Noryang: Deadly Sea—Third in the Admiral Yi Sun-shin Trilogy

There are good reasons why Seoul has a fifty-foot statue of Admiral Yi Sun-shin. They definitely believe in the “great man” theory of history—and Admiral Yi was the man. He is responsible for pretty much every naval victory over Japan during the Imjin War. Thanks to him, there are enough David-over-Goliath victories to fill entire trilogy. Having previously triumphed in the Battle of Myeongryang, as seen in The Admiral: Roaring Currents, and the Battle of Hansan Island, depicted in Hansan: Rising Dragon, Admiral Yi’s hopes to finish off the Japanese invaders for good in Kim Han-min’s concluding Noryang: Deadly Sea, which opens today in New York.

Too many court councilors just want to rest on Yi’s hard-won victories and let the Japanese Navy slink home to regroup. However, those victories cost Yi many friends and at least one of his sons. He knows unless the Japanese Navy feels deep, wounding pain, they will just be back again in a few months.

Awkwardly, his key battlefield ally, Chen Lin, commander of the Ming Navy is crooked to his core. He also wants to allow the Japanese to safely retreat, so he can enjoy all the bribes they paid him. Chen Lin cannot turn on Yi outright, because he is under orders from the Ming Emperor, but it is questionable how far Yi can trust him.

Indeed, Noryang might be the most interesting film in the trilogy, because of how it presents Chinese and Japanese characters, somewhat diverging from the first two films. Chen Lin is a slippery cad on the make. Yet, even he cannot help falling under the sway of Admiral Yi’s commanding personality. On the other hand, Japanese Admiral Shimazu Yoshihiro is a hard man who makes some brutal decisions, but Kim largely vindicates his judgement. His downfall comes in trusting his political rival, Japanese General Konishi. Maybe it is a hopeful interpretation, but Noryang just does not read like the kind of anti-Japanese propaganda Beijing would like to see.

Like the previous two films, Noryang is also fully loaded with rip-roaring, but spectacularly destructive naval battles. Kim gives us about 75 minutes of intrigue and context, before heading back to the high seas, where the film stays for its remaining duration. With each film, Kim goes bigger and grander, reaching new heights in Noryang.

The sea clashes always took priority over quiet character development in the Admiral Yi films, but in Noryang, his tense relationship with the scheming Chen Lin is grist for some first-rate military drama. Taking over from Park Hae-il and Choi Min-sik before him, Kim Yun-seok is almost too noble and too righteous as the great Joseon admiral.

However, Jung Jae-young is wickedly magnetic, in a villainously entertaining way as the untrustworthy Chen Lin. Likewise, Huh Joon-ho is terrific as the deputy Ming Admiral, whose has essentially shifted his loyalties to Yi. As a bonus, Baek Yoon-sik provides an unusually worthy nemesis for Admiral Yi, as the exceptionally steely Yoshihiro.

Although Noryang mostly stands on its own, the “curtain call” for characters from previous films will mean more to viewers who have been in on them from the start. Regardless, it gives Admiral Yi the heroic send-off he deserves. Highly recommended for fans of historical war movies, Noryang; Deadly Sea opens today (12/22) in LA, at the AMC Atlantic Times Square and the CGV Theaters.