Masquerade (2012)

"This movie is going to be enjoyed a lot by big fans of Korean cinema but to be completely honest I don't see other more casual movie fans enjoying it as much."I have to disagree with this statement. If you like good cinema and are at home with subtitles I think you will enjoy this. It has to be one of the best period films I have watched in a long time. Much less impenetrable than the usual crop of Asian cinema. This screenplay is carried of with poise and quiet confidence. I felt like I was watching a masterclass in cinematography while I was watching it. It happily fills it's allotted two hour time span without dragging at all.Highly recommended!!!!

When you sit with tear stains on your glasses in the dark, the last two hours of your life were definitely not wasted. There are moments so laugh out loud funny, and moments so contrastingly sad, that the result was completely fulfilling.This is not a new story, and not the first time this story has been told by a long long shot. However, this very well may be the best that this story has ever been told. Every culture has this story in one form, or another, so I would not doubt if this sort of thing has gone on as long as there have been humans in power, and afraid. The acting in this movie is top notch, the souls of each character are brought to life in front of you with no doubt of their sincerity. The story is well written, and plotted out, and has been filmed so simply, and beautifully that you can not help but be pulled right in. There is no lag in the story even at more than 2 hours, there is only continued development, and growth. I Enjoyed watching, and feeling this movie, and I recommend it even to folks who shy away from subtitles. I really think that this movie has what it takes, and you will not be sorry if you give it a try.

I am not a fan of costume drama/movie and have limited knowledge of the truth historical events which the story is based upon. I even have doubt of watching this movie at the first place. But the slogan drew me in, 'The Kingdom in the hands of a layman for 15 days".The front part for about 30 minutes is kind of pale. But I am happy that I got through that. Because what follows is the one of the most intriguing and interesting plot I had watch for a long time.It is simple plot. A king is afraid of an assassination plan (later got drugged) and proceed to hide himself and put a fake on the throne for 15 days. The story follow Ha-seon, a layman impersonate as the fake king puppet during his 15 days reign of Joseon Kingdom and the relationship with his servants and the queen.Lee Byung Hun is terrific as King Gwanghae and Ha-seon. The transition through and forth is clearly display. The affection towards his maid, Sawal, the Queen and the royal chief secretary is so well acted.This movie give people something to think about. A king and a layman is not much different. A king is made to rule the country but he is not necessary the best man for the job. In the other way round, a layman with little literature education who had experience the poverty and difficulties as a citizen should not have the ability to rule a kingdom. BUT, HE DOES WITH HIS OWN WAYS AND MADE CHANGES THAT TURN THE KINGDOM INTO A BETTER PLACE.

Gwanghae, The Man Who Became King, distributed internationally as Masquerade, is billed by its distributors as a "2012 Korean Historical Movie version of Mark Twain's 'The Prince & Pauper'". I saw it on 22 September 2012 at CGV Cinemas in Los Angeles' Koreatown, a reliable local venue for the latest Korean film releases.Last seen two years ago as a secret agent opposite Choi Min-sik's superhuman sociopath in Kim Jee-woon's superb neo-Elizabethan revenge tragedy I Saw the Devil, Lee Byung-hun plays both titular characters: Prince Gwanghae, the ill-fated fifteenth king of the Joseon Dynasty, and Ha-sun, the lowly comedian pressed into service as a stand-in for the monarch who faces the threat of assassination. This speculative fiction draws upon an episode in the eighth year of Gwanghaegun's reign, when the court chronicles recorded his saying, "Do not put on record what is meant to be hidden", followed by two weeks' worth of missing entries. The central conceit of the plot is that the king's loyal and able adviser Heo Gyun (Ryoo Seung-Ryong) forced Ha-sun to impersonate Gwanghaegun while he recovered a coma after an apparent poisoning attempt. While this contemptuous potentate starts out by micromanaging his puppet through his official court functions, he soon develops an appreciation of Ha-sun's patriotic and humanitarian concerns for the kingdom and its subjects. Meanwhile, the head of an opposing Greater Northerner faction, Park Chung-seo (Kim Myung-gon), the Queen Consort Lady Ryu (Han Hyo-joo), and the king's bodyguard Captain Do (Kim In Kwon), all become suspicious of the sudden shift in the king's behavior.Said to have been filmed in the real historical palaces in Seoul, the movie combines lavish mise en scène with competent direction of fine actors playing strong characters in a familiar story. While not quite Kagemusha caliber, being far more affected than Kurosawa's masterwork, it makes for a compelling spectacle in its own right, marred slightly by Ha-sun's tendency to emote by shedding tears on demand. The climactic confrontation between Captain Do and a band of assassins dispatched by the recovered king to retire his stand-in with extreme prejudice, is especially notable as a vivid illustration of the vital difference between slashes and cuts in a sword-fight. I recommend it to all fans of international costume drama.