The Anarchists (2000)

Thought Provoking

The Anarchists is a gem of a movie. Written by Park Chan Wook (The Handmaiden), it includes some actors that Korean drama viewers may recognize: Handsome Jung Joon Ho (one of the dads in SKY Castle), baby-faced Kim In Kwon (he was Go Mi Nam’s manager in Hong Sisters’ You’re Beautiful), charismatic Jang Dong Gun (A Gentleman’s Dignity, All About Eve), and charming Kim Sang Joong (Doctor Stranger, Bad Guys, etc.) are all part of the main cast. The last member of the main cast – Lee Bum Soo – is the only one not quite familiar to me as he seems to be more in movies rather than TV dramas.

The movie is actually quite poignant and is peppered with bits of funny moments, but it is also incredibly violent, as can be expected from the title. We follow the five main characters as they fight for what they believe in and during the process, we witness murder and betrayal as well as love and friendship and even little acts of kindness.

If you can get past the violence and look instead at the story, you will find yourself thinking of this movie long after the last image has faded away.

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