South Korea (2004)
Starring: Dong-kun Yang, Aya Hirayama, Masaya Kato
Fighter in the wind is one of those 60 or 70 movies I've been sitting on for five or six months, waiting till the time was right to watch it. It had literally been so long I forgot what it was supposed to be about. I'm glad I finally took the time to watch it. This movie has some pretty horrible reviews, but given that it is based on a true story some of Choi Bae-dal's fans might not like it. In nearly every movie that surrounds a figure wrapped in legends truth is exaggerated and the films tend to use a sort of poetic license as history is twisted to fit the big screen. Fighter in the Wind is no different.
The movie begins as a Korean man ends up joining the Japanese air force during WWII. After he and a few other Koreans refuse to go on a kamikaze mission the fighting life of Bae-dal begins...starting with a Japanese General. There is a sense of honor that Baedal seems to be fighting to obtain that starts in that one fight with the General.
There are a few things I didn't like about this movie. The action while good is all fragmented. I like my martial arts flicks to have fluid action through each fight and not clip to the punch landing or knee breaking. Okay maybe I have just one complaint. The movie other then the lack of fluidity from the director in the fight scenes is pretty cool. All in all I wish I had watched it months ago instead of letting it sit there.
Quote(s): A man can be poor As long as he has a goal and strives to attain it he is beautiful. - Choi Baedal
I am afraid of fighting. I am afraid of being beaten and loosing. But, I am more afraid of surviving as a cripple than dying in a fight.
