I will be the pattern of all patience; I will say nothing.

For the longest I refused to watch Musa, because I thought I couldn’t stomach another zhang-ziyi-period-drama piece. Why the rest of the world chooses to glorify some of the lianest specimens of our race I fail to comprehend.

So finally, because of Jung Woo Sung, I decided to watch Musa once and for all. Zhang Ziyi notwithstanding, it was really a good movie.

You can probably read the synopsis somewhere else, so I’ll be brief. A small Korean delegation – diplomats and a small army – are sent to China to establish ties with the Ming dynasty King. Thwarted, on the way home to Korea they run into a Mongolian army which has kidnapped a Ming princess. They decide to rescue her and send her back to Nanjing to the King to complete their mission. Needless to say, when you piss off the Mongolian army by stealing their prize, lots of blood ensues.

What I like about this movie is that it isn’t a superficial, vacuous visual treat. It’s not a lush, complicated narrative. It’s an honest account. It’s no-frills, but full of human emotion.

My Korean favourites are changing week to week, and Jang Woo Sung is hunk du-jour. He plays Yeo-sol, a slave in the contingent, who is freed, albeit in the middle of nowhere. He hardly says two lines in the movie, but he doesn’t really have to. His loyalty and simple devotion was contrasted with Ju Jin Mo’s arrogant General Choi, who slowly loses his grip on the delegation. Ahn Sung Kee is the experienced advisor of the support delegation, and he was like a Gandalf in the movie. The voice of reason, the voice of security.

You can tell where the lines are drawn, the Korean cast seemed have a camraderie that showed up on screen. Even though their characters were fighting among themselves, they seemed to hold it together internally, like it was them against the world. It was awesome.

The other thing I liked about the movie was that there was no one super shining star of the movie. The characters were flawed, real and still believeable. The ensemble made the movie work. The theme of duty and brotherhood are not the most popular with Hollywood movies, but it pretty much underpins most Asian movies. And true to that, they didn’t glorify any one person. Every one of the characters made the movie the rich, compelling story it was.

The other thing I liked about the movie, was the honesty they accorded the opposition. Mr Iron Monkey, Yu Rongguang played the Mongolian general who was hell-bent on capturing the Princess and bringing her back to Mongolia to fulfil the legacy of his predecessor and bring hope and honour to his people back home. You don’t hate the men in the film, you just end up wishing life wasn’t so complicated.

So in all, I really liked this movie. In my books, it’s right up there with Joint Security Area. I’m a little disappointed that the Zhang Yimou’s Hero and House of Flying Daggers, and Chen Kaige’s The Promise fall short compared to Musa, not because their technology was inferior, but mostly because they felt it necessary to overcompensate for Crouching Tiger and take the visual appeal highway, resulting in a bunch of flight attendant movies.

I’m still waiting for that one iconic Chinese movie. I’m hoping it won’t take too long.

The King and The Clown
Is based loosely, I think, on sorta historical accounts of some Korean king and his reign. It’s pretty amazing how familiar period Korean dramas are to period Chinese dramas. But I suppose them ancient Chinese folk did travel a little. In this story, the King is a tyrant, psychologically scarred by childhood events and spends more time with his concubine than attending to the needs of his people.

In come the minstrels, roving around the country and countryside. In particular, a pair long-time companions – Jang Sang (Kam Woo Seong) and Gong-gil (Lee Jun Gi, my Manga boy) – an established act, are forced to move to Seoul after an accident. At this point you should know that Gong gil is the gentle, sensitive pretty one who plays the lady (or whore) in their acts.

So anyway, through a series of events the King meets these two minstrels, and appoints them as court jesters. In the meantime, the King develops a crush on pretty Gong-gil, while the Jang Sang is arrested and tortured for trying to protect Gong-gil.

Anyway. I kinda thought this would be an action drama. I didn’t really expect it to be Korean Farewell To My Concubine. In any case, my Manga boy is a little too masculine to do the excellent job Leslie Cheung did in his role as Cheng Die Yi. He tries, but little little details spoil it for him. The way he walks, the way he smiles, well. Testosteroney is good.

I am still undecided about what I think of the movie. In true Asian cinema tradition, the sets and costumes are lavish. The cinematography is superb. It’s a pretty pretty movie. That said, like the other post-Crouching Tiger Asian movies like House of Flying Daggers, and Hero, they lack a little something that makes you fall in love with the movie.

I hate to say it, but most Asian movies are like air stewardesses. Sorry. Flight attendants. They’re all manicured, and pretty, and they say and do the right things. They smell good. But you can’t have a meaningful conversation with them. Mostly because you’re only there for like 16 hours, and you don’t really want to talk to them, and they’re going through the motions. They’re not there to make you feel at home. They’re there to get paid.

So yeah. I’m a little disappointed with the movie. I think Manga boy could’ve done better, but still it was a good attempt. He probably had to have his ears pinned back for the movie, poor thing. So that should account for something.

His counterpart Kam Woo Seong did a commendable job, playing his over-protective, probably in love with Manga boy companion, but I saw little chemistry between them both. Neither as a lover, nor as a brother.

The psycho king was played by Kang Seong Yeon, and the only thing I can say about him is, damn I didn’t know he was my age. He looks old! But then again, that’s what a fake moustache does to a guy.

Final rating: 3/5 stars. Flight Attendant. Not something go nuts over.