Last year was a great year for Korean action cinema, and director Park Heung-sik‘s latest period revenge flick, Memories Of The Sword would have had a place at the time for its late 2014 release were it not for certain headlines and a bit of rabblerousing involving the film’s stars, namely actress Jeon Do-yeon and actor Lee Byung-hun. Thankfully, it’s a new season in a new year and the important thing is that the film is finally on deck for an August release, and a teaser finally circulating with some astonishing luster and beautiful ambience to accommodate its wuxia centerpiece.
This is a story of three swordsmen, Jongul, Sullang, and Dukgi, who led an uprising during the era of the Koryo Dynasty.
When their desire for freedom and justice is about to be fulfilled, Dukgi betrays them, leading to the death of Jongul, and to Sullang disappearing along with Jongul’s daughter Hong-ee. When Sullang leaves, she intones the prophecy that “You, no, not just you, but you and I both will be killed by Hong-ee”.
Eighteen years later, Sullang, now called Wallso, is a blind woman with two children and manages a tea house at Byukran port. Determined to take revenge on Dukgi, Wallso tries to teach Hong-ee to become a master of the sword, but Hong-ee (who changed her name to Sulhee) is much more interested in day to day affairs than what happened to her father in the past.
One day, a big sword match hosted by the military ruler Dukgi (now known as Youbaek) is held in the market. Sulhee participates in the match despite of Wallso’s objection. As the match progresses, she ends up fighting Yull, who is the master of the sword.
Youbaek relises that Sulhee’s skill with the sword reminds Sullang’s whom he once loved. Youbaek orders his subordinates to catch Sulhee, and Sulhee runs away. The same night, Sulhee gets to know how her father, Jongul, died. Wallso tells her that there are two enemies that Sulhee is destined to vanquish: Youbaek, and Wallso herself. Shocked and desperate, Sulhee leaves home: the beginning of a long journey of revenge.
