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Kundo: Age of the Rampant
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
|name = Kundo: Age of the Rampant
|image = Kundo_Age_of_the_Rampant.jpg
|caption = Theatrical poster
|director = Yoon Jong-bin
|producer = Yoon Jong-bin
Yoo Jeong-hun
|writer = Jeon Cheol-hong
|story = Yoon Jong-bin
|starring =
|music = Jo Yeong-wook
|cinematography = Choi Chan-min
|editing = Kim Sang-bum
Kim Jae-bum
|distributor = Showbox/Mediaplex
|released =
|runtime = 137 minutes
|country = South Korea
|language = Korean
|budget =
|gross =
|native_name =
}}
'Kundo: Age of the Rampant' is a 2014 South Korean period action film starring Ha Jung-woo and Gang Dong-won, and directed by Yoon Jong-bin. Set in mid-19th century Joseon, it is about a power struggle between the unjust wealthy noblemen who run society and a group of righteous outlaws who steal from corrupt officials to give to the downtrodden and starving.
Plot
The year is 1862. The late Joseon dynasty was a period of social and economic unrest in Korea, and it was also a time of great tyranny. Due to continuous natural disasters and poor harvests, poverty, hunger and death are rampant. The aristocracy rule the country and, concerned only with their own wealth, they exploit and persecute the poor.
In these turbulent times, a band of fighters named 'Kundo' rise against the authorities. They raid corrupt officials, then share their loot with the vulnerable and impoverished. While the king stands powerless against them, 'Kundo' becomes a figure of fear to undeserving nobles, and a ray of hope in the lives of long-suffering citizens. The members of 'Kundo' believe that their cause is more important than their own lives.
In an era when one's status is decided by birth, Dolmuchi was born to a poor butcher, while Jo Yoon, though born into a powerful and wealthy family, is illegitimate. The two men strike a dangerous deal and Dolmuchi loses his mother and sister as a result. He is trampled by Jo Yoon who commands absolute power in his oppressive world. Bringing together the men who are on the fringes of this dark society, Dolmuchi is accepted as a member of 'Kundo' and opens his eyes to the world. Reborn under the new name "Dolchi," he draws his sword out of its sheath and disperses the shadow cast on the poor and helpless. Then before him, the man who took away his family appears. Standing in front of Jo Yoon, Dolchi challenges his arch-enemy to a final duel.
Cast
*Ha Jung-woo as Dolmuchi/Dolchi, a former butcher (an occupation which was in the 'cheonmin' caste) who joins a makeshift band of outlaws to avenge the deaths of his family members.
*Gang Dong-won as Jo Yoon, a nobleman's son who is gifted in martial arts, but he has no rights as his mother was only a concubine and his father refuses to acknowledge him.
*Lee Geung-young as Ttaeng-choo, mood-maker of the band
*Lee Sung-min as Dae-ho, leader of the band
*Cho Jin-woong as Lee Tae-ki, a thief who used to be an aristocrat
*Ma Dong-seok as Tianbao
*Yoon Ji-hye as Ma-hyang
*Joo Jin-mo as Song Young-gil
*Song Young-chang as Jo Won-sook
*Jung Man-sik as Butler Yang
*Kim Byeong-ok as Toposa
*Kim Jong-gu as Choi Hyun-ki
*Kim Sung-kyun as Jang
*Kang Hyun-joong as Park
*Kim Jae-young as Geum-san
*Jung Yi-seo as Si-ra
*Im Hyeon-seong as Yeom-tong
* Lee David as Jo Seo-in
*Woo Jeong-guk as Citizen 1
*Choe Yeong-do as Citizen 2
*Park Myung-shin as Choi's wife
*Cho Seon-mook as Foreigner
*Kim Sam-il as Jang's father
*Noh Gang-min as young Lee
*Eom Ji-seong as Joong-man-yi
*Nam Da-reum as young Jo Yoon
*Jang Woo-jin as Warehouse constable 1
*Park Song-taek as Warehouse constable 2
*Yeon Jun-won as Kundo 1
*Eom Ji-man as Kundo 2
*Kim Tae-su as Jo Yoon's slave 1
*Yoon Kyung-ho as Jo Yoon's slave 2
*Ri Min as Tribute government official
*Heo Ji-hye as Former gisaeng
*Jeon Seong-ae as Former midwife
*Jeong Dae-yong as Oksa elder
*Kim Hae-sook as Dolmuchi's mother
*Han Ye-ri as Gok-ji
Box office
'Kundo: Age of the Rampant' drew 551,848 viewers on its first day in theaters on July 23, 2014, grossing (or ). This was the all-time highest opening day box office in South Korea, for both a foreign and domestic film, breaking previous records set by 'Transformers: Dark of the Moon' (2011) and 'Secretly, Greatly' (2013) ('Kundo's record would shortly be broken eight days later by 'The Admiral: Roaring Currents'. It reached 3.1 million viewers in five days.
Awards and nominations
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Year
! Award
! Category
! Recipient
! Result
|-
| rowspan=21| 2014
| rowspan=4|
| Best Supporting Actress
| Yoon Ji-hye
|
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Choi Chan-min
|
|-
| Best Art Direction
| Park Il-hyun
|
|-
| Best Music
| Jo Yeong-wook
|
|-
| rowspan=2|
| Best Cinematography
| Choi Chan-min
|
|-
| Best Music
| Jo Yeong-wook
|
|-
| rowspan=6|
| Best Actor
| Gang Dong-won
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Yoon Ji-hye
|
|-
| Best Art Direction
| Park Il-hyun
|
|-
| Best Costume Design
| Jo Sang-gyeong
|
|-
| Best Music
| Jo Yeong-wook
|
|-
| Technical Award (visual effects)
| Lee Jeon-hyeong, Jo Yong-seok
|
|-
|
| Excellence Award, Actor in a Film
| Jung Man-sik
|
|-
| rowspan=6|
| Best Supporting Actor
| Lee Sung-min
|
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Choi Chan-min
|
|-
| Best Lighting
| Yu Yeong-jong
|
|-
| Best Art Direction
| Park Il-hyun
|
|-
| Best Music
| Jo Yeong-wook
|
|-
| Technical Award (martial arts)
| Jung Doo-hong, Kang Young-mook
|
|-
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:center;" | 1st Korean Film Producers Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| Yoon Ji-hye
|
|-
| Best Music
| Jo Yeong-wook
|
|-
| 2015
|
| Best Actor
| Ha Jung-woo
|
|-
|}
References
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