Korean Swordplay: The Sword with No Name

If you thought only the Chinese and Japanese could make decent swordplay movies, you haven’t spent nearly enough time with South Korean cinema. They’ve cranked out some good ones in the past, though to be fair, South Korean swordplay movies tend to get stuck in their own grand sense of melodrama. This looks like one of those movies, with great action, swordplay, and heavy, heavy doses of the sap that just begs for a tragic ending. Check out our preview of “The Sword with No Name” (aka “The Last Empress”) below.

Moo-myoung is a Joseon dynasty headhunter who tracks down fugitives and lives off their rewards. On one of his missions, he encounters a beautiful noble lady, Ja-young, and falls in love with her. A few years later, Ja-young enters the royal palace as the next queen of Joseon. Lovesick Moo-myoung becomes the personal guard to the queen in order to be closer to Ja-young. After attaining the title of queen, Ja-young tries to modernize the dynasty by allying with foreign nations but becomes turmoiled into a political power struggle. Moo-myoung must fend off devastating threats from the foreign army in order to protect Ja-young from harm.

Starring Jo Seung-woo and Soo-ae as the star-crossed lovers, and directed by Kim Yong-gyoon (the horror movie “Red Shoes”).

Pics and trailer via Hancinema.