DUELIST

(a.k.a. HYEONGSA)

Namsoon (Ji-Won Ha, REVERSAL OF FORTUNE) and her police colleagues bustle through a busy market, keeping a close tail on a gang of thieves. As the thieves prepare to make a transaction with a fellow criminal, and the police get ready to pounce, a masked street entertainer intercepts with his sword.

The swordsman takes off with the thieves' golden statue, while in the resulting chaos a cart of counterfeit coins is toppled over - sending traders, cops and thieves into a greed-fuelled frenzy.

All except Namsoon - she chases the enigmatic swordsman through the market, until she catches him and they engage in a mini-duel. The swordsman escapes unharmed, but Namsoon has managed to take something from his person: a template used for making counterfeit coins.

Later that day, a meeting with the police commissioner informs Namsoon and her partner Ahn (Sung-kee Ahn, NOWHERE TO HIDE) that counterfeit coins are rife in the city, and all those suspected of circulating them have been turning up murdered throughout the day. The prime suspect of these murders is the masked swordsman.

The pair go undercover in an attempt to infiltrate the counterfeiters - but the bad guys keep winding up dead, with survivors telling tales of a lone swordsman on the rampage.

At this point it suddenly occurs to Namsoon that there's only one man who can produce such convincing fake coins: Gong-An. It transpires that Gong-An was recently released from prison on bail. When Namsoon investigates further, she learns that Gong-An's hefty bail was paid for by someone matching the swordsman's appearance (Namsoon's the only one who's seen his face), and that the swordsman - who she calls Sad Eyes (Dong-won Kang, VOICE OF A MURDERER) - is in the employment of the powerful military chief Minister Song.

Ahn and Namsoon manage to get employment in Song's house - he as a chef, she as a Geisha. It's here that Namsoon meets the reserved Sad Eyes proper, and they share a moment of mutual admiration - before engaging in more duelling.

Namsoon becomes fascinated with Sad Eyes, and he in turn is intrigued by her. But living on opposing sides of the law means they are destined for one giant duel after another. Even when Namsoon is suspended from her job following the unfortunate deaths of innocents, she is drawn towards her fate with Sad Eyes ...

Based on a popular Manga comic, DUELIST is pretty nonsensical mayhem from start to finish. There's no plot for the first twenty minutes, then when things do settle to introduce key characters we're subjected to some painfully broad comedy (one chase scene resembles The Benny Hill Show with it's speeded-up footage set to skittish music).

But being based on a comic book also affords director Lee Myung Sae (NOWHERE TO HIDE) the opportunity to fill his film with some of the most arresting visuals in recent memory. He needs to temper his urge to try out every cinematic gimmick in the book, but other than that he has an eye for the sublime.

Each sword fight is beautifully choreographed, often shot in slow-motion to create a haunting, ballet-type effect. String vivid colours are predominant throughout, as is all manner of rousing music - classical, rock, breakbeats, traditional Eastern fare, and so on. DUELIST is a delight for the eyes and ears.

The storytelling is a little confused, sometimes losing itself beneath the incredible visuals. And, for all Ha's likeability as the clownish Namsoon, the film lacks an emotional punch. You may love the duel scenes, but Myung Sae's frivolous handling of his characters reduces them to little more than cartoon caricatures.

Overall though, there's no denying that the visuals are what DUELIST is all about, and it stands as one amazing piece of eye candy that you won't soon forget.

Premium Asia's 2-disc Special Edition is excellent.

Disc 1 offers the uncut film in a stunning 2.35:1 anamorphic transfer, blessed with pin-sharp images and beautifully controlled colours. Audio is available in Korean 5.1 and DTS mixes, with optional English subtitles at hand.

The film can be accessed via 24 chapters.

Disc 2 has some useful extras:

"Behind The Blade" is an insightful 45-minute making-of documentary. To its benefit, it's heavy on fly-on-the-wall on-set footage and low on taking-head interviews. It's a fascinating look at how the sumptuous visuals were created, employing multi-screen techniques to allow to see how effects were developed. Also included are interesting peeps at stunt rehearsals, actors' workshops and outtakes footage. Excellent.

"Promotional Gallery" offers 3 trailers, 3 TV spots and a music promo clip for the sickly ballad "Love Song".

Next up is "A New Direction". This is an artily shot black-and-white interview with the affable Myung Sae. At 23 minutes in length, it's a worthy, interesting addition to the disc.

Finally, we get "Production Notes". I expected this to consist of ream after ream of dull text, but it's actually another sub-menu that gives access to four more featurettes focusing on music, editing, visual FX - and it's here that you'll find the cast and crew interviews so conspicuously absent from "Behind The Blade". There's 75 minutes worth stuff in this sub-menu alone.

All extras are equipped with optional English subtitles.

While DUELIST may be a case of all style and little substance, it's the style that will win many over. A fantastic package for a visually unique movie.

Review by Stu Willis