Martial arts
films tend to contain many of the same narratives, simply retold with different
characters and choreography, not unlike the genre’s gun-slinging Western
counterpart. This can work as a double-edged sword for these films, providing
familiarity and common themes for audiences to latch onto while also running
the risk of blending in with countless others of the same nature. Memories of the Sword certainly has all
of the familiar elements of a martial arts classic; a betrayal that must be
avenged, a corrupt leader, and a young protégé trained to defeat injustice.
Unfortunately, little amidst this familiarity is original enough to stand out,
and the viewing experience itself is a bit too disjointed to provide the
escapism of entertainment.
Despite falling
into an extremely familiar and predictable narrative by the second act of the
film, Memories of the Sword opens
with a sequence which demands far too much attention from its audience. When a
corrupt Monarchy threatens to destroy the Goryeo Dynasty, three warriors band
together to stop them until a betrayal occurs amongst the revolutionaries. A
child is then raised and trained for decades by Seol-rang (Do-yeon Jeon), all
for the purpose of revenge against the warrior who betrayed them. This man is
Deok-gi (Byung-hun Lee), whose power has increased over years of corruption and
deception.
This early
set-up sequence is intentionally confusing, leaving key pieces of information
out in order to provide a twist in the narrative later on, once we have jumped
forward in time. After 18 years of training Seol-hee (Go-eun Kim) for her
revenge against the betrayal, Seol-rang reveals a secret about that day that
involves her young protégé, setting in motion plans for retribution. Seol-hee goes
through the typical hero’s journey leading up to the expected showdown, all of
which ends up being far more underwhelming after enduring countless scenes of
teary melodrama between the characters.
Although Memories
of the Sword is a Korean film, it resembles numerous better sword-fighting
martial arts movies to come from China
Entertainment Value:
6.5/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 6/10
Historical
Significance: 5/10
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