BICHUNMOO is a Korean historical action movie, set in China and clearly inspired by the wuxia genre in that country. It's a film about an outsider who falls in love with the wrong woman and ends up battling various evil factions intent on seeing him dead, and it's all rather par for the course for this particular genre. As a whole, though, it has too many negative aspects to make it a truly entertaining movie.
Director Kim Young-jun also helmed the later - and similarly-themed - LEGEND OF THE SHADOWLESS SWORD, which I think has the edge over this film. Because the storyline in BICHUNMOO is just too muddled, jumping all over the place with quick editing and failing to take the time to introduce all the new characters who keep appearing. Although it's a lengthy production it seems rushed throughout, with frenzied action getting in the way of proper characterisation and depth to the narrative.
The action isn't that great either. I didn't mind all the cool wirework and gravity-defying combat, but what I did mind was the super-fast editing, which is almost as bad as shaky cam. The viewer has little time to register the cool death effects and awesome moves before it jumps to the next fight, and the next after that. I think that action choreography and direction is a very fine art and it's easy to get it wrong; sadly BICHUNMOO offers far from the best that the genre has to offer. Add in some indifferent performances and you have a very forgettable sort of movie.
Director Kim Young-jun also helmed the later - and similarly-themed - LEGEND OF THE SHADOWLESS SWORD, which I think has the edge over this film. Because the storyline in BICHUNMOO is just too muddled, jumping all over the place with quick editing and failing to take the time to introduce all the new characters who keep appearing. Although it's a lengthy production it seems rushed throughout, with frenzied action getting in the way of proper characterisation and depth to the narrative.
The action isn't that great either. I didn't mind all the cool wirework and gravity-defying combat, but what I did mind was the super-fast editing, which is almost as bad as shaky cam. The viewer has little time to register the cool death effects and awesome moves before it jumps to the next fight, and the next after that. I think that action choreography and direction is a very fine art and it's easy to get it wrong; sadly BICHUNMOO offers far from the best that the genre has to offer. Add in some indifferent performances and you have a very forgettable sort of movie.