Kim Han-min 2014 South Korea
Starring: Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong, Jin Goo, Lee Jung-hyun, Kim Myung-gon, Lee Seung-joon
The South Korean actor Choi Min-sik is a modern marvel, considered by many in both his native land and elsewhere as among the very highest stratum of Asian performers. He's of course best known for his bristling, machismo-shredding role in Park Chan-wook's twisting neo-noir masterpiece Oldboy but his career actually began many years earlier and since then he has become known for his dramatic power in a number of productions, at times (as in 2010's grisly, misanthropic but surprisingly beautiful I Saw The Devil) transcending increasingly poor material with presence and talent alone and being regularly compared to Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in their primes. Last year he even made his Hollywood debut in Luc Besson's Lucy and was critically acclaimed despite not being able to speak English. His latest film, the feebly titled but monstrously successful The Admiral: Roaring Currents (sometimes referred to simply as Roaring Currents, the original name Myeongryang is named after the battle it portrays) is another case of his ability shining through an inferior script (the phrase "son of a bitch" almost certainly never existed in 16th century Korea). Based around the true story of Yi Sun-sin, a legendary 16th century Admiral who, after having been accused of being a traitor, relieved of his post and tortured in a collection of horrific ways, was pardoned and reinstated to mount a defence against invading Japanese forces, the very definition of a suicide mission considering that he had 12 ships and 50 deserters in his fleet and his opponents had over 300 of the former. Despite all this Yi's love for his country rather than those in charge of it led him to take on the mission, knowing he was likely to have to sacrifice his own life but more content to do it in service of his countrymen than languishing in prison. In direct opposition to the bloodthirsty spectacle surrounding him Choi underplays him, his Yi moves deliberately and stays mostly silent, his angry moments all the more intense for their scarcity. Alone at night however his hands shake, he's barely half a step away from collapsing and, when confronted with what he perceives as the ghosts of his dead comrades, he becomes a broken old man, desperately offering his visitors a drink and begging them to take it in the hope that they'll allow him to survive until morning. At other points he shows convincing warmth and concern amid his otherwise stoic nature. Lee Jung-hyun (notable not only for fine acting but also for having introduced techno music to Korea) stands out too, doing more with her anguished wife act than the writers really deserve. Director Kim Han-min is another matter, his camera zooms about like a caffeinated insect, cuts fast, loose and sometimes all over the place and even takes a cannon's eye view as vaguely absurd CGI cannonballs hurtle through the air, his soundtrack the screams of the dying and on fire, his style best described by a late yell of "Row harder, drum louder". That being said the battle that makes up the second half is involving, exciting and cleverly planned almost in spite of who has crafted it, leaving an impression that what's proceeded it may have possibly been lacking on purpose to best protect the mystery of Yi's strategy. More than anything though the film is clearly designed to stir up nationalistic pride. As such the Japanese forces are underhand, ultimately cowardly and oppressive of their own people, using brutalised slaves as oarsmen. The Korean workers even speak in hushed tones of their use of children as target practice and the slicing off of noses as everyday pastime. Even the mercenaries they hire to assist in their invasion have more bravery and gumption. In comparison Yi is faultlessly courageous, intelligent and has the unwavering loyalty of even the local peasantry although a shocking scene shows him to expect the same out of his own forces when he swiftly beheads a weak absconder. It's nothing compared to their adversaries nailing the severed head of a messenger to the mast of his ship and sending it back with only a large bag of body parts for company but still. As ever history is written by the winners.
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