''Shadowless Sword'' () is a
2005
2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...
South Korean film starring
Lee Seo-jin,
Yoon So-yi, and
Shin Hyun-joon. A martial arts epic filmed in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, the film follows the exploits of the last prince of the
Balhae Kingdom, who hides his identity in a small village until he is called to battle invaders from
Khitan.
It was released in North America, the United Kingdom and Ireland by
New Line Cinema
New Line Productions, Inc., Trade name, doing business as New Line Cinema, is an American film production, film and television production company that is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, a division of the Major film studios, ...
on DVD as ''The Legend of the Shadowless Sword''.
Plot
The film is set after the fall of
Sanggyeong, the capital of
Balhae
Balhae,, , ) also rendered as Bohai or Bohea, and called Jin (; ) early on, was a multiethnic kingdom established in 698 by Dae Joyeong (Da Zuorong). It was originally known as the Kingdom of Jin (震, Zhen) until 713 when its name was changed ...
in 926.
Dongdan Kingdom dispatches the Chucksaldan (a.k.a. Killer Blade Army) to find and kill the last remaining member of the Balhae royal family, exiled prince
Jeong-hyun, to prevent the possible reconstruction of Balhae. Prime Minister Lim Sun-ji, on the other hand, sends a young, talented swordswoman, Yeon So-ha, to find Prince Jeong-hyun first and bring him back safely. Jeong-hyun, however, is reluctant to come and fight for the throne, still bitter about his unfair exile. The rest of the movie follows So-ha and Jeong-hyun's journey as they fight their way back to the capital, fall in love and whether or not Jeong-hyun manages to reconstruct the fallen kingdom of Balhae.
Cast and characters
*
Lee Seo-jin as
Dae Jeong-hyun, the last prince of Balhae
: When Dae Soo-hyun, the last member of the royal family is killed by the Chucksaldan, the prime minister of Balhae Lim Sun-ji is reminded of one person in a full of mournful atmosphere. Dae Jeong-hyun, the last prince of Balhae who has been forgotten from people's memory since he was involved in the political strife of the royal family and condemned to exile 14 years ago. Now he is the only hope.
*
Yoon So-yi as Yeon So-ha, the best warrior of Balhae
: Yeon So-ha with an image of graceful and straight figure is the best woman warrior of Balhae, who always carries a shadowless sword (Mooyounggeom) and shows excellent skill in swordsmanship. She takes up the task of bringing Daejeonghyun to the camp safely in order to make him a king of Balhae.
*
Shin Hyun-joon as Gun Hwa-pyung
: Gun Hwa-pyung was the son of a Balhae general/official who was executed by
Ae of Balhae, who was the last king of Balhae. Gun Hwa-pyung somehow survived the execution and defected to the rising Khitan. He and several other Balhae defectors gathered together to form the Chuk Ssal Dan. He and this organization were under the control of a governor of the Dongdan. Hwa-pyung vowed revenge on the Balhae Royal Family for destroying he and his father's family name and status. He secretly plotted to kill off all of the royal family members, betray his master, and put himself on the former Balhae throne as king of a new kingdom. This plan does not seem to work out for him, as he finds that the last prince of Balhae has some secrets of his own to share.
Extended cast
* Lee Ki-yong as Mae Yung-ok
* Jo Won-hee as Jo Chun-soo
*
Park Sung-woong
Park Sung-woong (; born January 9, 1973) is a South Korean actor. Following his acting debut in ''No. 3'' in 1997, Park has starred in several movies and Korean drama, television series, notably as a gangster in ''New World (2013 film), New Wo ...
* Lee Han-sol as Dan Yang-soo
* Jeong Ho-bin
* Jin Bong-jin
* Kim Seo-hyeon
* Jo Yeon-ho
* Lee Sang-hong
* Kim Gyeong-ryong
* Park Su-yong
* Han Gang-ho
*
Nam Ji-hyun as young Yeon So-ha
* Baek Shin
* Lee Jang-hyeon
* Choi Yeong-gyun
* Lee Su-yong
* Bae Sang-cheol
* Im Se-jin
* Kang Yeong-gu
* Baek Ji-yeol
*
Choi Ji-woo (cameo)
* Hwang In-seong
*
Kim Soo-ro (cameo)
*
Jeong Jun-ha (cameo)
* Park Chan-dea
* Lee Han-gal
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20051201005855/http://balhae2005.co.kr/
*
*
* {{IMDb title, 0488763
2005 films
2005 action films
South Korean martial arts films
South Korean epic films
2000s Korean-language films
Films set in the Middle Ages
2005 martial arts films
2000s South Korean films