning: It's not an action movie. It's much more drama than action and even when action happens, it's mostly highly stylized. As for the acting, Byung-hun Lee is the memorable person in this. He really shines as the somewhat confused villain. Rest of the cast I'd probably just describe as OK. My movie-loving heart was glad I got to watch this and is looking forward to future Korean epics. :)
I cant find the movie
pagu-6273911 November 2020
Awful Bore
parknourie30 September 2015
In this brand new Korean FLOP, Characters spend way too much time explaining everything they've done and will do but the story is still riddled with holes.
Plot: Three master swordsmen (and woman) attempts a coup but fails due to one of the three's betrayal. Years later, the dead partner's surviving daughter vows revenge against the other two. Sounds fun right?
Only Byung Hun Lee seems to have his character in control and other actors are merely copying superior Chinese actors in this genre. The plot wants Lee's character be the villain of the piece, but the actor's charisma and the story itself makes him look like the hero. It's hard to root for the two female leads when they are well below their usual performance with characters who I assume are half-insane.
The "twist" which sets up the final action just reveals to us how nuts these two main characters are. I was slapping myself in disbelief at the lengths the screenplay went. The two female characters are so selfish and so absorbed in their own sense of righteousness that they forgot to take a step back and look what they've done themselves.
If you are going to have characters fly, why can't you have fun with some aerial combat? Why is it always artsy shots that's cool to look at but ultimately makes no sense? How does one simply teleport around locations just because plot wants them there? It's all style but no content. Another thing is that it is painfully obvious that the lead actress has no skill in stunt actions. Her scenes are always edited frantically that you have no idea of geographical aspect of the action occurring. One exception is the extended hallway fight scene that's obviously placed there as a gimmick.
With a plot that makes you expect Kill Bill set in ancient Korea (complete with snowy showdown), this is a serious disappointment. Usually Korean audiences love terrible domestic films but this one flopped. Perhaps it is due to bad publicity Byung Hun Lee is getting these days. Or maybe the public finally got it right: this is a lame film.
Plot: Three master swordsmen (and woman) attempts a coup but fails due to one of the three's betrayal. Years later, the dead partner's surviving daughter vows revenge against the other two. Sounds fun right?
Only Byung Hun Lee seems to have his character in control and other actors are merely copying superior Chinese actors in this genre. The plot wants Lee's character be the villain of the piece, but the actor's charisma and the story itself makes him look like the hero. It's hard to root for the two female leads when they are well below their usual performance with characters who I assume are half-insane.
The "twist" which sets up the final action just reveals to us how nuts these two main characters are. I was slapping myself in disbelief at the lengths the screenplay went. The two female characters are so selfish and so absorbed in their own sense of righteousness that they forgot to take a step back and look what they've done themselves.
If you are going to have characters fly, why can't you have fun with some aerial combat? Why is it always artsy shots that's cool to look at but ultimately makes no sense? How does one simply teleport around locations just because plot wants them there? It's all style but no content. Another thing is that it is painfully obvious that the lead actress has no skill in stunt actions. Her scenes are always edited frantically that you have no idea of geographical aspect of the action occurring. One exception is the extended hallway fight scene that's obviously placed there as a gimmick.
With a plot that makes you expect Kill Bill set in ancient Korea (complete with snowy showdown), this is a serious disappointment. Usually Korean audiences love terrible domestic films but this one flopped. Perhaps it is due to bad publicity Byung Hun Lee is getting these days. Or maybe the public finally got it right: this is a lame film.
it's not Crouching tigers & Hidden Dragons
pgaucher68325 January 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Far from it, it's look alike in the way it's set, but this movie gets its own soul.
it's not a story, it's poetry about Love, betrayal and vengeance.
Byung-Hun Lee is perfect playing a man consumed by greed who rise from nobody to one of the most powerful lords in the area, killing everyone who stand against him. Do-Yeon Jeon play his love and the mother who raises her girl to be the hand of justice. Go-Eun Kim is the One,raised to kill the 2 persons who betrayed and killed her parents. all are magnificent in their roles.
it won't go as attended for all of them, but, you must see it by yourself, I insist, you won't be disappointed.
it's not a story, it's poetry about Love, betrayal and vengeance.
Byung-Hun Lee is perfect playing a man consumed by greed who rise from nobody to one of the most powerful lords in the area, killing everyone who stand against him. Do-Yeon Jeon play his love and the mother who raises her girl to be the hand of justice. Go-Eun Kim is the One,raised to kill the 2 persons who betrayed and killed her parents. all are magnificent in their roles.
it won't go as attended for all of them, but, you must see it by yourself, I insist, you won't be disappointed.
Deep, emotional, and action packed!
Bibliophile10013 April 2024
A cheerful happy girl named Seol-hee, whom is living in the Goryeo era of Korea, has what seems to be a beautiful adventurous morning. But at the end of the day, after participating in a sword match in the town square, and an odd encounter with a powerful military leader named Yoo-baek, she discovers a tragic, heartbreaking destiny has befallen her: she's been training herself in sword combat to eventually hunt down the murderers of her father, but she discovers her own caretaker, Wallso, is one of the villains who was there when it happened. Long ago, Wallso (then called Seol-rang), and Yoo-baek (then called Deok-gi), were leading an uprising, with Seol's father, Poong-cheon accompanying them. However, when it seems the desire for freedom and justice is about to come true, Deok-gi betrayed his partners, killing Poong-cheon, and Wallso escaping with the infant Seol. In the aftermath, Deok prophesies that Seol will kill him and Wallso when she comes of age. Without a shred of emotion or pity for Seol, Wallso reveals she and Yoo-baek are the enemies she must slay, before kicking her out of the house. Distraught, betrayed, shocked, and heartbroken, Seol tries to deny and drown her future out, but after losing a couple other people, whom were close to her, Seol transforms herself inside, accepts her destiny, and prepares to make her targets pay...with blood!
Kim Go-eun has become one of my favorite Korean actresses! Also having seen her in a thriller film called "Monster", and a TV show called "Cheese in the Trap", she amazes me once more as Seol-hee, first cheerful and free spirited, then heartbroken and betrayed, then born again, battle hard, and out for blood!
This is actually my second time watching this movie. First time, I don't think I payed attention too much, but this time, my focus was better, and I absorbed the story, emotion, and action much better. I enjoyed the other performances, action sequences, and some of the effects very much.
Although a few parts of the movie were still a bit hard to follow, I still enjoyed Memories of the Sword! I'd certainly recommend it for explorers of international movies!
Kim Go-eun has become one of my favorite Korean actresses! Also having seen her in a thriller film called "Monster", and a TV show called "Cheese in the Trap", she amazes me once more as Seol-hee, first cheerful and free spirited, then heartbroken and betrayed, then born again, battle hard, and out for blood!
This is actually my second time watching this movie. First time, I don't think I payed attention too much, but this time, my focus was better, and I absorbed the story, emotion, and action much better. I enjoyed the other performances, action sequences, and some of the effects very much.
Although a few parts of the movie were still a bit hard to follow, I still enjoyed Memories of the Sword! I'd certainly recommend it for explorers of international movies!
my notes
FeastMode22 July 2019
Didn't finish it. couldn't get into it. watched about half of it fast then skipped through the rest to the fight scenes, which were useless for the most part. a combination of shaky-cam, quick cuts, crash zooms and fast-mo (no joke) make it impossible to see what's going on in some of the action scenes. it did have some cool fighting and visuals at the end. don't watch it. maybe just the end (1 viewing)
Beautiful, Amazing cinematography
kingviking-5947322 May 2021
I loved this movies plot, but it was a little confusing at time how they put the script together and that's party to the style of movies I am use to here in the USA, That's not to say how this movie comes together Especially towards the end. The plot is amazing the Cinematography is beautiful and the sword fighting is on spot. The movie does jump around a little bit and that is what confuses most people but they're trying to give you a sense of the past that leads to the future and they also change characters names from what they started with to what they end up with so that kind of throws you off but like I said the end of the movie brings it all together beautifully I would highly recommend this movie it's got everything one would want like crouching Tiger hidden Dragon.
A poem, not a story
trogdor_burninator30 November 2020
"Memories" seems to be a key word with this film, as memories are not always complete. Just as memories, so too poetry. A poem doesn't need complete sentences to be understood, it's more about the feelings that are conveyed. When I came to this realization, I enjoyed this film much more.
I guess the advertising for this film made comparisons to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? I don't know because I just borrowed this from the library & it wasn't until a couple reviews mentioned it that I heard the comparison. There are similarities, but that is all they are..
Don't focus on that for this film, enjoy it for what it is: a poem in cinematic form.
I guess the advertising for this film made comparisons to Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon? I don't know because I just borrowed this from the library & it wasn't until a couple reviews mentioned it that I heard the comparison. There are similarities, but that is all they are..
Don't focus on that for this film, enjoy it for what it is: a poem in cinematic form.
Best love and friendship story
rinkutiwari124 January 2016
While the Goryo Dynasty in the medieval Korea, three warriors named Deok-ki, Poong-chun and Seol-rang have led a riot against the king and his foreign allies from Kitan, China. But Deok-ki betrays them, which results in the death of Poong-chun. But Seol-rang is able to escape with Seol-hee, Poong-chun's little daughter, and her sword. 18 years later, Seol-rang got blind but she raised and taught Seol-hee very well. Both feel that the time for revenge is right, but Deok-ki is now one of the most powerful men in the country. All of them know, that spilling blood is the only way of redemption. This story is heart touching and lovely full of action
Loved it.
rodelteopejr14 September 2016
This movie is great for me. Don't listen to the low reviews and just give it a try yourself. You might get confused with the phasing like the guy who give this a low score/bad review but for me it's nice. The action is good, and there's a plot twist in the end. This is the end of my review. The minimum length required for reviews is 10 lines of text, so I will include the full synopsis. "While the Goryo Dynasty in the medieval Korea, three warriors named Deok-ki, Poong-chun and Seol-rang have led a riot against the king and his foreign allies from Kitan, China. But Deok-ki betrays them, which results in the death of Poong-chun. But Seol-rang is able to escape with Seol-hee, Poong-chun's little daughter, and her sword. 18 years later, Seol- rang got blind but she raised and taught Seol-hee very well. Both feel that the time for revenge is right, but Deok-ki is now one of the most powerful men in the country. All of them know, that spilling blood is the only way of redemption."
Good Enough
PennyReviews13 September 2018
An epic movie about an epic story. First of all I have to say that the cinematography is amazing. Maybe one of the best I've seen yet. And the battles were fierce. The atmosphere, the lighting, the clothes, the mood, the colours, everything worked so good with the vibes of the story, so credits to the director and his team. However, story wise, the movie was a mess. Following the steps of those sword battle movies that focus more on the battle, and less on the story, even though the tragedy premisses are set early on, the plot of the movie was not something unordinary, it followed a messed up pace, the conclusion was weak and the information provided about the characters little and just enough to keep you watching. So, 8.5 out of 10.
good movie
pdqpaul21 October 2019
I would love to have given this movie a 10 star rather than 8, but even though the plot is excellent, acting is very good, martial arts is good, the fact that it was some what confusing and hard to follow, and should really have been 20 to 30 minutes shorter really takes away from the being an absolute first class movie, I guess some people may disagree, but it's just my opinion. otherwise it's a good movie, I may have to watch it twice to continue trying to figure out everything.
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