FATAL ENCOUNTER 2014

A real-life assassination attempt on King Jeongjo, portrayed by Hyun Bin. This was his first role in a period drama and first acting project after being discharged from mandatory military service.

Loyalty. Friendship. Power. Betrayal. Family. Truth.

This is an intense film. My Binnie perfectly portrayed his role as King Jeongjo. I felt his sense of authority on every line he uttered and on every emotion his eyes made.

What it lacks in script development, the film makes up for in its execution. All actors were awesome and its cinematography was amazing! I love how they put emphasis on the supporting actors' lives. Make sure to focus as there are loads of flashbacks.

Ruminate on this, guys: "Do your utmost even in trivial things. From that you can gain sincerity. This sincerity becomes apparent. From being apparent, it becomes manifest. From being manifest, it becomes brilliant. Brilliant, it affects others. Affecting others, they are changed by it. Changed by it, they are transformed. It is only those with complete sincerity who can transform everything... It will change. If you do your utmost, one by one, the world will change.' (King Jeongjo's final words combined with the Doctrine of the Mean, Chapter 23)

#HyunBin #FatalEncounter

In 1770s Korea, King Jeong-jo of the Joseon dynasty has been on the throne for only a short time, but numerous assassination attempts have already been made on his life. His mother and grandmother are at odds; the court is divided and worse, the army is under the command of a general who may or may not be loyal to the king. While training himself in secret, Jeong-jo trusts only his clerk, whom he has known since before his father was executed years ago. Meanwhile, over the decades young children taken by a brutal slave-master are brought up to become assassins, and tonight is the fateful night....

It just isn't a Montreal Fantasia Festival for me if I don't see at least one seriously costumed historical drama from at least one Asian country, and this year "The Fatal Encounter" fit the bill perfectly. There's a massive amount of intrigue, lots and lots of intense combat scenes, a bit of torture here and there and, of course, a love interest as well. The film is apparently based on a real incident in Korean history, although of course how much license is taken by the filmmakers is another question. I must admit that I was confused for much of the film, simply because there are so many intrigues and plots going on at the same time, and it was very difficult to wrap my head around a "grandmother" who is younger than her "grandson" and considerably younger than that "grandson's" mother - but heck, this is the kind of film where you just go with the flow and trust that it will all come out right in the end! Definitely worth a look, but do try to keep all the plots straight in your head while viewing it....

Watched it last night. At first, I thought it would be another colossal Korean movie, but after a few minutes, I was intrinsically interested with the directing, editing, scoring, and how the story evolving.

The characters, all have their magnetic personalities that trapped me into liking almost each of them. Especially the little girl, her acting is impressive. And the king, don't let me start. Even the antagonistic Queen.. she's magnetically impressive as well.

Heck, even the quiet killer, and the clash with his old buddy, seemed interwoven sweetly.

I have been a kung-fu movie fan since decades ago, but I must say, this one Korean movie is a great masterpiece that I have never seen before during my fan-girling all Chinese, Hongkong, or Japanese movies.

OK, except for HERO. I think they almost have the same depth of quality.

Utterly recommended.