Jang Hyuk stars in 'Swordsman,' packed with spirited action scenes

From left, actors Jang Hyuk, Kim Hyeon-soo, Lee Na-kyung and Jeong Man-sik pose during an online press event for the film “The Swordsman” in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Opus Pictures

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Period action film “The Swordsman” boasts stylish action scenes with sword fights, martial arts and horseback riding.

Set in the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910) after King Gwanghae was dethroned in a coup, the story follows Tae-yeul (Jang Hyuk) ― a former royal guard and swordsman ― who goes in search of his teenage daughter after she gets kidnapped by Qing Dynasty warriors.

Jang, who is known to regularly practice jeet kune do (a martial art), boxing and horseback riding, fills the big screen with breathless action sequences.

“Handling the sword when filming action scenes was difficult. However, I managed to move the sword with me when I did my flips, turned and jumped and everything,” he said during an online press event for “The Swordsman” in Seoul, Thursday. “Tae-yeul is a character who is slowly losing his eyesight, so I had to portray a blank expression and empty eyes throughout the film.”

Instead of relying on his sight, Tae-yeul depends on sounds and “qi,” a Chinese term for life energy,” to track down and fight off the villains.

BTOB's Lee Min-hyuk is making his big screen debut, playing the younger version of Tae-yeul, who fails to protect the king after being attacked by rebel forces during the Ming-Qing transition period. Feeling guilty that he couldn't protect his king, Tae-yeul retires and chooses to live in the mountain with his daughter.

Jang Hyuk in a scene from “The Swordsman” / Courtesy of Opus Pictures

Lee displays stunning action in a sword-fighting scene between Tae-yeul and his master Min Seung-ho (played by Jung Man-sik).

Director Choi Jae-hoon praised Lee, commenting, “Min-hyuk is a great actor who has a strong impact when he appears on screen. He also has good facial expressions and gazes.”

An Indonesian actor Joe Taslim, who stars as a Qing Dynasty warrior, is a shape-shifting villain who faces off against Tae-yeul. His actions are stylish as he was on the Indonesian national judo team.

Jang described the film as the Korean equivalent of “Leon: The Professional” (1994). “I feel like our film has some similarities with Leon, in which the hitman tries to protect the girl from killers. In 'The Swordsman,' I have no other choices but to set out on a mission to save my daughter,” he said.

“The Swordsman” will hit local theaters on Sept. 23.