I didn’t get word of this until the morning after, but today is actually day two of Korean Movie Night at Home: Historical Films Series, a new program this month being hosted by the Korean Cultural Center New York (KCCNY), a branch of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism (MCST) of the Republic of Korea. The program launched on December 3 and runs until December 19, so that’s plenty of time to head over to the official website and check these titles out for free for the program’s duration.
As for the short-but-sweet line-up, it’s a total keeper, one of which is Kundo: Age Of The Rampant starring Ha Jung-woo. This was actually my first Well Go USA screener at the time of its release, and so it’s got a special place in my heart along with the handful of Korean movie titles that inaugurated my interest more than fifteen years ago. Other titles include Detective K: Secret Of The Living Dead, which is the third and final installment of the Detective K trilogy starring Kim Myung-min in the title role, The Swordsman starring Jang Hyuk and the phenomenal Joe Taslim, and Memories Of The Sword with actress Kim Go-eun and Lee Byung-hun.
Point in fact, these are all Well Go USA titles, and I invite anyone not familiar to check out their library of films, which also includes late director Benny Chan’s final film, Raging Fire, as well as Ryoo Seung-bum’s award-winning survival epic, Escape From Mogadishu. Beyond this point, read on below and head over to the Korean Cultural Center website and have yourselves a holiday watch party.
The Swordsman (검객)
Director: Choe Jae-hun
Cast: Jang Hyuk, Kim Hyun-soo, Joe Taslim, Jung Man-sik
Running Time: 100 min
Genre: Action
Release Year: 2020
Rating: Film intended for audiences 15 and over (15세 관람가)
(Underage audiences accompanied with a parent or guardian are allowed.)
After being blinded in a coup against the king, Joseon’s greatest swordsman (Jang Hyuk) goes into hiding, far removed from his city’s anguish. But when traffickers kidnap his daughter, he has no choice but to unsheathe his sword once more.
Detective K: Secret of the Living Dead (조선명탐정: 흡혈괴마의 비밀)
Director: Kim Sok-yun
Cast: Kim Myung-min, Oh Dal-soo, Kim Ji-won
Running Time: 120 min
Genre: Comedy, Adventure
Release Year: 2018
Rating: Film intended for audiences 12 and over (12세이상 관람가)
(Underage audiences accompanied with a parent or guardian are allowed.)
When a series of unusual murders occurs, Detective K (KIM Myung-min) and his partner (OH Dal-soo) are once again called upon to solve the case. Along the way, he teams up with a beautiful woman (KIM Ji-won) with amnesia and together they discover Vampire bite marks on all of the bodies. As they investigate further, they begin to realize that the woman is somehow closely connected to the deaths.
Memories of the Sword (협녀, 칼의 기억)
Director: Park Heung-sik
Cast: Lee Byung-hun, Jeon Do-youn, Kim Ko-eun
Running Time: 121 min
Genre: Action, Drama
Release Year: 2014
Rating: Film intended for audiences 15 and over (15세 관람가)
(Underage audiences accompanied with a parent or guardian are allowed.)
As the greed and excess of a corrupt Monarchy threatens to destroy the once-glorious Goryeo Dynasty, three legendary warriors lead a revolt to overthrow the empire and save its people. But when deceit and betrayal costs the life of a master swordsman, a plot for justice and revenge is set into motion, raging for decades between the two survivors.
KUNDO: Age of the Rampant (군도: 민란의 시대)
Director: Yoon Jong-bin
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Gang Dong-won
Running Time: 137 min
Genre: Action
Release Year: 2014
Rating: Film intended for audiences 15 and over (15세 관람가)
(Underage audiences accompanied with a parent or guardian are allowed.)
1859. The last days of the Joseon Dynasty, where the wages of greed bring poverty and death. A pack of bandits – calling themselves KUNDO – rise against the tyrants, stealing from the rich and giving to the poor. In an era where status is decided by birth, this band of thieves risks their lives for honor, in the name of the poor and oppressed. But for one man, a debt of bloody revenge is owed to the aristocrat that robbed him of his family and his name.