usagisaiko

I don't know how else to describe this movie but totally adorable. And the super high budget late 18th century production design is awesome...the set up is so elaborate, it's hilarious. Plus, a heist team of 11? =Awesome

Ice was a big deal at that time in many countries! Just consider how different your life would be without a refrigerator. When people started realizing that ice was a commodity that would allow food to keep longer, it was life-changing, and anything like that is worth money. Large, thick blocks cut and kept in ice houses are not going to melt easily. Haha, I'm answering this question like 4 years late.

Did you watch this with subs? If so, where did you find it? Thanks!

I know you watched this movie long time ago, but might you possibly remember where you found it (if not in the theater)? I've been looking forever and can't seem to ever find it.

Some slightly overdone parts near the end (which I blame on censorship that would've made it hard to write this with more incisive societal critique)...but overall I really enjoyed the fresh storytelling in sequences, which keeps you guessing in the best way possible for a court drama. Also thought Yu Nan was particularly good as the head defense lawyer.

I have no problem with differing opinions; I also sometimes get distracted when some of my favorite actresses 40 or over get bad makeup/hair that makes them look even older than they are, as if the age of their character is being spotlighted...it's annoying.

However, I do have a problem when people make such a big deal about older women with younger men when sooooooo many Asian dramas make it a point to have giant age gaps between older lead actors and younger women (i.e. guy in his 40s with girl in early 20s or even supposed high schooler!). And it's almost a rule that if you have a lead actor around 40, his female counterpart will be at *least* 10 years younger. So yay for lead actresses over 40 and yay for Lee Young Ae!!! She will always be Dae Jang Geum to most of us, but so glad she's back! 46 is not old!!

Perfectly said, I give your explanation a 9.2 (just to be fair). ^_^ I was way disappointed after that first great episode. This writer has a knack for selling good ideas that initially dazzle...and then showing she has zero idea how to flesh any of it out thereafter (commence the cliches and fluff and trickery). Blind monkeys unite!

Leads were really fantastic. But Han Ji Min's character really threw me off...why the heck would someone like her wear a bright *red* hat the whole time (and no one say anything about it)?? Great for not attracting attention and evading police...

Same here! Glad this helps...noticed that you're learning Chinese, so if you're interested in trying some Chinese 'costume' dramas, my favorites are The Legend of Hua Mu Lan and Nirvana in Fire. Both are long but so good. The former has a wonderfully develped romance and character arcs and the latter, which not very historical, is so well-written. Consider adding them to your future list!

I fixed it. Anyone can submit an edit to a faulty synopsis...just click on the settings icon to the right of the status bar (i.e. 'completed' 'plan to watch' etc) and you can submit any edits to the page to be approved by moderators.

That's great that you're diving into historical dramas! Most of them are going to be long, and many are worth it; some aren't. It's possible you'd like this one (unlike me) after all. But if you want to see a non-50+ episode one that to me is much better written, I would recommend Iljimae. It's roughly based on a Korean Robin Hood-type legend...you'll notice there's a new one out, Rebel (which I hear is great--try it! That might be a great start too; it's only 30 eps), also based on a such a legend, but Iljimae is a classic...it has a great script, complex characters, fabulous acting. I will warn you though that some people, esp non-Koreans, didn't like the ending, although I was satisfied with it as I felt it was open-ended in context an appropriate for the story... I should say that if you've never seen a historical Asian drama before, I can't be sure how you would feel about it (many have tragic endings b/c they're based on history...this one is not a definite tragedy, but it's not a simple ending either.)

However, if you're willing to plunge into a longer sageuk that is super engaging, has a clearly happy ending, and has romance in it, I would recommend Dae Jang Geum (aka Jewel in the Palace) or Dong Yi. They both have an awesome female protagonist, are palace dramas that don't drag, and are also classics that would be a great introduction to historical k-dramas. Hope this helps! And who knows, maybe you'd like this one that I didn't. Everyone's taste is different!

Just curious how it is for those who've seen it.

I love Jang Hyuk and Ha Jeong Woo, but I thought the film was pretty weak. Weak script, weak direction, and forgettable characters (other than JH's...HJW himself was good but his character was incredibly two-dimensional). It could have been so much better in different hands...the story had lots of potential but by the end it felt gimmicky and meaningless to me. I was super disappointed. However, it seems lots of people thought it was stellar so maybe my expectations were too high? Ugh.

That chase scene, that chase scene!! This is your brain on coke, kids. I very rarely think of actor comparisons but this movie made me suddenly realize that Yoo Ah In has a lot in common with Leonardo DiCaprio. He somehow made what could have easily been a boring/heavy-handed role fresh and uniquely scary without ever getting generically dark/serious or cartoonishly evil.

About the plot being very standard: it definitely is, but there's a reason this was a domestic blockbuster beyond the awesome comedy of the first arc and fresh fight scenes throughout. I agree with some that it bogged down a bit in the middle, but I think what wasn't lost on moviegoers is that it did exactly what it was trying to do in a special way that didn't feel like the zillions of other plots that have similar components. There's something about the simple subtlety of how society's ills are pointed out without melodrama or self-seriousness that is pretty brilliant...I mean, the kings of society doing whatever they want is a totally typical theme (as was every other theme), but here, if there ever was a potent symbol for everything that entails...the delusional confidence, the price and addiction, the scary short-term power, etc, coke says it allll!!! And does so perfectly in its host that is Jo Tae Oh. Also probably not lost on the audience: while there's nothing new about rich parents/corporations/corruption that enables royal scum, that fight scene with all the bystanders so subtly says something a bit more ironic about what enables. (That is, until Ma Dong Seok breaks it down for everyone! Wait for it!)

That made the whole ep worth it. I do agree that the original script was probably better, but after seeing ep 16 I can see why they felt they could make a satisfying end with extra time. There were enough characters and open ends needing to be tied up to make it enjoyable...I'm guessing the last two will be tight (unlike ep 15).

They don't sub, they just rip from other sites like DramaFever/Viki or fansubs they find. If you can't find a decent sub on an Asian drama site you may be able one on a free movie site.

Wow, soooo disappointing! Not sure how they could take such an interesting concept and make it this ridiculous. I mean RIDICULOUS. Casting is just weird: JJH looks like he could be AJH's father, and LJA is clearly like 10 yrs older than him...and both are too old to be student scholars...all are good actors but are just terrible in this. I mean, I love JJH but it's like he's a rookie actor here! And the script is so lame I couldn't help but laugh. Too bad they didn't give the concept to a better writer and make it into a full length drama. Felt like less than a half-baked plot with meaningless side characters and unexplored ideas. :(

Well, there is a blogger who carefully translated it over a few years, but then took it down due to being disgusted by the author's plagiarism scandal coming to light (which this drama and upcoming movie prove didn't hurt the writer financially!). As far as I know no one has decided to translate it since, for the same reason.

No reason to remove her from Chamyung group if her son is still CSH's heir, especially since revealing CMH would immedially make her son the next in line if his father was CSH. I thought it was because he clearly threatened her in the very beginning when she recognized him, about knowing who her son's real father was, as in not CSH. Now would ruin her son's chaebol future...

Wish I had listened to the few reviewers who didn't think this came close to a masterpiece. Glad many people loved this sageuk, but after awhile it's not Romeo & Juliet, and turns into literal Much Ado About Nothing. It's basically people doing stupid things one after another that create pointless conflict. The idea could have been a great take on this part of history, but ended up feeling so shallow. So many better historical dramas than this!!