''War of the Arrows'' (), alternately titled ''Arrow: The Ultimate Weapon'', is a 2011 South Korean period

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include l ...

starring

Park Hae-il Park Hae-il (born 26 January 1977) is a South Korean actor. He began his acting career in theater, but soon gained the film industry's attention in 2003 with '' Jealousy Is My Middle Name'' and '' Memories of Murder''. Park's film career took of ...

Ryu Seung-ryong Ryu Seung-ryong (born November 29, 1970) is a South Korean actor. Ryu began his acting career in theater, subsequently becoming one of the most versatile supporting actors in Korean film and television. In 2013, he headlined '' Miracle in Cell N ...

and

Moon Chae-won Moon Chae-won (; born November 13, 1986) is a South Korean actress. Moon first attracted attention in 2008 in her supporting role as a gisaeng in '' Painter of the Wind''. She was next cast in ''Brilliant Legacy'', one of the top-rated Korean d ...

. Set after the Second Manchu invasion of Korea (Qing invasion), the film is about an archer who risks his life to save his sister from slavery under

Qing The Qing dynasty ( ), officially the Great Qing,, was a Manchu-led imperial dynasty of China and the last orthodox dynasty in Chinese history. It emerged from the Later Jin dynasty founded by the Jianzhou Jurchens, a Tungusic-speak ...

-Prince

Dorgon Dorgon (, ; 17 November 1612 – 31 December 1650), was a Manchu prince and regent of the early Qing dynasty. Born in the House of Aisin-Gioro as the 14th son of Nurhaci (the founder of the Later Jin dynasty, predecessor of the Qing dynast ...

's rule. Praised by critics for its fast pacing and combat sequences, the film drew an audience of 7.48 million, making it the highest grossing Korean film of 2011. It was also honored at the

48th Grand Bell Awards The 48th Grand Bell Awards (), also known as Daejong Film Awards, are determined and presented annually by The Motion Pictures Association of Korea for excellence in film in South Korea. The Grand Bell Awards were first presented in 1962 and have g ...

and the

32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards The 32nd Blue Dragon Film Awards ceremony took place on November 25, 2011, at the Kyung Hee University Peace Hall in Seoul. Presented by Sports Chosun, it was broadcast on SBS and was hosted by actors Lee Beom-soo and Kim Hye-soo Kim Hye-soo ( ...

, including Best Actor for Park, Best Supporting Actor for Ryu, and Best New Actress for Moon. The film is also notable for the rare use of the

Manchu language Manchu (Manchu:, ) is a critically endangered East Asian Tungusic language native to the historical region of Manchuria in Northeast China. As the traditional native language of the Manchus, it was one of the official languages of the Qi ...

in some of its dialogue, and the demonstrative use of archery techniques, including a tongah arrow guide.

Plot

The film begins with two children, Nam-yi and his younger sister Ja-in, being chased by

King Injo Injo of Joseon (7 December 1595 – 17 June 1649), born Yi Jong, was the sixteenth ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. He was the grandson of King Seonjo and son of Prince Jeongwon. He was the king during the Later Jin invasion of Joseon, in ...

's guards and saved by their father Choi Pyeong-ryung, an officer of

King Gwanghae Gwanghae-gun or Prince Gwanghae (4 June 1575 – 7 August 1641), personal name Yi Hon (Hangul: 이혼, Hanja: 李琿), was the 15th ruler of the Joseon Dynasty of Korea. As he was deposed in a coup d'état, he did not receive a temple name. ...

and a skilled archer. He sends his children to find a place of refuge with his best friend Kim Mu-seon. As they escape, Ja-in begs her brother to go back to their father, but Choi Pyeong-ryung is killed in front of Nam-yi. Nam-yi, though bitten by the guard dogs, kills them and escapes with Ja-in. 13 years later, Nam-yi (

) has become a skilled archer and hunter with his companions Gang-du, Gab-yong, and Seo-goon, Mu-seon's son. He learns from Seo-goon (

Kim Mu-yeol Kim Mu-yeol (born May 22, 1982) is a South Korean actor. Following a successful career in musical theatre, Kim was first cast in minor parts on film and television. But after getting good reviews in his supporting roles in '' The Scam'' (2009) an ...

) that he and Ja-in (

) plan to get married, with the approval of Mu-seon, who is also Ja-in's godfather. During the wedding, Nam-yi is up in the mountains hunting deer when he hears the rumble of invading

Manchu The Manchus (; ) are a Tungusic East Asian ethnic group native to Manchuria in Northeast Asia. They are an officially recognized ethnic minority in China and the people from whom Manchuria derives its name. The Later Jin (1616–1636) an ...

forces. When Nam-yi makes it back to the village, he finds his foster father slaughtered and his sister taken away. Nam-yi then sets out to find the Qing army and rescue his sister, who was taken directly to the camp of Manchu prince

(

Park Ki-woong Park Ki-woong (born February 13, 1985) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for the TV series '' The Slingshot'' (2009) and ''Bridal Mask'' (2012), Return (2018) and Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryung (2019) as well as the films ''My Tutor Fr ...

). After he ambushes a

scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth Social movement, movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hik ...

party to gain information, the Qing royal guard, led by army commander Jyuushinta (

), sets out to find Nam-yi. Before being taken into Manchuria, the prisoners, led by Seo-goon, rebel, with Nam-yi arriving in the nick of time to assist them. Nam-yi, Seo-goon, Gang-du, and Gab-yong seek out the Manchu camp, finding it well guarded and Ja-in still alive. Nam-yi captures the Manchu prince, douses him with alcohol, and holds him hostage until sun rise so his sister and Seo-goon can escape, promising to meet them at a hut. He then sets the prince and his tent on fire, sowing chaos in the camp. Jyuushinta arrives at the camp at daybreak to find the prince dead, and sets out to find Nam-yi. Gang-du and Gab-yong both sacrifice themselves to buy Nam-yi time to get away. At a gorge, Nam-yi leaps across and is pinned down by the Manchu. As they cross, he is able to kill three of them but misses the chance to kill Jyuushinta. At the rendezvous hut, two Manchu ambush Seo-goon and Ja-in but are killed. On the other side of the gorge, Nam-yi gets shot in the arm, but is able to lure a tiger into attacking the Manchu and elude them again. After gaining a lead, he prepares a final ambush and kills two of his remaining four pursuers. Finally, predicting where Jyuushinta is placed, he bends the trajectory of his last arrow, but Jyuushinta is saved by his last serviceman, who takes the fatal shot in his stead. Nam-yi rides away to find Ja-in, as he assumes that Jyuushinta is dead. They are about to reunite when Ja-in sees Jyuushinta aiming at Nam-yi from a cliff; but before the arrow hits, Ja-in shoots the horse and Nam-yi falls. As Nam-yi and Jyuushinta face off, Ja-in runs in between them. Nam-yi's arrow barely touches Ja-in's dress, but Jyuushinta's finds its mark and sinks into Nam-yi's heart. Despite Ja-in's protests, Nam-yi pulls it out and fatally shoots Jyuushinta with it. As he lies dying in Ja-in's lap, Nam-yi says that they should go back to their old home in Hanyang. Ja-in lays Nam-yi into a boat, and she and Seo-goon cross back over the river into their homeland.

Cast

... Choi Nam-yi **

Lee David Lee David (born March 3, 1994) is a South Korean actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in ''Poetry'', '' The Front Line'', and Itaewon Class. He has also had starring roles in ''Romance Joe'' and ''Pluto Pluto (minor-plane ...

... young Nam-yi *

... Jyuushinta *

... Choi Ja-in **

Jeon Min-seo Jeon Min-seo (born 20 May 2003) is a South Korean actress. She began her career as a child actress The term child actor or child actress is generally applied to a child acting on stage or in movies or television. An adult who began their act ...

... young Ja-in *

... Kim Seo-goon *

...

, Prince of Qing Manchu-China * Ryohei Otani ... Nogami *Kim Ku-taek ... Gang-du *

Lee Han-wi Lee Han-wi (born June 17, 1961) is a South Korean actor. Since his acting debut in 1983, Lee has become a prolific supporting actor A supporting actor is an actor who performs a role in a play or film below that of the leading actor(s), and ...

... Gab-yong * Lee Geung-young ... Kim Mu-seon * Kang Eun-jin ... Eun-yi * Lee Seung-joon ... Wan-han *Lee Jae-gu ... Hoo-man *Park No-shik ... Jang-soon *Yoon Dong-hwan ... Choi Pyeong-ryung * Jo Woo-jin ... Qing messenger * Lee Ji-hyun as Gisaeng

English dubbed cast

* Travis Willingham ... Choi Nam-yi (voice) *

Alexis Tipton Alexis Tipton is an American voice actress and ADR director affiliated with Funimation. She has provided voices for English-language versions of anime series and video games. Her roles include Sun Seto in '' My Bride Is a Mermaid'', Musubi in ' ...

... Choi Ja-in (voice) *Mirra Capper ... Ja-in as a small girl (voice)

Awards and nominations

References

External links

''War of the Arrows''
at

Naver Naver (Hangul: 네이버) is a South Korean online platform operated by the Naver Corporation. It was launched in 1999 as the first web portal in South Korea to develop and use its own search engine. It was also the world's first operator to ...

* * * {{Kim Han-min 2011 films 2010s historical action films South Korean historical action films Films about archery Films set in the 17th century Films set in the Joseon dynasty Lotte Entertainment films 2010s Korean-language films Manchu-language films Historical action films 2010s South Korean films