The Sword with No Name

An epic tragedy that will leave you changed.

 

"Mu-myeong is a bounty hunter during the Joseon Dynasty who lives day to day by catching fugitives. His life is forever changed when on one of his missions, he meets a beautiful noblewoman, Min Ja-young, and falls in love with her. Several years pass and Ja-young enters the royal palace to be married to Emperor Gojong as the next queen of Joseon. Lovesick, Mu-myeong joins the royal guard in order to be near Ja-young, staying loyally by her side as she navigates court politics and rises to the throne to become the Empress Myeongseong. Myeongseong tries to modernize the dynasty by breaking it off from its hermit kingdom past while avoiding being colonized by Russia and Japan, but she becomes embroiled in a political power struggle with the court's conservative Confucian faction, led by her own father-in-law, the regent Daewongun. As threats against the queen grow, Mu-myeong tries to protect her by fending off assassination attempts from enemies both foreign and domestic"

 

 

This film was like a forbidden romance that eventually unravels do to the duty of the woman who will become a famous empress. The man whose name means "nameless" lives his live without real conflict until he meets the forbidden beauty that he eventually learns he can never have. Yet the man does all he can in order to stay near the woman he loves.

 

 

Mu-myeong (Jo Seung-woo) is a man who lives by his sword. He doesn't have a real purpose until he meets Min Ja-young who becomes the reason why he picks up his sword and swears his loyalty to the emperor whom he doesn't really care for. Mu-myeong is a man who we can feel sympathy for and we actually root for her. He is that kind of character that we enjoy to see but doesn't always get to have a happy ever after....

 

Min-Ja young(Soo Ae) who eventually becomes Empress Myeongseong. We first see her as a nobleman who attracts Mu-myeong but eventually we see her as a strong-willed woman who must follow her duty to become married to the unlikable emperor. At first we like her but eventually one scene takes away that like and we might become disgusted by her. As she loves Mu-myeong but she tries to get him to go away since she must live her life as an empress and as a wife to the emperor.

 

 

Soo Ae is nice but to me its Jo Seung-woo who stands out in this film. He portrays the wonderful type of character that some of us can relate to. Especially toward the end do we see his true capability as an actor. Don't get me wrong Soo Ae is good but I feel like Jo Seung-woo was better than her but there is a certain chemistry between the two which makes the forbidden romance seem believable.

 

 

3/5

 

Cast

 

Jo Seung-woo

 

Starring:

Marathon

 

 

 

Soo Ae

 

Also Appeared:

Sunny

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