Musa (film)

Musa: The Warrior
Theatrical poster
Hangul	무사
Hanja	武士
RR	Musa
MR	Musa
Directed by	Kim Seong-soo
Produced by	Cha Seoung-jae Shang Xia
Written by	Kim Seong-soo
Starring	Jung Woo-sung Ahn Sung-ki Ju Jin-mo Zhang Ziyi
Distributed by	CJ Entertainment
Release date(s)	September 7, 2001 (2001-09-07)
Running time	158 minutes
Country	South Korea
Language	Korean Mandarin
Budget	$8,000,000 US

Musa (武士, 무사, Musa), released as both The Warrior and The Ultimate Warrior in English-speaking countries, is a 2001 South Korean epic film directed by Kim Seong-soo, starring Jung Woo-sung, Ahn Sung-ki, Ju Jin-mo and Chinese actress Zhang Ziyi. The semi-historical story follows the adventures of a Korean peace delegation as they try to get back to Korea through the inhospitable deserts of northern China.

The film is regarded as being one of the biggest motion pictures in the history of South Korean cinema. At the time of its production its budget was the largest ever for a Korean film. It features a high degree of historical accuracy in period costumery, props, settings, and most unusually, language; that is, everyone speaks in their native tongues or through an interpreter conversant in a lingua franca.

Plot summary

In 1375, a small political envoy travels to Ming China to meet the emperor. Mistaken for spies, the envoy is arrested. Their prisoner transport is attacked by Mongol marauders, who kill the Chinese guards and allow the Koreans to live. All the Korean ambassadors have died, leaving the inexperienced general Choi-Jung to take charge. The soldiers arm themselves and quickly discover that the Mongols have kidnapped the Ming emperor's daughter. They ambush the Mongols and rescue the princess. Yeo-sol, the former slave of an ambassador, defeats the injured Mongol general Rambulwha in single combat, but allows him to live and escape.

The Koreans flee with the princess, determined to return her safely to the Ming emperor to atone for their diplomatic failure. The Mongols pursue, hoping to recover the princess and marry her to their khan so that he may legitimize his claim over all China. Koreans head for a seaside fortress that the princess tells them about, where they expect to find safe haven. Along the way, the Koreans pick up a group of Chinese peasants who are also fleeing from the Mongols.

Fighting their way through Mongol search parties, the group experiences many internal conflicts stemming from social class, love, and honor. The lower-class soldiers chafe under their poor treatment in comparison to the soldiers of the upper-class. They have little confidence in their young general, and prefer taking orders from their veteran sergeant, Dae-Jung. The princess has difficulty adjusting to the rough necessities of her position on the run. Choi-Jung and Yeo-sol become nemeses, competing for the affections of the princess and exchanging blows on several occasions.

The group reaches the fortress, only to find it an abandoned ruin. As the group prepare to mount a last stand, the princess attempts to give herself up to the Mongols. Yeo-sol and Choi-Jung recover her but Yeo-sol is captured. Rambulwha offers a place in his army for Yeo-sol, but as the Mongols mount an offensive, Yeo-sol returns to the Koreans. In the final battle, the Koreans' gunpowder defenses backfire. Yeo-sol sacrifices his life to save the princess, while Choi-Jung dies fighting Rambulwha, who is also killed. All the Mongols perish, while all the Koreans are killed except Dae-Jung. The princess stays with the peasants at the fortress and promises to tell her father of the Koreans' sacrifice. Dae-Jung builds a boat and sails back to Korea.

Main cast

• Jung Woo-sung as Yeo-sol, a hot-headed but loyal slave who is skilled with a polearm

• Ju Jin-mo as Choi-Jung, the inexperienced general of the envoy

• Ahn Sung-ki as Dae-Jung, a veteran archer and sergeant of the lower-class soldiers

• Zhang Ziyi as Princess Bu-yong, a kidnapped princess of the Ming Dynasty (called Fu-rong in Chinese)

• Yu Rongguang as Rambulwha, the honorable but cruel Mongol general

• Park Jung-hak as Ga-nam, the experienced lieutenant of the upper-class soldiers

• Park Yong-wu as Ju-myeong, a cowardly interpreter

• Lee Doo-il as Ji-san, a burly Buddhist monk

• Yoo Hai-jin as Du-chung, an axe-wielding soldier who loses an eye

• Han Young-mok as Dan-saeng, a very young soldier

• Jung Suk-yong as Ha-il

Historical context

The film presents a fictionalized account of a real Korean diplomatic mission sent to China in 1375. Chun-Yong Son was to present a gift of horses to the Hongwu Emperor - the first Ming emperor (as of 1368) - but he and his party were reported to have been exiled and there was no record of their return to Korea. At the time, the Ming government was unhappy with Korea as the Korean government continued to acknowledge the Mongols as the legitimate rulers of China (this was true until 1378)^[1]. Eventually the Koreans managed to gain favor with the Ming government and the relationship became very cordial.

The film also portrays the political conflicts in China at the time, between the fading Mongol-ruled Yuan Dynasty and the new Ming Dynasty that returned China to Han Chinese rule.

References

1. ^ The Cambridge History of China, Vol 7, pg 111, 1988

External links

• Musa at the Internet Movie Database
• Musa (the warrior) - fansite
• Zhang Ziyi CSC: Musa Synopsis, picture gallery, reviews, news, discussions
• Musa (film) at HanCinema