War of the Arrows (2011)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Instant Favorite.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

I was in South Korea recently and was chatting with colleagues there about the films I had seen from their country – a rather humbling experience since I knew so few. Anyway, this film came up since it had recently been very successful and, after some internet searching, I found the English title. I was only able to get hold of an American dubbed version of the film, although I was keen to see the film on the recommendation of my colleague. The film is a thriller set during the invasion of Korea by the Manchurian, archer Nam Yi sets out to rescue his sister Ja In, who has been kidnapped by the invaders.The plot sets up a chase featuring a lone bowman against a small unit also trying to stop him from his rescue and it offers the potential for plenty of excitement. Indeed this is what it seems to be focused on because the film has little room for anything but forward motion in regards the chase and the arrow action. Unfortunately this aspect of the film is nowhere near strong enough to make it be as much of the film as it is. Running to over two hours, the film doesn't provide as much plotting or character as I would have liked to engage me for this amount of time. The action isn't good enough to take up the slack. The nature of the delivery suggested some arrow-fu style action would be on the cards but it is rarely up to scratch. Occasionally there are tense moments which are well-delivered, but otherwise the action failed to move me. It lacked tension and thrills and really did come down to quite a lot of scenes of people running from one another; there are standoffs and individual moments which worked very well but the majority did not.Overall The War of the Arrows didn't convince me as the blockbuster it was in its own country. The dubbing didn't help for sure, but the greater damage was the workmanlike plot being combined with action which is never as balletic or thrilling as it needed to be to carry the long running time.

Its a must watch film especially for archery fans.. Most probably this might be the best archery movie you might have ever seen.Plot is as simple as that,"Elder brother Nam Yi being regarded as traitor's son with archery inherited in his blood becomes the Saviour of his abducted younger sister Ja in during Manchu invasion of Korea.This showcases not only archery but the thriller and the exciting screenplay makes the viewers to sit at the tip of seats. Kudos to the cinematographer and director.Being a Korean periodic movie everybody would be expecting unbelievable fights but what keeps the movie in track is believable sharp archery from both protagonists and antagonists.

I loved this film from start to finish. The story line was plausible, the plot was well developed and the characters were believable. The biggest bonus for me in this film is that the combat scenes/martial arts sequences were believable and realistic. So many of the recent films of this genre have had fight scenes which basically bordered on the ridiculous. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon for example was basically a choreographed high wire act for much of the movie and in honest, just a tad silly! Hopefully we will see more of this type of film from this part of the world. The only thing which was a bit weak was the tiger scenes. Possibly a little more resource could have been thrown at this? The soundtrack was also interesting. It did occasionally drift into very familiar Territory, i.e. you felt you'd heard that music in a similar type of movie?

War of the Arrows is a story about a young man in hot pursuit of a marauding Manchurian army that has captured and enslaved his sister and her groom on their wedding day in 15th century Korea. Wayward though the young man may be, he's a savant with the bow and arrow and he puts his deadly skills to use as he relentlessly pursues the attackers.Although it doesn't involve the gun battles typically associated with the genre, this film is really more war movie than action flick. The film rarely deviates from the harried cat-and-mouse game between the marauders and the ostensible hero and could mistakenly be seen as taking place in real time. Therein lies one of the film's problems. The chase sequences and flurry of arrows piercing the air are relentless and absorb nearly all the film's running time, leaving little room for plot or character development. This film is all style over substance: it's barbarian Manchurians (the baddies) vs. salt-of-the-earth Koreans (the goodies).We know the Manchurians are the baddies not just because they throw Korean babies down wells but because they're the cool ones, with their brass-studded leather coats, shaved heads or razor-edged mohawks, and general exhibition of badassery. They are lead by a playboy prince who prefers to spend his time ravishing newly captured women in a garish mobile bordello; he leaves the details and actual fighting to his uber-macho uncles and the elite squad of warriors they personally command. But little else is known about them. Is their attack part of an all-out invasion of the Korean peninsula or a quick raid across the border for booty? Why is the pampered prince, who appears to have no military role, even there? Certain early scenes suggest the possibility of a strained relationship between the young prince and his all-warrior business uncles, but it's never explored. There are no strategy sessions between the prince and his commanders or among the uncles and their elite warriors that might flesh out the characters.As for the Koreans, little time is spent preparing us for the mayhem that ensues. At the onset, the hero is a teenager who barely escapes his family's destruction with only his little sister and his father's prized bow and arrows in tow. Flash forward thirteen years and the hero is a wayward fellow with mean archery skills who reluctantly allows his sister's marriage to their benefactor's son to proceed. The relationship between and among these characters is barely explored. There are no tender scenes between brother and sister or the betrothed that make us yearn for reunification after separation and much bloodshed. Ironically, one of the film's best sequences involves the pampered prince attempting to have his way with the pretty sister. Her feistiness and the fact that she speaks his language intrigue him. He likens seducing her to tanning a tiger's hide, as her roughness will become supple under his handiwork. The brief battle of wills between these two characters, and the mild sexual tension elicited, provide a much-needed break from the pure action-oriented sequences that predominate. Unfortunately, the prince is killed-off far too soon and the rescue of the girl half-way through the film leaves the finale somewhat anti-climatic. The final confrontation may be dramatic by virtue of the manner in which the arrow battle is executed but, emotionally, it falls flat.The failure to adequately develop the plot isn't the only flaw with this movie. While the cast is for the most part good, the lead male is woefully miscast. Aside from possessing superior archery skills, there's little to distinguish the hero from the other household staff who are caught up in the mayhem. Quite simply, he lacks the charisma and screen presence to carry this film, which is propelled almost exclusively by the baddies. They possess the macho physicality and exhibit the serious badass 'tude required for their roles. Although the story compels me to feel something for the hero, I found myself far more interested in the invaders. I enjoyed the film for what it was, but was left emotionally flat-lined at the end because of its flaws.