Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Bob This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Cristal The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Leofwine_draca I do like a good historical epic and it's a truth that nobody makes them quite like they do in Asia. Over the past decade, the genre has flourished since the success of CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON, and while I don't like that particular film very much, I've absolutely adored some of the others that have followed. These titles include HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS and CURSE OF THE GOLDEN FLOWER. As a viewer, I'm always drawn slightly away from the wuxia genre (I'm no big fan of the wire work you see in these movies) in favour of the grittier, more realistic genre films like THE WARLORDS. MUSA is such a film, a Korean epic that focuses on realism and crucial believability throughout.In essence it's a familiar story about a group of highly skilled and diverse warriors attempting to protect a princess while battling an evil general and his small army on their tale. Some say it's like Kurosawa, with the superficial similarities to SEVEN SAMURAI on show. I disagree. MUSA is a firmly modern, action-focused epic which is all about the battles and the swordplay, and anyone who thinks otherwise is mistaken. The good news is that these scenes are tremendous, veering on the right side in terms of the editing, which is fast but allows you to actually see what's going on. The battle choreography is stupendous and there's all manner of fighting involved. There's a particular emphasis on cool weaponry (high-powered bows, a massive spear) and also on the wounds inflicted by these cruel weapons. This ain't PG-fare; it's one of the bloodiest historical epics out there and I'm still trying to figure out how they achieved the brilliant arrow-in-the-neck special effects.It's a rare film that succeeds through action alone, but there's far more to MUSA than just that. The simple journey storyline allows for plenty of character arcs and development, and it's refreshing to see a film where characters aren't as clear cut as you might expect. People make mistakes and people die because of those mistakes, but these flawed characters are all the more gripping because of that. My favourite is a case in point: Joo Jin-mo's general, who's a truly noble good guy despite the errors of judgement he sometimes makes. The rest of the cast don't disappoint either, and Zhang Ziyi is particularly good in a role that allows her to take a break from the martial arts for once.There are three main backdrops to the unfolding story, and each of them seems fresh and unique. The first is a shifting desert landscape, the second an extensive woodland, and the third a ruined castle on the coast. There's a particular emphasis on the visual scenes and the costumes look stunning. Despite a long running time, this is engaging throughout, building up to a classic climax in which many of the good guys die bloodily and heroically. As a film, MUSA blows SEVEN SWORDS clean out of the water.

J_Charles Epic battle scenes, remarkable backdrops and scenery, excellent cinematography and photography. This movie is beautiful to look at. Even the gruesome battle scenes are poetry in motion. Whomever is in charge of filming this deserves attention.The acting is pretty good by the principals. Sung-Kee Ahn was very good at his portrayal of the Sergeant who takes on a more prominent role as the movie progresses. The movie seems to shift is focus from the general, to the slave, to the sergeant. Zhang Ziyi plays the princess but her range seems more limited here (in one of her early roles) compared to now. It's actually quite surprising because I thought she did an excellent job in "The Road Home" which was her first major film. Perhaps here she didn't have as much to work with?9/10Story wasn't too complicated but the character development is interesting. The battles were amazing. And the scenery, choice of camera angles, and lighting were all impressive.

johnnybusiness This thing drags on forever. Enough already. I get it. The plot is really simple - guys kill each other for no good reason. At times we get hints that something interesting could happen between the characters, but nothing worthwhile develops out of it. They just keep killing each other and acting like retards over and over. Very unsatisfying. The saving grace of this movie is that Ziyi Zhang is absolutely gorgeous, and acts pretty good too, otherwise it's 2 out of 10. Also, there are some awful scene cuts that don't make much sense, and the blood gushing out of wounds is a bit overboard. Do yourself a favor and watch 'Hero' for the tenth time before wasting your time with this.

dhjana It is definitely one of the best movies I have seen.The psychological depth of the characters,and the sublime truthfulness of their relations is something,I'm afraid,no western movie is even near to presenting with such ability.. Bravo to the whole crew,the actors were superb... The scenes,even though raw,and tough to watch at some points,were,in fact-pure poetry. There is nothing brutal in what motivates the violence in the movie,and you can only get inspired by the will the characters in it have to go to the extreme,driven by the force of real,true human contact,whether it is love,devotion,inspiration,respect,passion.. The freedom,the choice to feel it all is what makes the slave a free man,and the princess so weak and frail,shivering to the bone.. A big bravo for Woo-sung Jung,who made his character as beautiful as it could possibly get,for making it shine so bright.The ending is far more then touching,thank you for the experience!