
“Kundo: Age of the Rampant,” December 23/24, 2014 (2014), DVD. It the late 1860s and the Korea’s Joeson Dynasty has slipped into rule by corrupt governors and nobles who oppress the peasants. A group of bandits wages war against these oppressors and out of this you get Robin Hood Meets the Magnificent 7/7 Samurii as the spaghetti Western music trumpets behind the action. Sounds horrible, no?. Well, I usually dislike these genres and I really liked this well written and well-acted movie. Its main villain is both talented and interesting as a character/leader and martial artist. Indeed, he is more adept than any of the bandits. It also goes into the complex ways peasants were manipulated into giving up their land and entering into debt peonage. Finally, the subtitles are really good and help make this enjoyable. It’s horribly and graphically violent, so if that nixes it for you, be warned