Genre: Period Drama
Duration:1 hr and 49 mins
Directed by: Lee Jun-ik
Cast:
Gam Wu-Seong as Jangsaeng
Lee Jun Ki as Gonggil
Jeong Jin-yeong as the King Yeonsan
Kang Seong Yeon as Jang Noksu
Synopsis: Jangsaeng (Gam Wu-Seong) and Gonggil (Lee Jun Ki) are part of an entertainer troupe but are barely able to bring decent food to the table. Their manager prostitutes the effeminate Gonggil to rich customers but Jangsaeng was so sickened by this that he forcefully takes Gonggil to escape. Unfortunately, Gonngil accidentally kills their manager in defending Jangsaeng and both decides to escape and make the best show in town. They band with three more street performers and decides to do a skit that mocks that king and his favourite concubine, Jan Noksu(Kang Seong Yeon).
The troupe was arrested for treason but Jangsaeng makes a deal with the arresting officer to bring them to the king. If the king finds their skit to be funny, they should be freed but if not, they agree to the punishment of death. The troupe barely makes it alive until the last joke of Jangsaeng and Gonggil makes the king laugh.
It soon became apparent that the King was attracted to Gonggil since he always invites him to his chamber to play skits and puppets which makes his favourite concubine jealous and Jangsaeng frustrated.
Meanwhile, the King becomes more unstable as every performance they have, someone is killed. Jangsaeng urges Gonggil to leave the palace but Gonggil appealed that they perform for the last time as the king ordered. He wanted them to perform how his mother was killed but after the performance, he had the ones responsible killed. After the performance, Gonggil pleads with the king to let him go but his pleas fell on deaf ears as the king refused to let him go.
Jang Noksu frustrated by the attention the King lavishes on Gonggil attempts to have him killed by distributing flyers which insults the king severely in his handwriting. Jangsaeng takes the blame for the crime and is imprisoned but is secretly released by Choseon, king’s servant, and is told to forget Gonggil.
Jangsaeng refuses and instead returns to the palace and walks on the tightrope and mocks the king loudly and openly. King shoots arrows and eventually, Jangsaeng falls and is caught. As punishment, both his eye were seared with hot iron and was thrown into prison again. Gonggil attempts suicide while entertaining the king in his chamber. He was saved by the court physician though.
The king then orders the blind Jangsaeng to walk the tightrope again and Gonggil runs to join him and they had a skit full of deep meanings. The last of which asking each other how they would like to be in their next life of which both answered nothing but clowns.
Review: I am surprised by Lee Jun Ki’s performance in the movie and that he actually did a film like this notwithstanding his image. I am amazed at the courage of Jangsaeng as he bravely faced the king and made jests which would make a normal person cringe with fear.
I would like to believe that Jangsaeng’s relationship with Gonggil is purely that of a master to a disciple or a father to his son but the relationship was never clear and there were times when he was fiercely protective of him. I could never decide whether he was having pangs of jealousy or was just worried about Gonggil given their past.
I give this 9 out of 10 stars.
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