The Legend of Gingko (2000)

Fantastic!

A Brilliant Conflict

There is just so much movie here. For some it may be too much. But in the same secretly sarcastic way most telemarketers say the phrase, the title of this one is particularly apt.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

Ginko bed 2While a huge fan of Ginko bed 1 I do have it on VCD. I remember GB1 to be a sorta Korean version of Ghost(you know demi moore,Swayzee) calling this film a sequel is kinda a stretch. It would be like making a fantasy film about another dimension with Zuhl and the gatekeeper and calling it a Ghostbusters sequel.I was drawn to this film to by a comparison that comments from the Sing Young here San Diego had put on the box referring to it as `A South Korean Conan'. I don't think that is fair. A South Korean Lord of the rings maybe. You see there is a holy mountain, a quest which involves the sacrifice of a woman who is loved by two warriors.The massive swords are about the only thing Conan and this film share. That is not to say I didn't enjoy the film. I did. There was massive amounts of brutal battles and touches of well done CGI effects. The film however would have been better off to fully embrace the fantasy element with some Wire-fu. They went for a more brutal style of fighting, a style done brilliantly in MUSA but this is not MUSA.The biggest problem with the fill was the melodramatic romance that looked like a what I imagine a Korean Days of our lives to seem like. It was also cool to see the woman from Shiri return with another awesome role.

LEGEND OF GINGKO (or GINGKO BED 2 as it's sometimes called, although the two movies have little ties) could have been a really good movie. Instead it's just a good movie. The film loses some points for not knowing what it wants to be. As a period adventure film, the movie gets points for offering up some brutal combat. But the whole thing goes out the window when magic and supernatural elements come into play. Some minor supernatural elements ala CONAN would not have deterred from the movie's greatness, but there's simply too much special effects in a movie that really didn't need it.6 out of 10(go to www.nixflix.com for a more detailed review of this movie and reviews of other foreign films)

Not, I repeat, not a sequel to Gingko Bed. Great sense of a fully realized world where young men must go through a life and death trial to be a warrior and evil lurks in the forest just outside the peaceful compounds of the village. Great performances by all. Especially Yoon-jin Kim who plays the female warrior / archer, Yun. She also played the North Korean agent in the movie Shiri. Don't miss it!

Sorry - this movie is just a cheap TV-Production. I saw very much promotion Material and expect a professionell Movie like "Stormriders" - what i was presented was a Low-Budget-Movie like "XENA" or "Hercules" on TV. No Atmosphere, very boring, more then worse Fight-Scenes. Some good ideas - not more. I hope i will get the Chance to make a movie like this and then i show how to do such a movie!!!My ASIAN-Tips: "MUSA - THE WARRIOR", "STORMRIDERS", "SHAOLIN SOCCER", "BATTLE ROYAL", "VERSUS", etc.Sorry for my bad English!