Gaehwadang Imun: A History Lesson Stuck in the Mud

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you have a serious itch for early Korean cinema or an obsession with the Gapsin Coup. If you want a slick, modern political thriller, stay far away. You will probably hate this if you get bored by static camera work or people standing in rooms talking about reform for ages. But if you’re like me and can appreciate the sheer grit of filmmakers just trying to make it work with what they had, there’s something here.

It’s not exactly a romp. The three-day rule of Kim Ok-kyun feels like a lifetime when you’re watching the pacing shift and stutter. Woon-gyu Na directs this with a heavy hand, and you can feel every single limitation of the era in the frame.

Notes from the dark

• The lighting is... moody, I guess? Or maybe it’s just that they didn't have enough lamps.
• The dialogue is so dense it feels like it’s fighting the actors for space.
• I spent about ten minutes just staring at the background extras who clearly had no idea what they were supposed to be doing.

There’s a specific scene where the tension is supposed to be sky-high, but someone in the back is adjusting their hat in a way that just kills the mood entirely. It’s these little things that make me love watching older movies. They feel human, even when they’re trying to be grand and historical.

Comparing this to something like The Signal Tower, you can really see the difference in how they handle space. This one feels claustrophobic, like the walls are closing in on the actors. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it sure is exhausting.

The performance of Kim Ok-kyun is… well, it’s intense. Maybe a bit too intense. He spends a lot of time staring into the middle distance while dramatic music (or lack thereof) does the heavy lifting. I couldn't help but think of the frantic energy in Nine and Three-Fifths Seconds, though these two films are worlds apart in tone.

I kept waiting for the movie to take a breath. It never really does. It just plows forward through the history, hitting the plot points like it’s checking off a grocery list. Important doesn't always mean compelling, and this film hits that wall pretty hard.

Still, you have to respect the ambition. Trying to capture a national turning point in just a few days of screen time is a huge ask. It doesn't quite get there, but watching it try is almost as interesting as the history itself. 🎥