It
was a lot like a Korean Valley Forge when King Injo retreated to the Namhansanseong
mountain fortress during the winter of 1636, but it did not end so well for the
Joseon Kingdom. They were indeed times that tried men souls, but they were made
exponentially worse by the corruption and arrogant sense of entitlement held by
senior members of the royal court. At least that is the revisionist perspective
offered by Hwang Dong-hyuk’s The Fortress
(trailer
here), which opens this Friday in New York.
History
has not been kind to King Injo, for good reason. Even during the early days of
the encampment, Kim Sang-hun finds himself cleaning up resentments caused by
the court’s stingy, high-handed behavior. Morale will only continue to plummet
as hunger and record low temperatures take its toll on the beleaguered troops.
Strategically,
Kim is diametrically opposed to the peace overtures reluctantly advocated by Choi
Myung-kil, a senior official who has few friends at court, yet still enjoys the
King’s confidence. Nevertheless, the two foes often find themselves allied
together, arguing for better conditions for the King’s soldiers, over their
colleagues’ petty objections. Having
seen the enemy camp, Choi knows they are badly outnumbered. News of the
impending arrival of Nurhaci, the Qing Khan himself further raises the stakes.
However, Kim’s desperate plan to save the kingdom has a puncher’s chance of
working, but he will only trust Seo Nal-soi, a common-born blacksmith pressed
into army service, as his messenger.
It
is hard to believe this gritty, downbeat adaptation of Kim Hoon’s historical novel
came from Hwang, the man who brought the world the Miss Granny franchise. This
is a cynically class-conscious film that explicitly argues the dithering king
and his nonproductive court of leeches only have themselves to blame for their
spectacular humiliation. Yet, apparently, there is a robust domestic market for
such sentiments, because The Fortress set
new attendance records for the Chuseok (“Korean Thanksgiving”) holiday.
It
is also a bit surprising to find international action superstar Lee Byung-hun
playing the peacenik Choi. However, he is certainly an intriguing character,
who is resigned to his anticipated infamy, if it secures the King’s survival.
Lee projects the necessary graveness and gravity, but he still can’t compete
with the steely gravitas of Kim Yoon-seok’s Kim Sang-hun, looking at least ten
years older than the thesp really is—and they are a hard ten years.