''Bichunmoo'' () is a 2000 South Korean martial arts

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by Kim Young-jun and featuring Shin Hyun-joon,

Kim Hee-sun Kim Hee-sun (born June 11, 1977) is a South Korean actress. She rose to fame in the 1990s with leading roles in television series such as ''Men of the Bath House'' (1995), ''Propose'' (1997), ''Wedding Dress'' (1997), ''Forever Yours'' (1998), ' ...

, and

Jung Jin-young Jung Jin-young may refer to: * Jung Jin-young (actor) (born 1964), South Korean actor * Jung Jin-young (singer) Jung Jin-young (; born November 18, 1991), professionally known as Jinyoung, is a South Korean singer, songwriter, record producer ...

. At the time of its release, it was the most expensive film in Korean history (it was supplanted in 2001 by ''

Musa Musa may refer to: Places * Mūša, a river in Lithuania and Latvia * Musa, Azerbaijan, a village in Yardymli Rayon * Musa, Iran, a village in Ilam Province * Musa, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari, Iran *Musa, Kerman, Iran * Musa, Bukan, West Azerbaija ...

'').

Plot

In 12th-century China, during

Mongol The Mongols ( mn, Монголчууд, , , ; ; russian: Монголы) are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, Inner Mongolia in China and the Buryatia Republic of the Russian Federation. The Mongols are the principal member ...

rule, childhood sweethearts Jinha and Sullie are separated but vow to reunite. Orphan Jinha begins training in the Bichun martial arts and discovers his father was a swordsman murdered by the Mongol army. Meanwhile, Sullie's father, a Mongol general, arranges for her to marry a Mongol noble. Believing Jinha to be dead, Sullie marries the noble. Recovering from near-death, Jinha takes on the persona of bandit Jahalang, and begins an anti-Mongol crusade with the help of his army of warriors. Finally Jin-ha and Sullie are re-united, when Jinha's bandit warriors infiltrate Sullie's family manor.

Cast

* Shin Hyun-joon as Yu Jinha *

as Sullie *

as Namgung Junkwang *Jang Dong-Jik as Lai * Choi Yoo-jung as Yeojin *

Gi Ju-bong Gi Ju-bong (born September 3, 1955) is a South Korean actor. Career Gi began acting in 1977 and is notable for ''Offending the Audience ''Offending the Audience'' is a play by Austrian writer Peter Handke. It is sometimes called an "anti-p ...

as Kwakjung *Bang Hyep as Namgung Sung *Kim Hak-cheol as Taruga *

Kim Soo-ro Kim Soo-ro (born Kim Sang-joong on May 7, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Career Early career Kim Soo-ro studied Theater at the Seoul Institute of the Arts and Dongguk University, then joined the Mokwha Repertory Company. In 1993, he made hi ...

as Ashin *Lee Han-gal as Changryun *Seo Tae-hwa as Saijune

Production

''Bichunmoo'' was shot entirely in China, with a

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

-based martial arts director.

Criticism

In spite of its financial success, the film was heavily criticized on its initial release in Korea, primarily due to its alleged disloyalty to the

comic book A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are of ...

on which it was based. Another argument given against the film was the casting choice of Kim Hee-sun, who was perceived as being too modern for a period swordplay film.

Reception

Alan Morrison of ''

Empire An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...

'' called ''Bichunmoo'' a "Top-notch martial arts action".

References

External links

* South Korean fantasy drama films South Korean martial arts films Films shot in China 2000s South Korean films {{SouthKorea-film-stub