The Joseon era was a time of great social disparity, when the noble and the very affluent families had an army of slaves at their beck and call. It was the slave’s fate, and that of their progeny, to spend their lifetime in servitude to their masters. Those born to a slave were destined to be slaves for their entire lives and were fated to spend their lives for their masters, often being oppressed by them. Like with most such population though, there comes a time when the water goes over the head and they revolt. Netflix’s latest Korean offering “Uprising”, whose literary Korean title is “War and Revolt”, tells of one such rebellion, through the years-spanning story of two friends.
Uprising is streaming in Netflix
Yi Jong-ryeo is the son of a Joseon minister, but he is neither very good at his studies nor at learning sword-fighting. Since the young master of the house cannot be punished, a whipping boy is needed in his stead. Enter Cheon-yeong, a young slave about the same age as Jong-ryeo. Cheon-yeong was born out of the shackles that bind the slaves, but a cruel twist of fate sentenced him to it and his free soul makes him continuously try to run away from it. A friendship forms between the two boys and Cheon-yoeng takes to teaching his young master what his teachers can’t.
Grown up, Jong-ryeo passes the civil exam thanks to his friend’s help and becomes a minister for King Seonjo’s administration. However, when the Japanese come attacking the shores of Joseon, he joins the fleeing King’s entourage in his service, leaving Cheon-yeong behind, who unwittingly joins the commoners and the slaves who, tired of being oppressed and neglected, rebel and loot. Over the years of Japanese invasion that follow, Cheon-yeong joins the rebel army and there must come a time when the two friends must face each other on opposite sides.
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Written by none other than Park Chan-wook (who is also onboard as producer) and Shin Cheok, “Uprising” has a lot of story to tell and is thus divided into different chapters. As a narrative too, it feels very episodic in nature, since it needs to cover a lot of ground and years. It makes a few excellent directional choices, one of which that particularly stands out is the brief pansori narration in the beginning that explains the hierarchy within the aristocratic Joseon household. After setting this up, it moves on to critique the unfairness and absurdity of the same, comparing the life of the nobles and that of the poor using similar examples. The juxtapose of some of the images, the king holding his head in his hands because he can’t get his ministers to build him a castle with that of a kid holding his own head out of hunger, often makes the feature seem almost like a Juvenalian satire.
The narrative goes on to further make mockery of the situation after the Japanese attack, with the nobles fighting to protect the fleeing King whereas it is the commoners and the slaves, people that have been discarded and left for dead, that fight to save their capital from the invading forces. This is especially pointed in a scene where, even as the enemy threatens, it is still their own people beneath them in social standing that the nobles attack and the hands that served them dutifully all these years that are severed.
After making all these sharp remarks, the story moves into familiar territory as the freedom fighters struggle to survive their rebellion against the Japanese, while also having to fight the front for validation and forgiveness from the Crown and freedom from servitude. The feature falters here as it doesn’t have much new to add or set itself apart from many similar productions that have come before it. The melodrama that comes on in the final third too feels rather out of place in its inclusion. This is especially evident in its placement because it is surrounded by some genuinely good moments of action. In fact, where the latter parts of the feature weaken in narrative, they make up in its action.
The action here is generally of a superior quality, with some wonderfully choreographed sword fights as well as large-scale moments of fighting between the rebel troops, led by Cheon-yeong, and the Japanese, led by Genshin, the cruel vanguard of the Japanese army. The sequence where Genshin and his men encounter Cheon-yeon is particularly memorable, as is the climactic fight between the two by the sea, reminiscent of Musashi Miyamoto’s often depicted famous battle at Ganryu Island. The one between Cheon-yeong and Jong-ryeo in the burnt ruins of the latter’s home is also a standout, but the best one remains the epic three-way sequence between those two and Genshin, where every one of them is hell bent on getting the better of the other two.
Like with most Netflix Korean historical productions, “Uprising” too boasts of impressive technical qualities. Ju Sung-rim’s cinematography produces some awe-inspiring images throughout the runtime, at times also using some intimidating and imposing typography to announce the chapter titles. The best of these comes with “War”, as the Japanese navy approaches the Joseon shores right before their attack begins, with the music also effectively helping to herald the incoming danger. The way the busy bazaar street of the city makes way for an almost post-apocalyptic look after the Japanese invasion is very noticeable. The action sequences occur both during the day and nighttime, all of which have been lensed beautifully. During these scenes, the camera opts to stay as close to the fighting as possible, in one instance actually being mounted on the swords themselves, shoving the audience directly into the conflict.
If the action is shot impressively, the actors that are thrust amidst it also end up impressing. Gang Dong-won leads the line-up as Cheon-yeong and is rather likeable, particularly when he’s wielding the sword. This is an actor who never really pulls a truly magnificent performance out of the hat but is always effective enough and “Uprising” is no different in that aspect. While he has some important moments, mostly in the second half, they are never taken a notch up in quality due to his performance, while being acceptable enough.
Park Jung-min, on the flip side, is a young actor that is often noticeable due to his work on a role and yet again, his output in the dramatic situations end up being the most impactful. His anger, laced with hurt and sorrow, towards Cheon-yeong is palpable. Elsewhere, it is interesting to see the usually imposing figure of Cha Seung-won play the frail King Seonjo. In a brief role as the civilian militia leader Ja-ryeong, Jin Seon-kyu doesn’t have much to do and Jung Sung-il, who impressed in Netflix’s “The Glory”, doesn’t have a lot of scope to emote here as Genshin, but of the supporting cast, it is Kim Shin-rok as Beom-dong, a member of the civilian militia, that is fun to watch.
In the end, despite its narrative issues, particularly in the latter half, “Uprising” is more than a decent watch, thanks to its excellent production values and regularly appearing and impressive action scenes. As a historical lesson, it may be lacking, but as an action feature, it is a satisfying product. 2024 has so far been a rather good year for action films and “Uprising” is another worthy addition in the lineup.
