Why
would a Korean Long John Silver start hunting Moby Dick during the early days
of the Joseon Era? Captain So-ma has his reasons, including money, power, and
revenge. He is not the only pirate hunting the whale that swallowed the Emperor’s
new royal seal. His former first mate and a bandit nursing his own grudge get
in on the chase in Lee Seok-hoon’s The Pirates
(trailer
here), which
opens this Friday in New York.
The
Ming Emperor has given his blessing to Yi Seong-gye’s rebooted Joseon Dynasty,
as well its new name and seal. Unfortunately, when the ship carrying Yi’s emissaries
back from China encountered a great mother whale and her baby, they arrogantly
attacked. The new name and the ambassadors would make it back to the Imperial
court, but the seal would not, having been engulfed like Jonah.
The
ambassadors blame pirates and stall for time, recruiting the treasonous officer
Mo Hong-gab to do all the dirty work necessary. Mo forces freshly minted pirate
captain Yeo-wol to hunt down the whale, despite her misgivings. Yet, he
immediately double crosses her with the So-ma, whom she recently deposed.
Further complicating matters, landlubbing soldier turned bandit Jang “Crazy
Tiger” Sa-jung also pursues the marked whale for mercenary reasons. However,
things get personal for Jang when he encounters his old enemy, Mo (he happens
to be the only one with an eye-patch, thanks to Jang).
Naval
action historicals have been ruling the Korean box office in recent months,
with both Pirates and The Admiral: Roaring Currents racking up
over five million ticket sales, which is a significant milestone in that
market. While The Admiral plays it
scrupulously straight, Pirates allows
for far too much mugging from pirate-deserter Chul-bong and the bandit monk. Frankly,
even Jang acts strangely schticky for a fugitive-patriot with a history of
showing up disloyalty.
However,
when the film is aboard Yeo-wol’s ship, it is (ironically) on solid ground. There
is no joking around with her. Honor and brotherhood mean something to Yeo-wol
and her faithful followers. As the new captain, Son Ye-jin exhibits solid
action chops and a smoldering presence, bringing to mind her dazzling work in Open City.
Likewise,
Lee Kyoung-young is great fun to watch chewing the scenery as her mentor and
nemesis. Kim Tae-woo also makes an effective villain, opting for an icier,
menacing approach for Mo. The one-named K-pop star Sulli brings some
charismatic earnestness to the proceedings as Yeo-wol’s protégé, but there is
just too much of the rubber-faced Yu Hae-jin and his fellow goofy land bandits.
