The wait for season 2 of FX’s Shogun is going to be excruciating, but if you are in the mood for something similar, you need to check out Netflix’s South Korean movie Uprising. Set during the Joseon dynasty—the final imperial dynasty of Korea—the movie follows two childhood friends who become bitter rivals in the aftermath of a war.
Gang Dong-won (Peninsula) plays Cheon-yeong, a servant with an innate gift for swordfighting. Park Jeong-min plays Jong-ryeo, Cheon-yeong’s master and friend, whose family is killed when the slaves rise up and revolt. Jong-ryeo is convinced that Cheon-yeong was responsible for the uprising, and vows to seek revenge after the war with Japan ends.
Uprising was directed by Kim Sang-man (Girl Scout, Midnight FM) and produced and co-written by Park Chan-wook (Oldboy, Decision to Leave). The cast also features Cha Seung-won (Night in Paradise, Believer), Kim Shin-rock (Hellbound, Sweet Home), Jin Sun-kyu (Space Sweepers, Extreme Job), and Jung Sung-il (The Glory, Bad and Crazy).
“Well-staged without being overly balletic, the combat has a way of revealing the pulpy B-movie that Uprising wants to be at heart, as crunchy guitars and grindhouse zooms suggest that the more pressing war at hand in this epic is the one between the gravitas of its historical story and the levity of its telling,” wrote IndieWire’s David Ehrlich in his review.
While the movie might have been better served by Park Chan-wook’s brilliant direction, Uprising is “a fitfully entertaining romp,” as Deadline notes. It might not enrapture you like the first season of Shogun did, but it’s sure to get your heart racing with its intense, brutal action.
Uprising is streaming on Netflix as of October 11, 2024.
