War of the Arrows

Directed by Kim Han-Min, this invigorating film is one of the more engaging entries in the growing genre of Korean historical action-adventure epics. Set in the 17th century, War of the Arrows opens with a harrowing chase involving a young brother and sister who flee for their lives after their father is accused of being a traitor and is murdered. Years later, Nam-Yi (Hae-il Park) has grown up to become arguably the best archer in Korea, while his sister, Ja-In (Moon Chae-Won), has matured into a lovely beauty. But war comes to Korea during a Chinese invasion, and Ja-In's wedding is disrupted when foreign soldiers take her prisoner. Nam-Yi heads into enemy territory to track his sister down, only to be pursued by a small army of Chinese archers. As a combination of chase film, revenge flick, costume drama, and history lesson, War of the Arrows is a nonstop rush, with the use of the bow-and-arrow as homicidal tool brilliantly explored in a seemingly endless number of possible scenarios. Highly recommended. (P. Hall)