“Uprising” Netflix Poster
Director: Kim Sang-man
Cast: Gang Dong-won, Park Jung-min, Cha Seung-won, Jung Sung-il, Kim Shin-rok, Jin Sun-Kyu
Running Time: 126 min.
By Paul Bramhall
Much of the publicity for Uprising has leant into the fact that it’s co-scripted by Park Chan-wook, the director who gave us such modern-day classics like Decision to Leave and The Handmaiden. It’s an understandable approach, as while Chan-wook is most well known for the times he’s sat in the director’s chair, he’s also penned a number of classics where the directorial reigns have gone to someone else. From Lee Moo-young’s A Bizarre Love Triangle, to his protégé Lee Kyoung-mi’s Crush and Blush and The Truth Beneath, even when not directly involved in the production his touch is still felt.
For Uprising directorial duties have gone to Kim Sang-man, who worked on a number of Chan-wook’s productions in the 2000’s, primarily in the marketing department. In 2007 he’d make his own directorial debut with the action-comedy Girl Scout, going on to helm Midnight FM in 2010 and 2014’s The Tenor Lirico Spinto, before pulling that distinctive trait that’s so prevalent in the Korean film industry of disappearing for the next 10 years. Uprising marks his return to directing, reuniting him with Park Chan-wook for the first time since 2006’s I’m a Cyborg, But That’s OK.
The story takes place in the late 16th century Joseon Dynasty, where we meet the emperor played by Cha Seung-won (Believer 2, Night in Paradise), who’s very much cut from the cloth that anyone with royal blood sits above the common man, wielding an almost God like status that makes them untouchable. Within the palace an unlikely friendship develops between the young son of a military family, and the lowly slave whose role it is to receive the punishment on the son’s behalf whenever he makes a mistake during sparring. Being handy with a sword himself, the slave starts teaching the son under the cover of darkness, initially to avoid the beatings he unfairly finds himself on the end of, however as time passes a bond grows between the pair.
Growing up to be played by Park Jung-min (Smugglers, Time to Hunt) as the privileged offspring now serving in the military, and Gang Dong-won (Broker, Peninsula) as the prospectless slave bound to serve him, their lives go in different directions once the Japanese invade. While Jung-min has to leave his wife and child in the palace to help the emperor escape, promising he’ll be back, the slaves rise up and seize the opportunity to free themselves, overpowering the small number of remaining officials. With Dong-won imprisoned due to a failed escape attempt, when he manages to free himself the palace has been set alight, and despite his attempts to rescue Jung-min’s family, their refusal to listen to a slave sees them seal their fate. When Jung-min hears the news, he assumes Dong-won was part of the uprising, holding him responsible for his family’s death, and swears to take revenge should their paths ever cross again.
Split into 4 chapters, at the heart of Uprising is the friendship between the pair and how it’s torn apart through circumstance, so it’s ironic that if often feels like the least important part of the story. In part the reason would appear to be down to Sang-man’s directorial approach. The initial scenes play out in a disjointed manner, cutting back and forth between the pair as kids and events in the present (which are similarly told out of sequence to confusing effect), and it’s easy to feel that if Chan-wook had been in the director’s chair this part of the story would have had more time dedicated to it. As it is though, it comes across like the narrative does the bare minimum to quickly establish their friendship, filming the scenes likely exactly how they appear on the page, but forgetting to add any kind of dramatic weight to them so the audience can invest in their friendship.
Where Uprising finds its rhythm is once the Japanese invade, kicking off the six-year Imjin War, which sees the narrative focus on Jung-min and Dong-won’s respective journeys. With a rebelling population deeply unsatisfied with the social inequalities, Jung-min’s mission to protect the emperor sees him frequently massacring his fellow countrymen, an act that’s fuelled by his own belief that it was the commoner population who are responsible for his family’s death. Dong-won on the other hand falls in with a ragtag group of fighters determined to defeat the Japanese, not dissimilar to the protagonists from 2014’s Kundo: Age of the Rampant (in which, ironically, Dong-won played the villain), achieving an almost folk like hero status.
Up against a ruthless Japanese general played by Jung Sung-il (Remember, The Chase), the pairs confrontations lead to plenty of hacking and slashing, with a welcome dose of black humor introduced through a translator attempting to keep up with the verbal barbs they throw at each other while fighting. Indeed a large part of the enjoyment Uprising delivers comes from its action beats, with severed limbs frequently flying through the air, and a healthy amount of blood splatter. As the only noteworthy female role in the cast Kim Shin-rok (The Plot, Burning) clocks in an entertaining performance brandishing what’s best described as a 2-section staff – with one part a traditional long staff, and the other a short club dangling from the end of it. In fact such is the strength of each of Dong-won and Jung-min’s respective journeys, it becomes easy to forget that it’s their relationship which is supposed to be what’s at the fore.
Despite the lack of initial investment in the bond between the two leads, in the latter half the plot brings all of its separate threads together in an effective manner. The end of the war should also signal the slaves who actively contributed having their status upgraded, however the emperors beliefs result in a bitter betrayal of trust, one that sees Dong-won go from an innocent, none the wiser of the ill will towards him, to someone who becomes equally motivated to seek revenge. It’s a turning point which ultimately sets Dong-won, Sung-min, and Sung-il on a bloody collision course with each other, and gives the narrative a welcome sense of escalation in the final third that gains Uprising plenty of goodwill.
Setting up a 3-way finale on a beach as mist begins to roll in, the use of sound and lack of visibility are smartly incorporated into the duel, with Chan-wook’s script setting it up so that every character is heavily invested in killing the other 2. While it would have been even better if the emotional investment was established in Dong-won and Jung-min’s relationship from the beginning, to his credit Sang-man manages to successfully wring the desired emotional payoff from the pair reuniting. The question of whether the truth will come out before one of them stops breathing effectively raises the tension, adding an emotional weight that while arguably not fully earned, is still better arriving late than not at all.
When the end credits rolled on Uprising, for the first time in a while I was left with the feeling I’d enjoyed it far more than I probably should have. Looked at as a period piece dealing with a fractured friendship stemming from the social divide that permeated the Joseon Dynasty, and the tragic consequences that would follow, it undeniably misses the mark. However looked at as a period piece actioner that looks to deliver a healthy dose of swordplay, and even dares to throw-in some subtle moments of comedy (the translators work during the finale is sure to draw a laugh, in much the same way you laugh at parts of Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance), then it undeniably hits all of the intended marks. An entertaining mix of nose hunting Japanese generals, sadistic slave hunters, and righteous freedom fighters, don’t go in expecting too much more and you’re sure to have a good time.
Paul Bramhall’s Rating: 8/10
