Movie review by Dennis D. McDonald

This review contains spoilers

In 16th Century Korea a low-caste butcher with sword-dancing skills is ensnared by an insane king's nation-wide dragooning of young women into his palace army of enslaved concubines. There she and other young women are trained in how to satisfy the king's varied and exotic sexual desires. At the same time the butcher becomes involved in a plot to end the king's cruel and predatory reign.

It's a long movie. Along the way we're treated to a lot of nudity and sex, gorgeous costumes and photography, palace intrigue, choreographed swordplay, and secret whispered meetings. There's a lot of hand-wringing by those surrounding the king about what to do about his increasingly vile behavior. They realize that once he goes, they go, too, but even those closest to the king realize they are all walking on thin ice.

The movie finally progresses to an inexorable and catastrophic (for the king) finale where he is treated to a dark and fitting end worthy of Game of Thrones. (I know that's a spoiler but apparently this movie is somewhat based on historical reality.)

Review copyright (c) 2016 by Dennis D. McDonald

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