Kundo

[GeneChing]

Posted on Monday, 08.25.14
Korean film 'Kundo' a martial-arts epic
By CARY DARLING
Fort Worth Star-Telegram

"Kundo: Age of the Rampant" may be unknown to the broader American public, but for fans of South Korean cinema, it's already legendary. The film debuted in its home country this year with an opening-day box-office record, smashing the number of the previous record-holder, "Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon" three years ago. Blockbuster, thy name is "Kundo."

It's easy to see "Kundo's" appeal, even to non-Koreans. The martial-arts epic, set in feudal 19th-century Korea, deals with basic issues of good and evil, bearing similarities to not only classic, period-piece Chinese and Japanese martial-arts films but also to the mythic pull of Cain and Abel, Robin Hood, and nearly every Western ever made. Director Yoon Jong-bin's use of an Ennio Morricone-like score only emphasizes the point. Kundo is not the best film of its type, but it's an entertaining amalgam.

"Kundo" takes place at a time when the country was poor and local governors and their rich friends ran roughshod over and terrorized much of the populace. Jo Yoon (Gang Dong-won) is of the ruling class but he has a problem. Though born to a high-ranking father, his mother is a courtesan, meaning he will always be seen as less than.

Still, he is the apple of his father's eye until the arrival of his half-brother, whose mother is his father's wife. Immediately, Jo Yoon loses rank and plots to maintain his power and privilege by any means necessary, including murder.

This sets him on a slide to unrepentant evil, including later in life when he not only slays his brother but hires a poverty-stricken butcher named Dochi (Ha Jung-woo), to kill his pregnant sister-in-law. Dochi really needs the money - he lives in squalor with his mother and sister - but has a change of heart at the last minute.

As revenge, Jo Yoon sets Dochi's house afire, killing everyone - except Dochi. It's then that he is He's then recruited by the Chusul Clan, a group of outlaws and bandits who visit retribution on area overlords, and plots his revenge.

There are no surprises in "Kundo" - yes, there will be a showdown between Dochi and Jo Yoon - but it's a predictable story well-told, with Yoon Jong-bin keeping things moving fast enough even if the running time is more than two hours. The combat scenes are well-staged and there are some absolutely gorgeous moments, even if it lacks the overall jaw-dropping beauty of Hero, House of Flying Daggers or Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. (One oddity: the script sometimes translates the Korean into contemporary American youth slang for the subtitles; I don't know much about 19th-century Korea, but I doubt they referred to each other with the equivalent of the word "douche.")

What's more intriguing is how South Korean cinema - once known in the West for horror/thrillers - has transitioned to historical spectacle. The film that recently broke "Kundo's" opening-day record in South Korea is "The Admiral: Roaring Currents," a film about a 1597 naval battle between Japan and Korea.

"Kundo" may not be a great film but, as part of a country flexing its cinematic muscle, it's an important one.

'KUNDO: AGE OF THE RAMPANT'

In Korean with English subtitles

3 out of 5 stars

Cast: Jung-woo Ha, Ye-ri Han, Man-shik Jeong

Rated: Unrated (martial-arts violence, strong violence, a scene of torture and hanging); 136 min.

Kundo is slated for a limited U.S. release through AMC on 8/29

KUNDO: The Age of the Rampant
Coming Soon


Synopsis

In the last days of the Joseon Dynasty, a band of fighters called KUNDO steal from the rich and give to the poor. They risk their lives for honor -- and for one man, a debt of revenge owed to the aristocrat that robbed him of his family and his name.

Running Time
2 hr 15 min
Genre
Action
Director
Yoon Jong Bin
Cast
Ha Jeong Woo, Kang Dong Won
Release Date
August 29, 2014

[GeneChing]

Unfortunately, I can only search the AMC site by state now and I'm not going to do that for every state.

Here's what's happening in CA. Emeryville is the closest to me here, but I doubt I'll make the trip. It's still kind of far just for this one.

AMC Atlantic Times Square 14
450 N Atlantic Blvd
Monterey Park, CA 91754
(626) 407-0240

AMC Bay Street 16
5614 Bay Street, Suite 220
Emeryville, CA 94608
(510) 457-9003

AMC Brentwood 14
2525 Sand Creek Road
Brentwood, CA 94513
(925) 809-0030

[GeneChing]

'Kundo: Age of the Rampant': Film Review
3:04 PM PDT 8/27/2014 by Frank Scheck


Courtesy of Well Go USA Entertainment

The Bottom Line
There's plenty of stirring action in this spaghetti western-influenced epic

Opens
August 29 (Well Go USA)

Cast
Ha Jung-woo, Gang Gong-won, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong, Ma Dong-seok, Yoon Ji-hye, Jung Man-sik

Director
Yoon Jong-bin

This Korean period drama concerns a gang of bandits who steal from the rich and give to the poor

That its heroes literally ride off into the sunset at the conclusion marks one of the many Western movie elements in Kundo: Age of the Rampant. Yoon Jong-bin’s Korean epic is set during the mid-19th century Josean period and concerns the exploits of a Robin Hood-style gang of bandits who steal from the corrupt rich and give to the impoverished, famine-plagued peasants. It broke box-office records in its native country upon its release last month; now receiving a U.S. theatrical release in several major cities, this entertaining actioner should well please Asian audiences even if its excessive length will probably inhibit cross-over success.

The film’s hero, played by the charismatic Ha Jung-woo, is Dolchi, a butcher who runs afoul of the evil nobleman Jo Yoon (Kang Dong-won) and is nearly put to death before being rescued at the last minute by the Kundo, a colorful band of characters, including one known only as the “Vicious Monk,” who promptly enlist him in their ranks. Even as the group goes about their violent, socially adjusting ways, Dolchi plots his revenge against the arrogant aristocrat.

Combining epic period melodrama with spaghetti western-style tropes — the stirring musical score by Cho Young-wuk clearly owes a debt to Ennio Morricone — the film features an array of elaborately staged fight sequences featuring a combination of high-flying martial arts, stirring swordplay and old-fashioned gun battles.

The convoluted plotting, profusion of characters and heavy doses of explanatory narration may prove off-putting for some less attentive viewers. But the director infuses the fast-proceedings with enough visual flair — inspired by filmmakers ranging from Kurosawa to Leone to yes, Tarantino — to provide ample compensation. The large cast dives into their highly physical roles with gusto while clearly relishing their colorful dialogue, which includes such memorable lines as “I’ll cook your liver and have a drink tonight” and “Attain your f---ing Buddhahood.” The latter are certainly words to live by.

Production: Moonlight Film, Showbox/Mediaplex
Cast: Ha Jung-woo, Gang Gong-won, Lee Sung-min, Cho Jin-woong, Ma Dong-seok, Yoon Ji-hye, Jung Man-sik
Director: Yoon Jong-bin
Screenwriter: Jeon Cheol-hong
Producers: Yoon Jong-bin, You Jeong-hun
Executive producer: You Jeong-hun
Director of photography: Choi Chan-min
Editors: Kim Sang-bum, Kim Jae-bum
Production designer: Elhen Park
Costume designer: Cho Sang-kyung
Composer: Cho Young-wuk
No rating, 137 minutes

I hate the new AMC theater locator function. I just came up with a bunch more that are nearer to me.

AMC Mercado 20
3111 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054
(408) 919-0282

AMC Cupertino Square 16
10123 N Wolfe Rd
Cupertino, CA 95014
(408) 252-5960

AMC Saratoga 14
700 El Paseo De Saratoga
San Jose, CA 95130
(408) 871-2277

AMC Eastridge 15
2190 Eastridge Loop
San Jose, CA 95122
(408) 274-2274

[GeneChing]

Why was I bothering with the AMC site when I knew this was a WellGo release?

USA
Aug 29, 2014
LOS ANGELES / SAN DIEGO
CGV Cinema
621 S Western Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90005

Regal La Habra Stadium 16
1351 W Imperial Hwy
La Habra, CA 90631

Edwards University Town Center 6 Movie
4245 Campus Dr
Irvine, CA 92612

Cinemark Century Stadium 25
1701 W Katella Ave
Orange, CA 92867

NEW YORK CITY
Empire 25
234 W 42nd St
New York, NY 10036

AMC Loews Bay Terrace 6
211-01 26th Ave
Flushing, NY 11360

NEW JERSEY
Edgewater Multiplex Cinemas
339 River Road
Edgewater, NJ 07020

SAN FRANCISCO / BAY AREA
AMC Cupertino Square 16
10123 N Wolfe Rd Suite 3000
Cupertino, CA 95014

Century 20 Daly City
1901 Junipero Serra Blvd
Daly City, CA 94015

Four Star Theatre
2200 Clement St
San Francisco, CA 94121

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Centreville 12
6201 Multiplex Drive
Centreville, VA 20121

Egyptian 24
7000 Arundel Mills Cir
Hanover, MD 21076

BOSTON
Showcase Cinema de Lux Revere
565 Squire Rd
Revere, MA 02151

LAS VEGAS
Village Square Stadium 18
9400 W Sahara Ave
Las Vegas, NV 89117

CHICAGO
AMC Niles 12
301 Golf Mill Ctr
Niles, IL 60714

SEATTLE
AMC Loews Alderwood Mall 16
18733 33rd Ave W
Lynwood, WA 98037

Century Federal Way
2001 S Commons
Federal Way, WA 98003

DALLAS
AMC Grapevine Mills 30
3150 Grapevine Mills Pkwy
Grapevine, TX 76051

Cinemark Legacy 24
7201 N Central Expressway
Plano, TX 75025

ATLANTA
AMC Sugarloaf Mills
5900 Sugarloaf Parkway
Lawrenceville, GA 30043

DENVER
Century 16 Aurora
14300 E Alameda Ave
Aurora, CO 80012

HAWAII
Consolidated Theatres Pearlridge West 16
98-1005 Moanalua Rd
Aiea, HI 96701

DETROIT
Ann Arbor 20
4100 Carpenter Road
Ypsilanti, MI 48197

HOUSTON
AMC Studio 30
2949 Dunvale Rd
Houston, TX 77063

Canada
Aug 29, 2014
TORONTO
Yonge and Dundas
10 Dundas Street East
Suite 402
Toronto, ON M5B 2G9

Empress Walk
5095 Yonge Street
3rd Floor
Toronto, ON M2N 6Z4

VANCOUVER
SilverCity Coquitlam Cinemas
170 Schoolhouse Street
Coquitlam, BC V3K 4X9

[Jimbo]

Kundo (2014)

I really liked this South Korean period epic that takes place in 1859 towards the end of the Joseon Dynasty. It's reminiscent of The Water Margin, with a large group of righteous bandits who steal from corrupt officials and give to the poor. The arch-villain is a slightly effeminate young nobleman with nearly unbeatable martial abilities. The main protagonist is a butcher whose family is murdered and of course seeks revenge.

I won't go into too much detail, other than to say that, at more than two hours long, I never felt bored at any point. The movie is beautifully shot and well-acted. The soundtrack is very spaghetti western-esque, even borrowing Riz Ortolani's Day of Anger theme, which only became widely known since Tarantino recycled it in Django Unchained, but had previously been used in several 1970s kung fu movies (see entry #3 in my 'movie soundtracks used in old-school KF films' thread).

And for Gene...yes, there are sword fights aplenty!

I enjoyed this movie, and found it a lot more fun than, say, War of the Arrows (which was long and FELT long).

[mickey]

Greetings,

This is the first time I saw the trailer. It looks really interesting.

Jimbo,

You actually resurrected that Day of Anger theme with your thread on movie soundtracks used in Kung Fu movies. People in Hollywood are paying attention.

In Kung Fu Expresso, I made a reference to the 6 armed statue in the Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Then suddenly, in two movies, 6 armed, fighters/monsters start showing up.

Congrats to you!

mickey

[Jimbo]

Greetings,

This is the first time I saw the trailer. It looks really interesting.

Jimbo,

You actually resurrected that Day of Anger theme with your thread on movie soundtracks used in Kung Fu movies. People in Hollywood are paying attention.

In Kung Fu Expresso, I made a reference to the 6 armed statue in the Golden Voyage of Sinbad. Then suddenly, in two movies, 6 armed, fighters/monsters start showing up.

Congrats to you!

mickey

Thanks, mickey!

Though in all honesty, I'm quite certain that Tarantino chose to include the Day of Anger theme in Django Unchained (DU) well before I started my soundtrack thread. The movie was released only about 5 months after I started the thread and posted the link, and the movie was probably completed a year prior to its release. That theme has been well-known among spaghetti western aficionados, but only became generally known about and discussed, especially among young people with parents younger than that track, after DU and its soundtrack came out.

I'm certain the makers of Kundo used the Day of Anger theme due to Tarantino's DU influence. In watching Kundo, I also sensed QT's influence a bit in the way the film was divided into named chapters (a slight nod to Kill Bill, perhaps?). In addition, Kundo has a scene that appears directly inspired by the original Django (1966). Along with Kundo's overall spaghetti western-style soundtrack, it's safe to assume that director Yoon Jong-Bin is a fan of the genre.

I'm also certain that QT is much more knowledgeable, and a bigger geek for older soundtracks, cult movies, and popular music than I am. I'll bet he has a warehouse-sized space full of old cult movies and hard-to-find stuff of all kinds. After all, the majority of soundtrack music in his movies is older pop music or is lifted from other movies.

[mickey]

Greetings Jimbo,

One thing is certain: Quentin Tarantino did spend time in the NYC Chinese movie theaters. I saw his inspiration to Pulp Fiction at the Pagoda theater. I just don't know the name of the movie. There are also a lot of lurkers to this forum that may far outnumber the number of peeps who are actually members. The following is the inspiration to Mummy 3. Up until then, the franchise was at a standstill. No money was paid out to the person who started the thread:

http://www.kungfumagazine.com/forum/...rought-to-Life

The Kung fu Expresso thread also featured The Day of Anger track in Monkey Kung fu. So, time frame wise, QT could have still gotten it from this forum. By the way, the Korean version sounds like they re did it. It sounds more passionate, porn inspired.


mickey

[GeneChing]

This fine martial arts period K-flick now available on Netflix. It's a tale from the Joseon period (said like I know K-history but I don't at all) when tyrannical rulers oppressed the poor. A Robin-hood like band of thieves start a peasant rebellion, very Robin-hood - there's a fighting monk like Friar Tuck (who conceals a blade in his walking stick - not a spoiler, you can see it in the trailer below), a maid Marian (who is super kickass, and an archer - Koreans excel in archery even today), a Little John (who wields one of my new fav weapons, basically a shot-put on a cord, great of brutal ultravi). The main character, a butcher, uses double modified meat cleavers.

This won a lot of Asian awards from organizations I've never heard of and featured a lot of actors I didn't know, but it was very enjoyable. The villain is played by Kang Dong-won, who was Woochi in another fine MA K-flick, one of my favs of the genre actually. He's a master swordsman, so there are plenty of great sword fights. The fight choreography was frantic (lots of Yuen Woo Ping Matrix-like slo-mo backbend ducks) and sanguineous (meat cleavers - 'nuf sadi). The characters were well fleshed out, even the villain. It's long - 2+ hours - but epically visual. And like most K-flicks, it takes the surprising turn now and again in the details, little scenes that feel fresh in their presentation. The dialog is hilarious - I've not yet seen a K-flick drop so many Mother F-bombs. Quite entertaining on many levels. The sets aren't as impressive as some of the panoramic shots. The soundtrack echoes spaghetti westerns, not so much Ennio Morricone, but just that twangy guitar style, and that totally works for this film.

[Lucas]

Jun Woochi is the fckin man!

[PalmStriker]

Watched a couple of times on Netflix lately, Kicker!