Complicated intrigues (not pointed out clearly but made clear by parts of the dialogue without being explained in details or taking away), well over anticipated swordplay, good martial arts, good effects and some emotional parts lying right under the plot and dialogue if you can spot them.
The only real drawback is that it takes it one step to far at atleast 1 point possibly 2.
Not as much as to derail all sentiment, but enough to be disturbing for those enthralled up til that point. The reading of angles also shows how masters of martial arts (try) work to survive attacks by several oponents.
A nice tough is the villain balancing on the borderline to evil rather than being pure evil all the time.
59 Reviews
Well Made
Foutainoflife29 January 2021
One thing that really gets me in Good Guy vs Bad Guy films is when the "Bad Guy" over plays his snarky nature with an arrogant smirk. The bad fellas in this are just ate up with this characteristic. It is great, at least for me, because it makes me dislike the character that much more and I feel more drawn into what's going on.
This was a well made film. It has some well choreographed swordplay and martial arts but there is also an underlying story that offers some emotional drama so it isn't all action. It is well put together making it suitable but it could have benefited from a little more detail about our main characters. I would've liked to have seen just a bit more in that regard.
I would totally recommend this if you are into Korean period films with great sword play. I don't think you'd be disappointed.
This was a well made film. It has some well choreographed swordplay and martial arts but there is also an underlying story that offers some emotional drama so it isn't all action. It is well put together making it suitable but it could have benefited from a little more detail about our main characters. I would've liked to have seen just a bit more in that regard.
I would totally recommend this if you are into Korean period films with great sword play. I don't think you'd be disappointed.
Very Nice
claytonbrevilieri22 April 2021
If the story was better told it could become a classic.
The fights scenes are very good.
The protagonist is moved by duty for his king and daughter. He's an interesting character and built on the tradition of the japanese Zatoichi.
The fights scenes are very good.
The protagonist is moved by duty for his king and daughter. He's an interesting character and built on the tradition of the japanese Zatoichi.
Some amazing sword fighting sequences but a bit convoluted.
Fella_shibby2 June 2021
This movie has some very good sword fighting sequences n some good cinematography but apart from these two, there is nothing more to it.
At times, the film does transport viewers to that era.
The sword fight sequence where our hero is alone fighting with a sword, while the opponents are with guns n far too many is a bit far fetched.
I found the story, some of the characters and their shifting of loyalty, a bit convoluted as i have not read anything in history about such kingdoms.
So the makers shud have at least opted for a full blown action n mayhem route.
Joe Taslim looked menacing though but his footage ain't that big.
At times, the film does transport viewers to that era.
The sword fight sequence where our hero is alone fighting with a sword, while the opponents are with guns n far too many is a bit far fetched.
I found the story, some of the characters and their shifting of loyalty, a bit convoluted as i have not read anything in history about such kingdoms.
So the makers shud have at least opted for a full blown action n mayhem route.
Joe Taslim looked menacing though but his footage ain't that big.
Good enough
mihaisplus24 February 2021
Blade of the Immortal.
morrison-dylan-fan4 March 2021
Warning: Spoilers
After seeing the masterful Father (2020-also reviewed),I decided to check if any new titles were available in the Korea bundle I had purchased at the 2021 Glasgow Film Festival. In the mood for a action flick,I got set to draw swords with the swordsman.
View on the film:
Whilst clearly inspired by the " Zatoichi" films, writer/director Jae-Hoon Choi & cinematographer Won-ho Son strike their own path with spellbinding,ultra-stylised fluid Action set-pieces.
Glimpsing Tae-yul's worsening blindness in first-person sequences,Choi unveils Tae-yul to still be a master of the blade with glossy arc-shots and close-ups putting the audience up-close to the clashing of shining blades, until Choi pulls back to fantastic bursts of deep red unleashed by Tae-yul,unleashed across the stilted calm wide-shots of the Joseon Dynasty.
Forced to rely on instinct as his sight fades, Jang Hyuk gives a wonderful performance as Tae-yul,whose sharp mind-set Hyuk expresses with swift performance of his fighting moves,while Man-sik Jeong gives a thrilling, snarling turn as Min Seung-ho faces up against the swordsman.
View on the film:
Whilst clearly inspired by the " Zatoichi" films, writer/director Jae-Hoon Choi & cinematographer Won-ho Son strike their own path with spellbinding,ultra-stylised fluid Action set-pieces.
Glimpsing Tae-yul's worsening blindness in first-person sequences,Choi unveils Tae-yul to still be a master of the blade with glossy arc-shots and close-ups putting the audience up-close to the clashing of shining blades, until Choi pulls back to fantastic bursts of deep red unleashed by Tae-yul,unleashed across the stilted calm wide-shots of the Joseon Dynasty.
Forced to rely on instinct as his sight fades, Jang Hyuk gives a wonderful performance as Tae-yul,whose sharp mind-set Hyuk expresses with swift performance of his fighting moves,while Man-sik Jeong gives a thrilling, snarling turn as Min Seung-ho faces up against the swordsman.
The Man from Nowhere with swords.
its-me661110 January 2021
"For me, my daughter is the country and everything in it."- Tae-yul
9/10
Tae Yul, once a great swordsman now injured lives in the mountain with his daughter. As his eyes injury is getting worse, the daughter decides to come down from mountain. Somehow she finds herself in the midst of a political plot and gets abducted. Tae Yul now must fight hordes of swordsman and assassins to save her. With his injuries and his past catching up to him can he save his daughter?
A lot has been jam-packed in the short runtime of the film. Story starts peacefully, we get to see the father and daughter in the mountain living peacefully. When they eventually come down from the mountain we get to see the change in political arena as a group of slave traders from Qing Dynasty stirs trouble in the Ming Dynasty. Initially Tae Yul ignores but all hell breaks loose when the daughter gets abducted. This is where the real fun begins. Violent and bloody fights with swords against dozens of villains. There are some flashbacks that indicates that Tae Yul is not as simple as he seems. There are two badass swordsman which stands in Tae Yul's way. Both the boss fights were great.
The film looks great, loved the cinematography. The fight scenes were great. As the film progresses the fights get more intense. The sword fighting choreography is absolutely outstanding and the action sequences are satisfying. What I really liked is the BGM, they added so much to the mood of the film.
Intense, violent and compact. A very satisfying watch. I am surprised how much the director managed to show in such a short run time. It is a fantastic action film. I loved the main leads silent but deadly demeanor. The fights are very satisfying and almost feels like the man from nowhere but with swords. Recommended.
9/10
Tae Yul, once a great swordsman now injured lives in the mountain with his daughter. As his eyes injury is getting worse, the daughter decides to come down from mountain. Somehow she finds herself in the midst of a political plot and gets abducted. Tae Yul now must fight hordes of swordsman and assassins to save her. With his injuries and his past catching up to him can he save his daughter?
A lot has been jam-packed in the short runtime of the film. Story starts peacefully, we get to see the father and daughter in the mountain living peacefully. When they eventually come down from the mountain we get to see the change in political arena as a group of slave traders from Qing Dynasty stirs trouble in the Ming Dynasty. Initially Tae Yul ignores but all hell breaks loose when the daughter gets abducted. This is where the real fun begins. Violent and bloody fights with swords against dozens of villains. There are some flashbacks that indicates that Tae Yul is not as simple as he seems. There are two badass swordsman which stands in Tae Yul's way. Both the boss fights were great.
The film looks great, loved the cinematography. The fight scenes were great. As the film progresses the fights get more intense. The sword fighting choreography is absolutely outstanding and the action sequences are satisfying. What I really liked is the BGM, they added so much to the mood of the film.
Intense, violent and compact. A very satisfying watch. I am surprised how much the director managed to show in such a short run time. It is a fantastic action film. I loved the main leads silent but deadly demeanor. The fights are very satisfying and almost feels like the man from nowhere but with swords. Recommended.
Cane Man
nogodnomasters25 February 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This is a Korean film (subtitles) that takes place in 1623. Tae-yul gets caught up in a war between rival Masters and Kings. When his daughter is taken the film eerily looks like "Kill Bill" with long one on one fights, a quick battle with the 88 and then some more one on one. If this was based on a true story then it is the foundation for "Kill Bill" as "Romeo and Juliet" was to "West Side Story."
For me the various relationship with characters that looked too much alike with shifting loyalties proved confusing and I had to just settle for watching people getting sliced and diced. BTW our hero has "blue eyes" (cataracts) and has blurred vision.
No swearing, sex, or nudity. Attempted rape.
For me the various relationship with characters that looked too much alike with shifting loyalties proved confusing and I had to just settle for watching people getting sliced and diced. BTW our hero has "blue eyes" (cataracts) and has blurred vision.
No swearing, sex, or nudity. Attempted rape.
Jang hyuk makes me write a review again
assanj-3848417 January 2021
Everytime I feel i need a break from Hollywood bs to watch a south Korean action movie i always go for the one with Jang hyuk in it and he never let's me down
Simply amazing acting from the lad,no one is better at acting the emotionally broken swordsman as this guy
You should all watch the film,enjoy
Not as good as The Warrior's Way, but more than enough//
privatelyed12 April 2021
Storyline has some holes in it; fighting sequences are well choreographed although sword fighting takes a little too long; after all, this is not sword battle(s) ala three muskeeters where it could take forever to kill anyone. Unlike The Warrior's Way where the hero swings his sword five times and five bad guys goes down. Didn't pay attention first time I watched it, but did the second go around..I would recommend it - pay attention to the sub-titles//
Love It!
ferdy-skywalker3 November 2020
Even though Joe Taslim smiles a lot as a proud villain, but overall this movie delivered what to be expected, or as expected by me.
This not a kind of wuxia movies while the swordmen are flying around the tall trees with their blades. This a believable wuxia fight movie, where the swordmen could be exhausted catching his breath.
The period pieces also feels authentic, and the story also in the right pace. Some scenes are too dark and need more lights though.
Try it, you will love it, especially the Indonesian actor as the villain, Joe Taslim speaking Korean!
Good action movie, just miscast on MC & MV
jarharnamme31 December 2020
When I post this review, there're already 5 other reviews.
3 of em praising joe taslim the main villain & other 1 praise janghyuk the main character.
Okay here's the main problem. The main villain is from qing dynasty (meaning from china), they could easily hire a chinese or korean (who look more like chinese than taslim) and as much as i like taslim, he's too babyface to be main villain. and he smile too much. The movie would be better if the qing dynasty people speak chinese (and have korean sub) instead of korean. Pretty sure taslim didnt speak korean, they just dub it later on.
Bout janghyuk. for anyone who havent watch his other works, yeah sure he does look like blind man in this movie.. but for anyone who familiar with his work. that's his usual blank expression! -_-
The action, swordsplay was top notch. just like 80-90 chinese kungfu movie. The other casts also spot on, from deceased king, to main girl to the korean villain they all look proper to the timeline of the movie (hate it when the actor have fair skin when they're supposedly have use sword from young age and have no scar on their face/body) just the 2 main char, the hero & villain kinda lacking. Oh and the villain supposedly knew the hero from long time ago, the hero grow old but the badguy just grew mustache and look same age as hero after 20-30years? Come on..
Okay here's the main problem. The main villain is from qing dynasty (meaning from china), they could easily hire a chinese or korean (who look more like chinese than taslim) and as much as i like taslim, he's too babyface to be main villain. and he smile too much. The movie would be better if the qing dynasty people speak chinese (and have korean sub) instead of korean. Pretty sure taslim didnt speak korean, they just dub it later on.
Bout janghyuk. for anyone who havent watch his other works, yeah sure he does look like blind man in this movie.. but for anyone who familiar with his work. that's his usual blank expression! -_-
The action, swordsplay was top notch. just like 80-90 chinese kungfu movie. The other casts also spot on, from deceased king, to main girl to the korean villain they all look proper to the timeline of the movie (hate it when the actor have fair skin when they're supposedly have use sword from young age and have no scar on their face/body) just the 2 main char, the hero & villain kinda lacking. Oh and the villain supposedly knew the hero from long time ago, the hero grow old but the badguy just grew mustache and look same age as hero after 20-30years? Come on..
Middle aged Korean politics
timothyhilditch15 December 2021
Korean movie set in the 17th century. A middle aged man raises his daughter in the mountains as Korea is oppressed by the Ming Empire. This movie spends the first half setting up with a lot of politics only for the inevitable most predictable thing happens. Once he finally picks up his sword, the action is okay. It's clear that the script writer loves their wise sayings. The contrast is turned way up and it looks like they are playing on green screens for a couple of scenes, also the contrast does terribly at the start with the locations shot in darkness.
Good dramatic action
RoshanHvt22 February 2021
Taken Joeson Version
leonshikto17 March 2021
The story is similar to many others before but it manages to show its uniqueness through the awesome sword-fighting action scenes. 1/2 for the story and 1/1 for the setting.
The action choreography and directing were good, enjoyable, and believable. 1.5/2. Personally I will give it 1/2. The cast does a great job and takes in 1.5/2.
The action choreography and directing were good, enjoyable, and believable. 1.5/2. Personally I will give it 1/2. The cast does a great job and takes in 1.5/2.
Great fighting scene.
NajmiSelamat26 March 2021
Good action overall
toviadomus22 February 2021
Really really good action movie. Specially the main actor is really good with acting and action. The best movie I watched after covid 19 pandemic. lot of good movies went bad due to cost limitations but this movie got it right. language is not a problem with less dialog and more action and emotion. Good art piece. Really recommend to watch. Thumbs up.
Enjoyable mindless action film of the underdog hero
Hallelujah28915 January 2023
"The Swordsman" has some riveting action sequences that have a tactile feel since the swordsman, who is nearly blind, relies on amplified sound to navigate the dangers around him. So the sound work is visceral, with metallic sounds of swords, rain, guide bells, feet skidding on the dirt. The Swordsman encounters many kinds of skirmishes, from one on duels, to hordes of stealth assassins, and those who fight in both Korean and Chinese fighting styles.
I enjoyed the action, and the Swordsman is fairly believable in his impaired but skilled role. He is unusually passive as well. However, it was unclear throughout the film just how blind he was, and at a certain point his blindness really felt like no impairment at all, as he dodged not only swords but multiple close range bullets from different directions. Perhaps the Swordsman was really just nearsighted or farsighted?
The plot was similarly confused. Did the villain actually have an agenda, or was he just a bully? What is the ancestry of this one character, and does it actually matter to the plot at all? Does the actions of the Swordsman have any real consequences-did he just incite an international war, by rescuing an important person to him? If not, why not?
Anyway, if you can forget things making sense, "The Swordsman" is an enjoyable action film based on a familiar trope of the underdog master killer.
I enjoyed the action, and the Swordsman is fairly believable in his impaired but skilled role. He is unusually passive as well. However, it was unclear throughout the film just how blind he was, and at a certain point his blindness really felt like no impairment at all, as he dodged not only swords but multiple close range bullets from different directions. Perhaps the Swordsman was really just nearsighted or farsighted?
The plot was similarly confused. Did the villain actually have an agenda, or was he just a bully? What is the ancestry of this one character, and does it actually matter to the plot at all? Does the actions of the Swordsman have any real consequences-did he just incite an international war, by rescuing an important person to him? If not, why not?
Anyway, if you can forget things making sense, "The Swordsman" is an enjoyable action film based on a familiar trope of the underdog master killer.
Still Another Joseon Story
westsideschl3 May 2021
I've have seen so many incarnations/recreations of Korean Joseon history in movies I'm beginning to feel as if I must have been there in some previous life. For some reason they all seem to follow the same plot structure with characters extremely similar.
The usual one lone nice guy against hordes of baddies. Ballpark kill count for our hero is 54.
The usual one lone nice guy against hordes of baddies. Ballpark kill count for our hero is 54.
A lovely break from Hollywood 😘
kenzibit20 February 2021
Wow! Silent and deadly. Will need to watch again but this is no doubt one of the best sword fighting movies in the year. I really liked Jang Hyuk in this movie, he really nailed the performance of the main character. I highly recommend this movie, a bit slow but fun to watch with modern effects and fighting skills👌🏾
Something I would not watch again.
LordCommandar25 February 2021
There are films you watch over and over and over again because they are just that good. The Exorcist, Taken, Mission Impossible, Aliens, Crouching Tiger, Kill Bill. etc. But not this one. I'm not sure what this film was actually trying to achieve especially with those lousy dubbed voice overs.....omg! But this was a very nonsensical martial arts films with real decent fight scenes but a terrible story line. Something I will not be watching again.
The way of the sword!
shawnmikedryer24 March 2021
Tae Yul used to be well renown as a terrific swordsman and former guardian of an imperial family. Now aged with deteriorating eye sight he travels the mountains with his daughter in apparent hiding. Tae finds his way to a village named Joseon where he crosses path's with a swordsman from his past, Min Seung-ho, Joseon's greatest military warrior. As Tae attempts to keep a low profile a member of the Qing imperial family and the proclaimed best swordsman of that region by the name of Gurutai reaches Joseon with menacing plans for the village as he doubles as a slave trader. When Tae's daughter is taken by Gurutai and his men he is left with no other option than to fall back into the way of the sword to rescue his only family. In order to accomplish this Tae Yul is up against the two best swordsman in the empire as well as the entire Qing imperial army.
A visually stunning piece of filmmaking as the scenery, wardrobe, and sets take you to a different place entirely. The sword fight sequences are top shelf and are pure cinematic magic. The level of difficulty for the fight choreography is impressive and delivered incredibly, really some of the best camera work out there. The script and dialog are not winning any awards but the amazing fight sequences more than make up for that. If you can stand a foreign subtitled flick than you'll more than appreciate this superb film.
A visually stunning piece of filmmaking as the scenery, wardrobe, and sets take you to a different place entirely. The sword fight sequences are top shelf and are pure cinematic magic. The level of difficulty for the fight choreography is impressive and delivered incredibly, really some of the best camera work out there. The script and dialog are not winning any awards but the amazing fight sequences more than make up for that. If you can stand a foreign subtitled flick than you'll more than appreciate this superb film.
Never Cease Yo Amaze Me!
myartis22 March 2021
Tae-Yul is my 😍💕
isthatmufidah16 November 2020
Too much Shaky-Cam.
Tyler-A-Arse22 April 2021
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