Derek Childs (totalovrdose)
Shadowless Sword, otherwise referred to as Legend of the Shadowless Sword, is a poignant action drama set in 926 AD, the film efficaciously blending the two separate genres together.So-ha (So-yi Yoon) is the greatest soldier in all Balhae, her skills with a sword, not to mention her training in martial arts, making her an unmatched expert on the battlefield. The Dongdam kingdom, with the strength of the Killer Blade Army at their disposal, is responsible for killing the Balhae royal family, in their quest for total control.A final heir to the throne, Jung-hyun (Seo-jin Lee) lives, and under order from the prime minister, So-ha ventures forth to find him, and bring him back to the capital. Essentially a story of comradery between these two characters as they traverse the dangerous environments, Shadowless Sword develops an emotionally poignant story of love, friendship, honor, remembrance, restoration and growth.Alongside So-ha, Jung-hyun, originally care-free, self-centered and hapless, remembers his former capabilities, and begins to grow beside her into the man he is destined to become. But the journey is far from easy, fraught continuously with peril, as Hwa-pyung (Hyeon-jun Shin), a man consumed by hatred, and Yung-OK (Ki-yong Lee), a woman who is almost as equally efficient as So-ha, hunt them at every turn. The focus on the heroes characterization unfortunately leaves little room for the villains, and though they are developed, it lacks the sense of completion the audience feels for the protagonists by the end of the feature.Some of the abilities and military techniques used during the combat scenarios require a certain amount of suspension of disbelief, which is also true for the moments when characters are able to soar across the air currents with ease, traveling from one part of the field to another in record time. Initially, a number of the fights are executed at an incredible pace, and it can prove difficult to concentrate on what is happening during the flurry of battle, although viewers will quickly adjust. Later, the film includes stunts that are either executed slower, or in slow motion, which really allows the audience to truly appreciate the beauty of the stylized acrobatic combat.The fights are wondrously executed, the violence and beauty of battle remaining steadfast throughout, the same going for the dialogue, which is as intelligent as it is engrossing. The score, including the final song accompanying the end credits, conveys underlining meaning, that draws the audience further into the plot, all of these features combined, not to mention the brilliant acting by the cast, making for tremendous entertainment.
tirkkanen
Now I'll start off by saying that there is no reason to compare this movie to the Asian blockbusters such as Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon or Hero etc. It doesn't matter if you've seen them or not because I think this movie has it's own atmosphere and feel to it. I guess it's because this film is Korean. There is a distinct difference between Korean and other Asian action movies. They have their own style of making these fantastic action/epic/drama movies. Another great Korean movie in the same veins is Musa The Warrior, so if you've seen it you have some idea what to expect. Some other comment stated that there are some weird comedic features in the fight scenes, but I wouldn't point that out in the review. It was only one short scene and that's all she wrote. On the contrary I found this movie to be quite serious in the whole. Though everyone would say there wasn't much of a plot I answer; There is an adequate plot to carry this movie without a problem, it is after all made for entertaining purposes, not for the Oscar nomination.Now more about the movie. The fighting is mostly sword-fighting. There are a few more exotic arms with some of the fighters too like bows or poles. The fights were made watcher friendly in a way that you can actually see what is happening in the fights all the time. So it's not just a clinging sound and a million swordstrikes per second where you can't tell which sword belongs to who. So you can see every small detail in the fights which is in my opinion definitely a good thing. And yes, there is a lot of flying in the movie, but used much more tastefully than for example in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon. The fight choreography in general was amazing. Saw many moves that I hadn't seen before in similar films. The actors were good, especially the leading actress was very convincing. When I watched this film, I had been bored out of my mind all day and was about to fall to sleep. NOT after the movie started rolling. I was glued to my seat from start to end. Summary: Good action and choreography, good acting and very, very entertaining.
