Masquerade

The basic premise of Mark Twain's classic novel The Prince and the Pauper has proven remarkably versatile in terms of movie adaptation, its influence found in such diverse films as Kurosawa's 1980 samurai classic Kagemusha: The Shadow Warrior and Ivan Reitman's 1993 White House comedy Dave. In this lavish South Korean costume drama, Twain's cleverly executed plot is echoed in broad strokes. Set during Korea's early-17th-century Joseon Dynasty, Masquerade begins as lowly and seemingly malleable peasant Ha-seon (Lee Byung-hun) is recruited to replace the recently poisoned and still-healing King Gwang-Hae (also played by Lee). Taken for a fool by the King's corrupt council, Ha-seon (who of course bears a striking resemblance to the king) gradually wises up and begins to take noble advantage of his power, combating corruption, while ruling in favor of the oppressed and disadvantaged. Director Choo Chang-min deftly orchestrates a fine balance between comedy and drama within the king's court, especially when Ha-seon falls in love with the oppressed Queen (Han Hyo-joo), who quickly returns his affections. Nicely combining political intrigue with low-key humor, Masquerade was a huge hit in its native land, sweeping the Daejong Film Awards (Korea's equivalent to the Oscar), where it won in 15 out of 20 possible categories. Highly recommended. (J. Shannon)