''Shadowless Sword'' () is a
2005
File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris (dwarf planet), Er ...
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n film starring
Lee Seo-jin
Lee Seo-jin (born January 30, 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the reality shows '' Three Meals a Day'' and ''Grandpa Over Flowers''. As an actor, he came to prominence with his leading roles in television series '' Damo'' (2 ...
,
Yoon So-yi
Yoon So-yi (born Moon So-yi on January 5, 1985) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a print and commercial model, then began acting in Ryoo Seung-wan's action-comedy film '' Arahan'' in 2004, followed by '' Shadowless Sword'' in 2005. Yoon ...
, and
Shin Hyun-joon. A martial arts epic filmed in
China, 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 Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...
on DVD as ''The Legend of the Shadowless Sword''.
Plot
The film is set after the fall of
Sanggyeong, the capital of
Balhae
Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It wa ...
in 926.
Dongdan Kingdom
The Dongdan Kingdom (926–936) (; Khitan language: Dan Gur,) was a puppet kingdom established by the Liao dynasty to rule the former realm of Balhae (Bohai) in eastern Manchuria.
History
After conquering Balhae (Bohai) in 926, the Liao crow ...
dispatches the Chucksaldan (a.k.a. Killer Blade Army) to find and kill the last remaining member of the
Balhae
Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It wa ...
royal family, exiled prince Jeong-hyun, to prevent the possible reconstruction of
Balhae
Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It wa ...
. 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
Balhae ( ko, 발해, zh, c=渤海, p=Bóhǎi, russian: Бохай, translit=Bokhay, ), also rendered as Bohai, was a multi-ethnic kingdom whose land extends to what is today Northeast China, the Korean Peninsula and the Russian Far East. It wa ...
.
Cast and characters
*
Lee Seo-jin
Lee Seo-jin (born January 30, 1971) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the reality shows '' Three Meals a Day'' and ''Grandpa Over Flowers''. As an actor, he came to prominence with his leading roles in television series '' Damo'' (2 ...
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
Yoon So-yi (born Moon So-yi on January 5, 1985) is a South Korean actress. She debuted as a print and commercial model, then began acting in Ryoo Seung-wan's action-comedy film '' Arahan'' in 2004, followed by '' Shadowless Sword'' in 2005. Yoon ...
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 Palhae, 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
Dae Inseon (r. 906–926) was the last king of Balhae, a kingdom in northeast Asia occupying parts of Manchuria, northern Korea, and the Russian Far East. Dae Inseon was also the last king of Balhae. He and his armies were pushed back and event ...
, 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 television series, notably as a gangster in ''New World
The term ''New World'' is often ...
* 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
Nam Ji-hyun (; born September 17, 1995) is a South Korean actress who successfully transitioned from being one of the industry's premiere child artists to an acclaimed lead, well-loved for her roles in ''Queen Seondeok'', ''Suspicious Partner' ...
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
Choi Ji-woo (born Choi Mi-hyang on June 11, 1975) is a South Korean actress. Considered one of South Korea's most beautiful women, she has received critical acclaim for her work in a wide range of melodramas, most notably '' Beautiful Days'' (2 ...
(cameo)
* Hwang In-seong
*
Kim Su-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 ...
(cameo)
*
Jeong Jun-ha
Jeong Jun-ha (born March 18, 1971) is a South Korean comedian and entertainer. His well-known motto is "(Whether they) give love or not, (he) always gives love: Jeong Jun-ha" (정주나 안정주나 늘정주는 정준하).
History
Just after g ...
(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
2000s 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