Kundo was brought to Blu-ray on Oct 21 by WellGoUSA.
Two amazing Korean action flicks dropped this week, and while Bong Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer is deservedly getting a great deal of critical attention, I implore you not to let the other one slip under your radar.
Nobody makes revenge thrillers quite like Korea. While this phenomenon has usually taken shape in the form of solitary pistol-packing antiheroes, vengeance is a motivation that can apply to any form of storytelling.
Kundo is a film that, like the works of Tarantino, wears its influences on its sleeves — Quentin included. In truth, I’m not sure if I could say the film really brings anything particularly new to the filmic conversation, but it takes some of the greatest narrative and stylistic tools and tropes and fashions them into a new, action-filled spectacle.
Speaking more directly, the film borrows (plunders?) heavily from some specific sources: most notably spaghetti-western music and stylistic flourishes, Robin Hood heroics, fantasized Wuxia style martial arts, and omniscient narration that would feel right at home on Kill Bill. It all fits together quite nicely and just feels really satisfying.
Set in the 19th Century Korea, near the end of the Joseon dynastic era, the film involves a gang of bandits — today we might call them social justice warriors — who fight corruption. The film opens with the action-packed raid of a compound of a giggly governor who obtained his wealth by cheating and exploiting commoners. The bandits execute him and distribute his provisions to the starving populace, and then ride out in a Leone/Morricone style opening credits sequence that pauses to put a name on each major character. By then I was already hooked and maybe you are, too.
I hate comparing anything to Robin Hood because that’s such a de facto standard for a “rob from the rich, give to the poor” narrative. But in this case, it’s a very apt comparison. The band of antiheroes lives in hiding in a secret village in the mountains, and has a lineup of characters that parallels Robin’s band of Merry Men: leaders, heavies, handsome rogues, a few women, and even a monk.
The film’s story actually picks up with a new recruit to the band, Dolmuchi. A butcher by trade (putting him at the bottom of Joseon-era society), his family is killed when he refuses to carry out the murder of a pregnant woman. The order was given by Kang Dong-won, the wicked son of the local ruler, in a plan designed to provide him with sole successorship. Badly burned by the same fire that claimed his family, he’s taken in by the bandits and reborn as the vengeful antihero Dolchi, becoming one of the most feared of the group. With half his hair burned off, he shaves his scarred head, not only signaling a transformation but creating a huge statement for the era in which men greatly valued their topknots — topknots which Dolchi always gleefully chops off when vanquishing his foes. Awesomely, he does this using his weapons of choice, his massive butcher knives — the only remnant of his former life.
Look, you know where this is going. Eventually there’s a reckoning coming. What you may not expect is that for all his swagger and fierceness, Dolchi is actually a pretty dumb guy. Blinded by his desire for revenge and impulsive instincts, he makes a lot of mistakes and up getting his friends into a lot of trouble.
Again, I’m actively avoiding spoilers, but the finale involves a rescue scene in which Dolchi shows up with a gatling gun mounted in the open mouth of a wooden dragon on a wheelcart, and massacres a crowd of soldiers. If that sounds familiar, it should, as a massive nod to Sergio Corbucci’s Django.
The seemingly one-note villain Kang Dong-won actually has a compelling backstory as well, which explains his unending rage. For all his evil deeds, there’s also a sadness to his character, and the conclusion to his story ends on a strangely compelling note.
The Package
WellGoUSA brings Kundo to Blu-ray in a handsome edition. My copy included an embossed slip, with artwork identical to that of the cover. The movie is presented in the original Korean with English subtitles.
Special Features and Extras
Trailer
Previews
The disc includes trailers for three WellGoUSA titles, Iceman (1:42), The Suspect (1:33), and Swelter (1:45). These trailers also appear as autoplay pre-menu advertisements.
No need to be coy about this verdict. Kundo is highly recommended.
A/V Out.
Get it at Amazon:
Kundo [Blu-Ray] | [DVD] | [Instant]
