The Divine Weapon () is a 2008 South Korean action drama film starring Jung Jae-young and Han Eun-jung. It was released on September 4, 2008.
Plot During the reign of King Sejong the Great, Joseon Korea faces increasing hostility from Ming China. Ming China, without restraint, mounts unrelenting demands against the Korean crown, further entrenching distrust and aversion to subservience. Ming China has especially been provoked by leaked news that Korea had underway an arms development program that would undermine theirs. Mounting pressure by the threat of invasion and sending down the Emperor's commands requesting tribute of young Korean girls to be sent to China, to reduce Korea's manpower and debilitate its military capacity, the grip around the throat becomes ever tighter. It seems Joseon's fate is dependent on completing an unfinished project – that of making Singijeon or the Divine Weapon a reality.
In the final battle, severely outnumbered Korean forces (less than 100 men) successfully defeated the thousands of Ming Chinese in armed combat with spears, bombs, and several finished Singijeon via several hwachas. Thousands of Ming Chinese foot soldiers are killed as the arrows in the Singijeon are launched. More are killed with the gunpowder packed inside the arrows (standard Singeijeons). Those in the Ming Chinese army who remained are finished off with the large model Singijeons (대신기전, Grand Singijeon), except one of the nobles who prefers peace over warfare.
Cast Jung Jae-young as Seol-joo Han Eun-jung as Hong-ri Huh Joon-ho as Chang-kang Ahn Sung-ki as King Sejong Jeong Seong-mo as Sa Ma-soon Kim Myeong-soo as Ggya Oh-ryung Lee Do-kyeong as Hong-man Do Yi-seong as In-ha Ryu Hyun-kyung as Bang-wook Seo Joo-seong as Moo-saeng Cha Soon-bae as Ming1
Release The Divine Weapon was released in South Korea on 4 September 2008, topping the box office on its opening weekend with 630,257 admissions."Korean Box Office " (Week-end 2008.09.05 ~ 2008.09.07). Hancinema. Retrieved 26 November 2008. It led the box office for a further two weeks,"Korean Box Office " (Week-end 2008.09.12 ~ 2008.09.14). Hancinema. Retrieved 26 November 2008."Korean Box Office " (Week-end 2008.09.19 ~ 2008.09.21). Hancinema. Retrieved 26 November 2008. and as of 9 November had accumulated a total of 3,749,611 admissions. As of 16 November, the film had grossed a total of ."South Korea Box Office November 14–16, 2008 ". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 26 November 2008. making it the seventh most popular domestic film that year.
Reception The film was heavily criticized by Chinese audiences for historical inaccuracies and revisionism. For example, the movie depicted Ming China and Joseon Korea in conflict around 1448, however in reality the two nations never fought and were in fact allies in resisting Japanese invasion. The depicted the tribute of young girls occurred under the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty (1271–1368). The movie also suggested that the Ming dynasty tried to steal multiple rocket carts blueprints from Korea, despite in reality China developed rocket arrows and rocket carts that predate Korean efforts.
Awards and nominations 2008 Blue Dragon Film Awards"The Divine Weapon – Awards" . Cinemasie. Retrieved 12 April 2015. Nomination – Best Director – Kim Yoo-jin Nomination – Best Art Direction – Min Eon-ok Nomination – Best New Actress – Han Eun-jung
2008 Korean Film Awards Nomination – Best Actor – Jung Jae-young Nomination – Best Sound – Oh Se-jin
2009 Fajr International Film Festival, "World Panorama" section Best Technical and Artistic Achievement
2009 Grand Bell Awards Best Film Best Editing – Kim Hyeon Best Sound – Oh Se-jin Nomination – Best Actor – Jung Jae-young Nomination – Best Lighting – Im Jae-young Nomination – Best Visual Effects – Jeong Seong-jin, Han Young-woo Nomination – Best Planning – Lee Young-in
References
External links