The Admiral: Roaring Currents

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The Admiral: Roaring Currents
Battle of Myeongryang poster.jpg
Theatrical poster
Directed by Kim Han-min
Produced by Kim Han-min
Written by Jeon Chul-hong
Kim Han-min
Starring Choi Min-sik
Ryu Seung-ryong
Cho Jin-woong
Music by Kim Tae-seong
Cinematography Kim Tae-seong
Edited by Kim Chang-ju
Production
company
Big Stone Pictures
Distributed by CJ Entertainment
Release dates
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  • July 30, 2014 (2014-07-30)
Running time
 127 minutes
Country South Korea
Language Korean
Japanese
Budget US$18.6 million
Box office US$135.9 million

The Admiral: Roaring Currents (Hangul: 명량; hanja: 鳴梁; RR: Myeongryang), or simply The Admiral, is a 2014 South Korean naval war film directed and co-written by Kim Han-min. Based on the historical Battle of Myeongnyang, it stars an ensemble cast led by Choi Min-sik as the Korean naval commander Yi Sun-sin.[1][2][3] The film was released theatrically in South Korea on July 30, 2014.

The film recorded 10 million admissions only 12 days after its premiere and set a record for achieving such a high number of viewers in the shortest amount of time. The movie also surpassed Avatar’s record of 13 million viewers to become the most-watched and highest-grossing film of all time in South Korea, with 17.6 million admissions and a worldwide gross of US$135.9 million.[4][5][6]

Plot

The film revolves around the titular Battle of Myeongnyang circa 1597, regarded as one of legendary Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin's most remarkable naval victories, in which he led the only 12 ships remaining in his command to a heroic victory against an invading Japanese fleet numbering 333 vessels.[7]

At the onset of the battle at their base in Haenam, the Japanese invaders under Tōdō Takatora are confident that their planned expedition to Hansong to capture King Seonjo will meet with success. This despite the fact they remain reserved over the news that Joseon's greatest admiral, Yi Sun-sin, has been restored to his former command following the disaster at Chilcheollyang, which has reduced the Korean navy to a mere dozen battle-ready ships. In order to ensure success of the operation, Hideyoshi sends one of his finest naval war leaders to Joseon: Kurushima Michifusa, the commander of the Murakami Clan Navy, and an expert in naval combat who, however, enjoys a shaky reputation among his fellow daimyō as a pirate. One of the Admirals of the Japanese Left Army, Wakizaka, first meets Kurushima and his lieutenant Kimura while finishing off the remnants of a group of Joseon soldiers. He is especially distrusting of Kurushima, and draws his sword on him several times, especially after the latter insults him by shaming his defeat at Hansan Island. Later, Kurushima and Haru, his sharpshooter, drink sake as Kurushima elaborates on his personal vendetta against Yi Sun-sin, stating that his brother Michiyuki was killed by the latter earlier in the war.

In the meantime, Yi Sun-sin is facing the despair mounting among his officers and troops. Facing an enemy force far outnumbering them, and seeing no reasonable chance of success in the inevitable clash even with one single turtle ship remaining, many consider the fight lost before it has even started. Despite his outwardly indifferent demeanor, Yi is hard-pressed to maintain morale among his men and desperate to find a solution for his problem. But then the breaking point seems reached when General Bae Seol, the deserter of Chilcheollyang, burns the turtle ship and has his men make an attempt at Yi's life. Although Yi escapes and Bae is killed for his act of treachery, the ship is lost, boosting confidence among the Japanese and further dispiriting his own troops. In order to seek an answer, Yi travels to the Myeongnyang Strait, an area notorious for its strong and treacherous currents which the Japanese intend to cross on their way to Hansong. Later, he confides in his son Hoe that, in order to win the fight, he has to turn the fear paralyzing his men into courage. Upon hearing that the departure of the Japanese attack fleet is imminent, Yi abandons his base and moves to Usuyeong after burning the naval facilities to the ground.

The next morning, Yi's fleet arrives in the strait and is shortly met by the Japanese, who are using the morning tide to move into the channel, with Kurushima leading the avantgarde force. Yi engages Kurushima's fleet in battle, but as the other Korean commanders are still hesitant to involve themselves, Yi's flagship is quickly surrounded and attacked by boarding parties. In this apparently hopeless situation, Yi commands several cannons to be fired from the rower deck's port hatches in a concentrated volley, using their recoil to blast the ship free of its encirclement. As Yi has hoped, this bold act of survival inspires the rest of his countrymen to take the fight to the enemy.

When the tide turns and forms a whirlpool in the middle of the channel, thus beginning to solidify Yi's defensive position, Kurushima orders an all-out attack with the rest of his ships. Despite the efforts of Haru and a ship loaded with black powder charges, the renewed courage of the Koreans prevails, though heavy sacrifices are made. Kurushima's now desperate situation is observed by Todo, who merely laughs at Katō's suggestion of reinforcing him. Kurushima, realizing that he is now on his own, boards the Korean flagship, but is decapitated by Yi himself after taking several arrows from Korean archers, and his head is hung from the tip of the ship's mast. When Yi's ship itself is caught in the whirlpool, his civilian navy servants and local fishermen courageously drag the vessel back to safety. Joined by the rest of the fleet, Yi leads a counterattack which deals the Japanese forces a crushing blow, forcing them into retreat and leaving the Koreans triumphant. The film ends with the reminiscence to the first encounter of the Japanese with the turtle ship in 1592.

Historical background

In the 16th century, a general called Toyotomi Hideyoshi unified Japan and the long civil war in Japan was ended. At that time, most Koreans did not think about any possibility of invasion from Japan and ignored the war-readiness of the latter. Therefore, the army and Korean Navy except for the admiral Yi Sun Sin were not prepared for any invasion from Japan. Only admiral Yi Sun Sin prepared for a war against Japan by building up ships and developing weapons. In 1592, the Imjin War broke out when Japan invaded Korea. From the beginning of the war, the Japanese army, which were well experienced as a result of their civil war, were easily defeating the Korean army and quickly advancing to the north. However, at sea, the admiral Yi Sun Sin's Joseon Navy destroyed the Japanese naval fleets in many consecutive battles, so that the Japanese navy's advance to the west and north was frustrated and Japanese supply lines on sea routes were not open at all.

However, in 1597, due to a Japanese espionage plot and political conspiracy in the Korean royal court, Admiral Yi Sun Sin was imprisoned by the Korean government and another admiral (Won Gyun) was appointed to command the Korean navy. Admiral Won, in his first and last naval engagement, attacked the Japanese navy but was seriously defeated by Japan and lost most of the warships (more than 200 warships). Won was killed in action. After this defeat, the Korean government released admiral Yi and put him back in the position of admiral, but the fleet consisted of only 13 warships due to the prior defeat. The Korean government suggested that admiral Yi forgo sea warfare and join any land-based battle. But, Admiral Yi believed he should instead prevent the Japanese navy from advancing via the sea. The admiral knew that not everything consisted in the number of ships, but a correct strategy would give him the victory, although he did not count on the support of his men, he did not let himself be overcome and he overcame the fear. In October 1597, a Japanese fleet of 330 ships tried to attack the small Korean fleet of 13 ships.

As the Japanese moved toward the Korean fleet, Admiral Yi enticed the Japanese fleet to a long and narrow strait with a fast and strong wave flow. He also hampered the Japanese fleet's navigating by blocking the strait with steel chains. (doubtful: see Battle of Myeongnyang: Chain or iron rope across the strait) Therefore, many Japanese ships were gathered and stuck in the narrow strait, as the tide shifted. The cannons on Korean warships outside the strait bombarded the Japanese ships. The Japanese fleet, having lost more than 31 warships, retreated to the east and they finally gave up advancing toward the west by sea.[8]

Cast

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Release

Dates

Country Date Released Release title
South Korea[11] 30 July 2014 명량
US 15 August 2014 The Admiral
Vietnam 5 September 2014 Myeong-ryang
Netherlands 12 April 2015 Myeong-ryang
Germany 20 July 2015 The Admiral : Roaring Currents
Japan 12 August 2015 バトル・オーシャン 海上決戦
("Battle Ocean Kaijō Kessen")
Philippines 2 September Myeong-ryang
Germany (extended version) 14 March 2016 Myeong-ryang
Brazil August 2014 O Almirante: Correntes Furiosas

Credits

  • CJ Entertainment (2014) (Korea) (theatrical)[12]
  • Big Stone Picture (2014) (Korea) (theatrical)
  • Cj Entertainment (2014) (Korea) (theatrical)
  • CJ CGV Viet Nam (2014) (Vietnam) (theatrical)
  • CJ Entertainment America (2014) (USA) (theatrical)
  • CJ Entertainment America (2014) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
  • CJ Entertainment (2014) (Worldwide) (theatrical)
  • Min Gyo Tour (2014) (Australia) (theatrical)
  • Viva International Pictures (2015) (Philippines) (theatrical)
  • Madman Entertainment (2015) (Australia) (DVD)
  • New KSM (2015) (Germany) (DVD)
  • Twin Co. Ltd. (2015) (Japan) (DVD)

Festivals

Film Festival
13th Firenze Korea Film Festival (2015)[13]
19th Busan International Film Festival (2014)
2nd Silk-Road International Film Festival (2015)

Reception

Box office

South Korea

The Admiral: Roaring Currents drew 682,882 viewers on its first day in theaters on July 30, 2014, grossing US$4.77 million. This was the all-time highest opening day box office in South Korea, for both a foreign and domestic film, breaking the previous record set by Kundo: Age of the Rampant.[14][15] It went on to set other new records: highest opening weekend, with 3.35 million admissions (US$25.94 million), surpassing Transformers: Dark of the Moon's record of 2.37 million (set in 2011) by 41%; biggest single day for a film in South Korean history with 1.25 million admissions (US$9.71 million); the first time that a film generated over ₩10 billion in a single day; and the quickest film to reach 10 million admissions.[16][17][18][19]

By August 15, The Admiral: Roaring Currents became the all-time most-watched film in South Korea, breaking the previous record held by Hollywood blockbuster Avatar (13.62 million). By August 17, it became the first film to sell more than 14 million tickets in South Korean theaters and the first domestic film to exceed the US$100 million mark.[4][20][21] At 17,607,820 admissions,[22] it has grossed US$132 million in South Korea.[23]

Korean Box Office Chart : [1]

Date Number of Screen Number of play Income Viewers Total Income Total Viewers Ranking
First day(07/30) 1,159 6,147 4,708,879,000 682,701 4,881,110,000 705,201 1
Second day(07/31) 1,202 6,258 5,243,409,900 705,070 10,124,519,900 1,410,271 1
Third day(08/01) 1,300 6,699 6,918,410,307 867,437 17,042,930,207 2,277,708 1
Fourth day (08/02) 1,494 7,605 9,826,541,209 1,232,529 26,869,471,416 3,510,237 1
Fifth day(08/03) 1,587 7,963 10,031,212,500 1,257,380 36,900,683,916 4,767,617 1
Sixth day(08/04) 1,443 7,551 7,455,501,400 990,022 44,356,185,316 5,757,639 1
Seventh day(08/05) 1,507 7,779 6,511,760,400 869,153 50,867,945,716 6,626,792 1
Eighth day(08/06) 1,221 6,788 5,273,445,400 702,887 56,141,391,116 7,329,679 1
Ninth day(08/07) 1,239 6,776 4,892,511,700 652,776 61,033,902,816 7,982,455 1
Tenth day(08/08) 1,278 7,026 5,493,530,692 690,123 66,527,433,508 8,672,578 1

Regional Total Viewers and Income [2]

Region Number of Screen Total Income Total Viewers
Gyeonggi-Do 360 31,089,294,900 (22.9%) 4,051,862 (23.0%)
Gangwon-Do 51 3,651,401,100 (2.7%) 485,685 (2.8%)
Chungcheongbuk-Do 61 3,653,185,700 (2.7%) 497,938 (2.8%)
Chungcheongnam-Do 52 4,117,556,000 (3.0%) 550,058 (3.1%)
Gyeongsangbuk-Do 73 4,971,368,900 (3.7%) 631,366 (3.6%)
Gyeongsangnam-Do 103 7,991,499,700 (5.9%) 1,043,045 (5.9%)
Jeollabuk-do 60 4,333,219,300 (3.2%) 581,423 (3.3%)
Jeollanam-do 39 2,814,587,500 (2.1%) 399,688 (2.3%)
Jeju 22 1,457,782,500 (1.1%) 191,760 (1.1%)
Busan 128 10,646,578,200 (7.8%) 1,384,083 (7.9%)
Daegu 112 7,925,679,600 (5.8%) 1,017,360 (5.8%)
Daejeon 43 4,782,608,000 (3.5%) 628,648 (3.6%)
Ulsan 28 3,066,071,200 (2.3%) 382,935 (2.2%)
Incheon 76 7,082,728,000 (5.2%) 902,944 (5.1%)
Gwangju 73 4,834,892,500 (3.6%) 671,037 (3.8%)
Sejong 5 209,480,000 (0.2%) 30,367 (0.2%)
Seoul 301 33,125,286,210 (24.4%) 4,164,840 (23.6%)

International

It opened in limited release across 30 theaters in North America, beginning August 15, 2014.[24] Due to favorable reviews from critics and moviegoers, it expanded to 42 theaters on its second week, and its first week gross of US$1.18 million surpassed the previous record held by Masquerade (US$923,442) as the highest-grossing film directly distributed by a South Korean distributor.[25] The film has grossed CN¥26.53 million in China,[26] US$2,589,811 in the United States,[27] and US$135.9 million internationally.[28]

Critical response

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Positive

  • A great scene of naval battle
    • Korean Economies' Song Ji-hyun said "61 minutes of naval battle scene was not boring at all"[29]
    • Seoul Economies' Choi Su-moon said "By only showing navy's efforts not chains, like a theory from historians, it upgraded the movie's quality."[30]
    • Heo Ji-woong, in Seol Jeon, said "61 minutes of naval battle scene is hard to figure out in Hollywood, and it was great."[31]
  • Amazing casts and acting ability
    • SBS funE's Kim Ji-hye said "Nice casting and amazing acting ability upgraded the movie's quality. Actors feelings were well delivered."[32]

Negative

  • No-cut News' Kim Hyun-shik said "Because it only followed history, there is no impact, although there are romance going on."[33]
  • MBN Yoo Myung-joon said "The movie was so focused on Korean navy, especially Yi Sun-sin, and Japanese navy seemed insignificant."[34]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Recipient Result
2014
23rd Buil Film Awards[35]
 Best Film The Admiral: Roaring Currents Won
Best Director Kim Han-min Nominated
Best Actor Choi Min-sik Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Lee Jung-hyun Nominated
Best Cinematography Kim Tae-seong Won
Best Art Direction Jang Choon-seob Won
Best Music Kim Tae-seong Nominated
Asia Star Awards[36][37]
 Actor of the Year Choi Min-sik Won
34th Korean Association of Film Critics Awards[38]
 Best Actor Won
Best Art Direction Jang Choon-seob Won
Critics' Top 10 The Admiral: Roaring Currents Won
51st Grand Bell Awards[39][40][41][42][43]
 Best Film Won
Best Director Kim Han-min Nominated
Best Actor Choi Min-sik Won
Best Cinematography Kim Tae-seong Nominated
Best Lighting Kim Gyeong-seok Nominated
Best Art Direction Jang Choon-seob Nominated
Best Costume Design Kwon Yu-jin, Im Seung-hee Nominated
Best Music Kim Tae-seong Nominated
Technical Award Yun Dae-won (special effects) Won
Best Planning Kim Han-min Won
35th Blue Dragon Film Awards[44]
 Best Film The Admiral: Roaring Currents Nominated
Best Director Kim Han-min Won
Best Actor Choi Min-sik Nominated
Best Cinematography Kim Tae-seong Nominated
Best Lighting Kim Gyeong-seok Nominated
Best Art Direction Jang Choon-seob Nominated
Best Music Kim Tae-seong Nominated
Technical Award Yun Dae-won (special effects) Nominated
Audience Choice Award for Most Popular Film The Admiral: Roaring Currents Won
2015
6th KOFRA Film Awards[45]
 Best Actor Choi Min-sik Won
10th Max Movie Awards
 Best Film The Admiral: Roaring Currents Won
Best Director Kim Han-min Nominated
Best Actor Choi Min-sik Won
Best Supporting Actor Ryu Seung-ryong Nominated
Best Trailer The Admiral: Roaring Currents Nominated
Best Poster Nominated
20th Chunsa Film Art Awards[46]
 Best Director (Grand Prix) Kim Han-min Nominated
Best Actor Choi Min-sik Nominated
Technical Award Choi Tae-young (sound) Won
9th Asian Film Awards[47]
 Best Actor Choi Min-sik Nominated
51st Baeksang Arts Awards[48][49]
 Grand Prize (Daesang) for Film Won
Best Film The Admiral: Roaring Currents Nominated
Best Actor Choi Min-sik Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Lee Jung-hyun Nominated

References

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External links

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