The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014): Characters in Conflict

The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) is a Korean war film depicting the historical Battle of Myeongnyang. The film is directed by Kim Han-min and stars Choi Min-sik, Ryu Seung-ryong, Cho Jin-woong and Kim Todo Takatora. The film was a massive box office success in South Korea, becoming the most watched film of all time in Korea. It received great reviews in South Korea but in the United States it only received a limited release and only relatively positive reviews. Many American reviewers viewed the film as needlessly nationalistic, criticizing the portrayal of the Japanese characters as ruthless conquerors. While I agree that some of the characters are rather simple, I am greatly impressed by the way the film balances in depth character development, tension and heart pounding action.

The Admiral is centered around the legendary Admiral Yi Sun-shin, who is portrayed by Choi Min-sik, who is best known for his role in OldBoy (2003). The film begins with a bit of a disorienting montage that sets up the main conflict. During the Second Japanese invasion of Korea, Admiral Yi, Korea’s greatest naval commander is betrayed by a Japanese double agent, removed from his command and tortured while his replacement is massacred by the Japanese navy. Yi is reinstated by the King of Korea out of desperation. However, his navy is only left with thirteen ships and with a Japanese force of three-hundred ships heading toward the Korean capital of Seoul, he is forced to make a last stand.

This set-up sounds very similar to Zack Snyder’s 300 (2006), and in many ways it is, but it’s a much more compelling version of the “last stand” story. Unlike the macho King Leonidas of 300, Admiral Yi is a deeply conflicted and vulnerable character. He doesn’t want to go into battle and is tempted to leave the fighting to someone else. Yi is someone who has given everything to his country and king, and has received nothing but pain in return. He is also a fairly cold character. He understands what he has to do to win the battle and he keeps order over his troops through fear. Yi’s lieutenants are given screen time as well and we see their fear and skepticism of Yi’s plan. The villain of the film Kurushima Michifusa, a pirate the Japanese have hired to defeat Yi, is a layered character with a motivation for wanting to defeat Yi. Michifusa is also established as a realistically ruthless character that shocks even his own allies. The other Japanese characters, while not as fleshed out, are still interesting characters who come into conflict with Michifusa’s cruel tactics. The director Han-min uses some brilliant When the final battle occurs the audience understands what the conflict means to both sides.

The structure of the film could be seen as a detraction to the overall experience for many viewers. The film starts off fairly slow. The first half of the film is characterization for Yi and the other Korean characters juxtaposing them with the Japanese commanders. There are several scenes of tension and excitement but it unfolds rather slowly. However once the battle starts it is non-stop action with characters having to quickly make decisions and change their battle strategy. I believe that they way this structure is handled it adds to the tension. The slow and deliberate pace of the beginning is effective because the characters understand the significance of the upcoming unavoidable battle. They understand the overwhelming odds facing them and the audience gets to see them react in different ways. Even the Japanese, who know the odds are in their favor, fear the military prowess of Yi, so there is conflict among them as well.

While the buildup to the action is great, the battle itself is spectacular. The specially effects are done very well, with a mix of cgi and real sets. The action is also very easy to understand. I was able to understand where the principal characters were, in relation to one another. The showdowns between the characters is satisfying and the battle strategies that Yi uses are set up in the first half of the film, so when he makes his move it becomes quite satisfying.

There are a few problems with the film. In the beginning of the film there are a few moments of action that are very poorly executed. There are too many cuts and the action is hard to comprehend. This had me very worried about how the final battle would turn out. When the actual battle does occur it’s well executed and the action is easy to understand. However the battle itself lasts a little too long. While it's still highly enjoyable and entertaining, there are several moments toward in the last third of the film where it felt like it was about to end only for there to be another 15-20 minutes of action left. These false stops took away from the flow of the movie but didn’t really affect the overall experience.

Despite these flaws this is still a great film that not enough people in the United States have seen. It’s a great spectacle film. The film provides great action in the second half of the movie and sets it up with interesting and deliberate character development that makes the action more effective. I would give this film a solid 7.5/10. This isn't a film that attempts to weave complex themes about war but simply tries to entertain while it retells a famous battle in Korea's history. It understands what it has to do to be effective.