Duelist character review
Oct. 14th, 2006 12:33 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scottishlassI have watched Duelist now two times and I'm still in awe of the cinematography, the colours, the sword fighting and of course the prettiness that is Kang Dong-Won aka Sad Eyes.
summary
The Duelist is set in ancient Korea where counterfeiting on a grand scale is taking place. A young female state detective called Namsoon is send out to gather information and also bringing down the perpetrators. Together with her fatherly friend and superior she meets a mysterious stranger who seems to be entangled in the counterfeit.
Characters:
Namsoon is young, but tough. Probably an orphan that the superior officer took under his wing and taught her the trade of being a man of the law. She knows what is right and wrong and she is hotheaded. She is beautiful but most of the time poses as a girlish looking young boy to get her job done.
Even though she sees the police force as her family, she feels all alone and that makes her even more determined in her profession.
This all changes when she meets ...
Sad Eyes who was probably taken in by the Minister of Defence, a rich corrupt man, at a very young age. Whether he is an orphan or was taken away from his family is not known. He was probably taught to be the Minister's henchman as most men in the Minister's entourage call him the beautiful henchman and are afraid of him. He is displayed like a precious jewel and yet he is just a puppet in the Minister's hands.
Even though the Minister tells him repeatedly he can kill him (if you do not trust me, then kill me) he knows exactly that Sad Eyes is dependent on him. Sad Eyes is seen as a very dangerous, beautiful pet. He is deadly, and yet his features display an innocence that comes from his soul. Yes, he is a henchman. He can kill without mercy but it eats at him and he deliberately seeks solitude. He seems very distant even when he is in a room full of people.
When he meets Namsoon for the first time, he doesn't recognize her as a girl, and only when she almost defeats him in a fight one on one, he takes interest in her and notices that she follows him. He deliberately seeks her out and a fight ensues that is not only left in a tie but he now knows he is dealing with a woman. A kind of woman he has never met before. Normally women offer him their services, he is beautiful and women love his pretty face, but even though he frequents the brothels, it is understood that he only comes there to be left in peace, and not to take up any services of the tea girls. But now with Namsoon, he finds out that he is not alone. He is teasing her when she comes to him as a teagirl, testing her feelings as well as his own while trying to remain cool and remote.
After their second fight, Namsoon's and Sad Eyes' paths cross. She knows he is the henchman of the Minister who plots to dethrone the king with the counterfeiting and he knows that if he wants to fulfill his master's wishes, he cannot let her get too close. And yet ...
... and yet, Namsoon and Sad Eye seem to be drawn to each other. They are both alone and come from similar backgrounds (both alone and without bloodkin) and fightingwise they are very well matched. These two lost souls start a very dangerous dance of fighting and bonding, their sword fights an act of violence and love making. They seem to dance and court, fight and mate. And they both have to make a decision.
Namsoon tries to forget that he is responsible for the deaths of her colleagues, she even secretly wills him to deny any participation while they both fight, and Sad Eyes, even though he has specific orders, spares her life.
He even goes as far as going against his master when he realizes that helping Namsoon acquiring the evidence to bring down his master might not redeem himself, but it will help the woman he loves.
And Namsoon realizes that she loves him back, and even though she cannot change fate, she wishes that he can redeem himself, even though she knows their love is pointless. Only when Sad Eyes is with her, he can actually laugh and he reacts like a human being. He teases her and gets teased by her, and for few short moments, they connect on a completely different plane, as human beings - two lost kids in a tumuluous world. They share in their love, not physically, but spirtually and they know it will be the last time. After this evening, they will meet as enemies again, and fate will strike once again.
IMHO, Sad Eyes is a very lonely character whose duty was always to serve his master, to negate his feelings and just do what he is supposed to do. When he meets Namsoon, he catches a glimpse of what it means to find a true equal, both in spirit and as a fighter, and although he tries to do the right thing, he knows because of his past crimes, he cannot redeem himself and his happiness is only shortlived. Namsoon only realizes it later but then it is already too late, the wheel of fate is turning and both can only watch and fulfill their duties. Sad Eyes could have turned himself in, and he might have lived if he had done so, but he feels duty and also gratefullness for his foster father and so he fights side by side with his master when the police want to capture the corrupt Minister. He takes responsibility for his deeds even though he may leave all this and flee.
It is both wonderful and tearjerking to see when he realizes that his love to Namsoon is fated and the little smile that plays around his lips while his eyes looks so awed - it is a wonderful scene in the movie. He accepts his fate and is both awed and grateful that he could catch such a short moment of happiness. In all the years that he spent in emotional deep freeze he accepts his feeling but also his fate to the very end.
The movie is shot beautifully, every frame is a work of art and the colours seem to leap at you from the screen. The acting is okay, with a very intense main lead and few dialogues. Even though the music is contemporary it doesn't distract from the tale and only enhances the timelessness of it.
Even though it is an historic drama, it is a very quiet movie. You can see actually the characters developping and unfolding, and you can sympathize with Sad Eyes and his life and why he makes the choices he makes.
The martial arts scenes are beautiful. Strong lighting of black and white as well as the choreography is beautifully done. Namsoon and Sad Eye dance a deadly dance, one wrong move and one of them is dead. It is both terrifying and beautiful to behold. They appear like two wild beasts that meet on a plane where they can exchange their passions freely, without restriction. The fighting becomes a ritual of courting and of mating, they touch but never kiss, while their swords slash and stab at each other.
It is not a great movie, there are flaws. But these can be easily overlooked by the fact that it was beautifully shot and that the male lead is such a pretty man who knows how to handle a sword and still looking hot. ;-)
Edited to add: Kang Dong-woo did a very good job. The poor man definitely lost some weight, even though he is not heavy, his tall frame carries his weight well but in this movie he is really tough and lean and even his face which is normally a bit on the chubby side is lean and flawless.
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summary
The Duelist is set in ancient Korea where counterfeiting on a grand scale is taking place. A young female state detective called Namsoon is send out to gather information and also bringing down the perpetrators. Together with her fatherly friend and superior she meets a mysterious stranger who seems to be entangled in the counterfeit.
Characters:
Namsoon is young, but tough. Probably an orphan that the superior officer took under his wing and taught her the trade of being a man of the law. She knows what is right and wrong and she is hotheaded. She is beautiful but most of the time poses as a girlish looking young boy to get her job done.
Even though she sees the police force as her family, she feels all alone and that makes her even more determined in her profession.
This all changes when she meets ...
Sad Eyes who was probably taken in by the Minister of Defence, a rich corrupt man, at a very young age. Whether he is an orphan or was taken away from his family is not known. He was probably taught to be the Minister's henchman as most men in the Minister's entourage call him the beautiful henchman and are afraid of him. He is displayed like a precious jewel and yet he is just a puppet in the Minister's hands.
Even though the Minister tells him repeatedly he can kill him (if you do not trust me, then kill me) he knows exactly that Sad Eyes is dependent on him. Sad Eyes is seen as a very dangerous, beautiful pet. He is deadly, and yet his features display an innocence that comes from his soul. Yes, he is a henchman. He can kill without mercy but it eats at him and he deliberately seeks solitude. He seems very distant even when he is in a room full of people.
When he meets Namsoon for the first time, he doesn't recognize her as a girl, and only when she almost defeats him in a fight one on one, he takes interest in her and notices that she follows him. He deliberately seeks her out and a fight ensues that is not only left in a tie but he now knows he is dealing with a woman. A kind of woman he has never met before. Normally women offer him their services, he is beautiful and women love his pretty face, but even though he frequents the brothels, it is understood that he only comes there to be left in peace, and not to take up any services of the tea girls. But now with Namsoon, he finds out that he is not alone. He is teasing her when she comes to him as a teagirl, testing her feelings as well as his own while trying to remain cool and remote.
After their second fight, Namsoon's and Sad Eyes' paths cross. She knows he is the henchman of the Minister who plots to dethrone the king with the counterfeiting and he knows that if he wants to fulfill his master's wishes, he cannot let her get too close. And yet ...
... and yet, Namsoon and Sad Eye seem to be drawn to each other. They are both alone and come from similar backgrounds (both alone and without bloodkin) and fightingwise they are very well matched. These two lost souls start a very dangerous dance of fighting and bonding, their sword fights an act of violence and love making. They seem to dance and court, fight and mate. And they both have to make a decision.
Namsoon tries to forget that he is responsible for the deaths of her colleagues, she even secretly wills him to deny any participation while they both fight, and Sad Eyes, even though he has specific orders, spares her life.
He even goes as far as going against his master when he realizes that helping Namsoon acquiring the evidence to bring down his master might not redeem himself, but it will help the woman he loves.
And Namsoon realizes that she loves him back, and even though she cannot change fate, she wishes that he can redeem himself, even though she knows their love is pointless. Only when Sad Eyes is with her, he can actually laugh and he reacts like a human being. He teases her and gets teased by her, and for few short moments, they connect on a completely different plane, as human beings - two lost kids in a tumuluous world. They share in their love, not physically, but spirtually and they know it will be the last time. After this evening, they will meet as enemies again, and fate will strike once again.
IMHO, Sad Eyes is a very lonely character whose duty was always to serve his master, to negate his feelings and just do what he is supposed to do. When he meets Namsoon, he catches a glimpse of what it means to find a true equal, both in spirit and as a fighter, and although he tries to do the right thing, he knows because of his past crimes, he cannot redeem himself and his happiness is only shortlived. Namsoon only realizes it later but then it is already too late, the wheel of fate is turning and both can only watch and fulfill their duties. Sad Eyes could have turned himself in, and he might have lived if he had done so, but he feels duty and also gratefullness for his foster father and so he fights side by side with his master when the police want to capture the corrupt Minister. He takes responsibility for his deeds even though he may leave all this and flee.
It is both wonderful and tearjerking to see when he realizes that his love to Namsoon is fated and the little smile that plays around his lips while his eyes looks so awed - it is a wonderful scene in the movie. He accepts his fate and is both awed and grateful that he could catch such a short moment of happiness. In all the years that he spent in emotional deep freeze he accepts his feeling but also his fate to the very end.
The movie is shot beautifully, every frame is a work of art and the colours seem to leap at you from the screen. The acting is okay, with a very intense main lead and few dialogues. Even though the music is contemporary it doesn't distract from the tale and only enhances the timelessness of it.
Even though it is an historic drama, it is a very quiet movie. You can see actually the characters developping and unfolding, and you can sympathize with Sad Eyes and his life and why he makes the choices he makes.
The martial arts scenes are beautiful. Strong lighting of black and white as well as the choreography is beautifully done. Namsoon and Sad Eye dance a deadly dance, one wrong move and one of them is dead. It is both terrifying and beautiful to behold. They appear like two wild beasts that meet on a plane where they can exchange their passions freely, without restriction. The fighting becomes a ritual of courting and of mating, they touch but never kiss, while their swords slash and stab at each other.
It is not a great movie, there are flaws. But these can be easily overlooked by the fact that it was beautifully shot and that the male lead is such a pretty man who knows how to handle a sword and still looking hot. ;-)
Edited to add: Kang Dong-woo did a very good job. The poor man definitely lost some weight, even though he is not heavy, his tall frame carries his weight well but in this movie he is really tough and lean and even his face which is normally a bit on the chubby side is lean and flawless.
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