Both a king and a slave deserve equal rights. It's a concept that King Seonjo, played by Cha Seung-won, has a hard time understanding at the start of the Korean historical action film Uprising. He knows that it's in his interest to crush any such notions. And he does so ruthlessly.
Uprising, directed by Kim Sang-man, plays with various themes of inequality. Not only are the king's people subject to his bizarre and often dangerous whims, but the main characters, Cheon-yeong, played by Gang Dong-won, and Jeong-ryeo, played by Park Jeong-min, are childhood allies whose future is defined by their class rather than their merit. Cheon-yeong grows up as Jong-ryeo's slave, teaching him to fight but also being whipped for his failures, as was the custom for such servants. When Japan invades Korea, the king flees, and the country descends into chaos. Cheon-young's battle skills equip him to lead a resistance force, to fight for his country and his own freedom, but the king still doesn't understand why this should earn him any rights.
The story was inspired by historical events recorded in The Veritable Records of the Joseon Dynasty which documented the reign of kings. During the reign of King Seonjo (1552 - 1608) the records say that an army of captured Japanese soldiers was used to suppress a civilian uprising.
"There were also large rebellions during the war," said Kim.
Although centuries have passed since slavery was outlawed in Korea, class systems based on wealth continue to promote inequality and that's what Kim thinks will help the film resonate with viewers.
"In Korea, expressions like gold spoon and dirt spoon have emerged, reflecting the formation of social classes based on wealth," said Kim. "I believe this phenomenon is not unique to our country. That is, the current society still consists of elements of a class system, which is why I believe audiences will relate to the issues of class and society addressed in this film. Although the story is set in 16th-century Korea, themes like uprisings and resistance are classical narratives that have been depicted in films numerous times, making them easy to understand."
The film is beautifully photographed and features a breathless succession of well-choreographed fight scenes. Kim, who worked as a production designer on the 2000 action drama Joint Security Area, credits his art department.
"I worked as a production designer," said Kim. "But I always think about not being a hindrance to the idea or the creativity embodied by the art department. There are parts that I worked on directly, such as the wanted poster of Cheon-yeong, but I tried to refrain from direct participation. As is the case with most period films, we made use of the existing period piece sets, and I remember how we thought about ways to unify the sets that represented different eras in the past. I also endeavored to reproduce Yukjo Street in front of Gwanghwamun, so that I could show how the landscape transformed completely after the war as compared to before the war, which was an image I truly wanted to show from the planning stage."
Kim worked on Joint Security Area with Park Chan-wook, who directed The Vengeance Trilogy, as well as The Handmaiden, Decision to Leave and the English-language miniseries The Little Drummer Girl and The Sympathizer. Park wrote the script for Uprising, but trusted Kim to direct it.
"I met Director Park as the director and a production designer when filming Joint Security Area," said Kim. "At the time, he taught me a lot of things as I was preparing to be a director, and hence, he is like my mentor. Thankfully, he shared with me the script that he wrote for this piece and proposed that I direct the piece. Also, during the process of revising the script, he reviewed it thoroughly with me to offer his opinions. He didn't get involved much in the shooting process."
The film dramatically recreates many terrifyingly visceral details of war: blood congealing on faces facing a campfire, birds devouring the eyes of a corpse, a woman walking into a fire that would consume her. The action, spurred on by endless injustice, flows at a furious pace.
"Since Director Park is also a director, he left the filming process to be completely at my discretion as the director," said Kim. "Also, during the post production process, he let me conclude the piece in a way that the intent of the director could be well represented. For instance, in terms of editing, the initially designed mise-en-scène and camera work were restored from the parts that had been edited out according to conventional film editing techniques."
The film's fight scenes are elegant, particularly one memorable battle scene involving three swordsmen
"I wanted to design the three-way combat scene involving the three fighters on the seashore to be an emotional one where the emotions and goals of each character clash instead of focusing on the exhilaration that results from action scenes," said Kim. "After deliberating about this, I thought of the sea fog, which makes people indistinguishable and enables expressions of emotions such as the precariousness of not knowing where the blade will come from, and the loneliness and fear that would be felt when left alone. I envisioned this as a way to create a cinematic moment where the sea fog lifts just as the long-standing grudge between Cheon-yeong and Jong-ryeo is resolved."
Set in the same time period as the Admiral Yi trilogy of films (The Admiral Roaring Currents, Noryang: The Sea of Death, Hansan: Rising Dragon), Uprising offers a similar sweeping sense of history that plays out on a large scale, but also engages by focusing on one man's ardent desire for freedom.
Kim previously directed the 2014 film The Tenor Lirico Spinto and will direct the 2025 drama Pigpen. Uprising premiered as an opening film of the 29th Busan International Film Festival on Oct. 2 and was released on Oct. 11,. The film airs on Netflix.