Duelist (2005)

Once upon a time long ago in Korea, the Minister of Defense, Song Piljoon, decides to stamp counterfeit money. As soon as it goes into circulation, prices skyrocket and the common people are thrust into extreme hardship. Detective Namsoon goes forthrightly undercover with her partner, Detective Ahn, to investigate the counterfeit money. But when all the prime suspects are killed, the case becomes a much deeper mystery. She discovers one loyal henchman, Sad Eyes, a beautiful swordsman with a pale, blank face, is covering up Minister Song's tracks. Namsoon and Sad Eyes confront each other in a series of duels--tirelessly chasing, being pursued, and dodging each other. Inevitably, they fall headlong in love--and their forbidden enchantment blossoms. Each struggles to reconcile the desperate conflict between love and obligation to duty, as they square off to meet their fate in one last duel. Product Description

One of the bad Korean Fantasy movies. The fighting is worthless. The plot is incoherent and nonsense.

It's one of the bad Korean Fantasy movies. The fighting is worthless. The plot is incoherent and nonsense.

I prefer the Warrior, and Shadowless Sword. July 26, 2008

so unique that it reaches its own type of perfection

this was great! it had a definite individuality to it. it had some comedy (very little) that actually worked in a really great way for it. the characters didn't say a lot but you still seemed to guess the story of there lives. it had a great tone and fantastic music. the instruments used in it were so out of the ordinary for a wushu film but it worked wonderfully. there is one scene with a french accordion that worked so well. the fight scenes are really cool. the visuals are the best. to tell the truth, i hated this film the first time i saw it. mostly because i was expecting more of a classic wushu film. but once that passed i really enjoyed this movie and it's now one of my favorites. the love story is great. there is a relationship that develops between the two main characters. it begins with detective namsoon (the girl) trying to follow him and try to make an arrest. it than goes to a fight scene in an alleyway where a dark shadow takes up half of it. its so cool how they use that. but as the story progresses we se this relationship come together and it worked wonderfully. a new innovative and great film that trys to reinvent everything in film. May 20, 2008

very pretty

Set during the Lee dynasty, The Duelist tells the tale of detectives Namsoon and Ahn. The former a hot-headed young woman who is just as willing to stick a knife in the gut of an adversary as look at him and the latter a calm, pleasant man who tries, often in vain, to keep his protégé's temper in check. One day, while working undercover, Namsoon notices a skilled swordsman sporting a white wig and a mask amazing onlookers with his impeccable skill. However, things soon become chaotic when a struggle between two groups breaks out and a wagon containing a huge amount of money is spilt. In order to keep the peace, Namsoon and Ahn pursue a couple of thieves: one a bald man with an eye patch and the other the masked man who swiped a gold statue. Namsoon is able to catch up with the masked man and they cross weapons. Although she is able to split his mask, the man is able to get away.

After this incident, trouble begins the spread because the money was counterfeit. The huge amounts of counterfeit money make prices inflate and cause distress throughout the kingdom. Wanting to get to the bottom of the problem, Namsoon and Ahn search out the only engraver, who just happens to have been released from prison recently after a mysterious person bailed him out, who is capable of making molds that could press near perfect coins. The artist sketches a picture for the detectives of the man who bailed him out: a young man with shoulder length hair and sad eyes. Namsoon recognizes him as the swordsman she pursued earlier.

Namsoon and Ahn soon learn that Sad Eyes works for the minister of defense and Namsoon dolls herself up as a simpering court woman in order to get close to the man. The two battle a couple of times and through the clashing metal and enhanced sensations, Namsoon begins to fall in love with the beautiful swordsman.

The most common criticism that I have heard and read about The Duelist is that the plot is paper-thin. Honestly, this is the case. The plot can easily be summed up in one sentence and it is a plot that has been done numerous times before with better execution. However, The Duelist is a beautiful film. The costumes are magnificent, especially those of Namsoon and Sad Eyes, and architecture is extraordinary. The fight scenes, especially those between the heroine and her enemy/beloved are gorgeous and they give off equal sensations of danger and beauty. Also the soundtrack is quite wonderful with equal parts rock and traditional music. At one point there was a thunderous rock track being played with a soft piano. The trio of bass, drums, and guitar did not drown out the piano, and it gave the supple movements of Sad Eyes, Kang Dong-won, even more beauty and grace. A decent film; just don't go looking for an intricate plot. December 25, 2007

Flawed but Fun

Honestly, the male lead looks like a woman in drag.

I found it quite perplexing, enjoying the growth of the romance between the two lead characters and wondering if it was going to turn out to be a Lesbian relationship - which, in my opinion, would have been a twist that actually would have improved the movie.

Its visually stunning if a little improbable. People just aren't able to earnestly fight each other for that long without someone getting cut up. Not that that's something one thinks of with most chambara-esque type movies - but the female cop here is so obviously outclassed in the fight that you wonder if the male (?) lead is in fact just playing with her. And its only that thought which makes you suspect he'd rather dance with her than kill her.



December 25, 2007

Visually Stunning

I should say first that before I saw The Duelist, I gathered from reviews that the visuals were the most important thing about the movie. This is very true and if you go into this movie expecting a deep plot or a character-driven story, you will be sadly disappointed. If you go in expecting some kind of spiritual allegory, I suppose you can squeeze something out but, really, this movie is all about feasting your eyes. The movie has deep flaws but it also has formidable strengths.

The sum of my opinion:

The first twenty minutes were the most dreadful thing I have ever seen in my life.

The last twenty minutes was the most sublime movie time I have enjoyed in a long while.

At first, the movie seems like it is straining for effect, it doesn't know what it wants to be. Once our lady detective heroine begins her pursuit of assassin Sad Eyes, the movie picks up considerably.

The relationship between the leads is almost wordless. We have a pretty man and a macho woman who consider mortal combat to be the ultimate expression of love. Would this work in real life? Of course not! This is a sword fantasy. Remember, we are here for the visuals! If gorgeously choreographed battles between beautiful people are not your cup of tea, do yourself a favor and watch something else. Watching the movie and complaining that the love story is unrealistic is like seeing Transformers and complaining that giant robots do not exist. If you want a realistic love story, a sword-fighting movie probably isn't the place to find it anyway, LOL!

Would I recommend The Duelist? With reservations. As I said, I hated the opening with a passion and almost stopped watching. I don't know if I am alone in this but it is something to keep in mind. I think I would recommend it to chambara geeks, K-culture fans and people who just enjoy a beautiful movie. If you have a problem with very strong female leads (admittedly hammy in this case), find something else. If you have a problem with untraditional romances, find something else.

Keep in mind, you will not find a more visually stunning movie. Just park your inhibitions at the door and don't try to make sense of the plot and characters. View it as a string of unrelated drances and you will enjoy it all much more. Have fun and give your eyes a treat!

So here is the breakdown:

Movie 4/5
Visuals 5/5
Music 5/5
Plot 2/5 September 29, 2007

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