Choi Min-shik dons Admiral Lee Soon-shin’s armor in Roaring Currents
by awcoconuts
Blockbuster film Roaring Currents (literal translation: Battle of Myeongryang, Whirlwind Sea) looks ahmaaazing, and I will be so bummed if it doesn’t live up to its hype. In it, veteran Hallyu star Choi Min-shik (who needs no introduction, but from New World, Oldboy, Shiri and No. 3, to name a few) has tackled the iconic role of Korean hero and legend Admiral Lee Soon-shin, and the retelling of the famous Battle of Myeongryang.
Koreans are educated about the great Lee Soon-shin from a young age, but the short version of the Battle of Myeongryang is: In 1597, in the sixth year of Japanese invasions, Admiral Lee lured a fleet of roughly 330 Japanese ships into a dangerous strait, and with only 12 ships of his own, he was able to turn the tide of the war and emerge victorious from an epic battle of naval warfare.
The source article states that Roaring Currents is the first project to tackle the Battle of Myeongryang (I guess they’re not counting Immortal Lee Soon-shin, the long-running, low-budget KBS drama that starred Kim Myung-min as the celebrated naval commander ten years ago), and the movie will be directed by Kim Han-min, who proved his historical action picture prowess two years ago with Bow, the Ultimate Weapon (also known as War of the Arrows).
The film already caught my eye with its capable director, but with one of the nation’s most charismatic and respected actors, Choi Min-shik, on board, I’m eagerly anticipating the movie’s release. The actor said, “Taking on the role of Admiral Lee Soon-shin seems like fate.” In order to embody the great icon, Choi spent six months filming fierce battle scenes in both the dead of winter and the middle of a summer heat wave, and he attacked his action sequences with unparalleled fervor — no easy feat, as he did so while bearing 20 kgs (roughly 44 lbs) of massive armor.
Choi worked tirelessly on his portrayal of the much revered hero, wanting to demonstrate the vulnerability behind the courageous exterior. “He was a military officer, a person and a parent, and I wanted to show his human side: the fear and loneliness the valiant admiral must have felt but had to hide amidst the chaos and the insurrection.” Choi went on to say, “All Koreans have the utmost admiration for Admiral Lee, and I knew I had to give more than I’d ever given before.”
The use of some experimental techniques means that we’ll see battle scenes in Roaring Currents that are unlike anything we’ve seen in other Korean movies, and the naval warfare sets were produced and filmed in the actual ocean. The quality of the production and the big budget are evident in the glossy trailer, and with Ryu Seung-ryong (another fave), Jo Jin-woong and Jin Gu rounding out the cast, I don’t know how I’ll hold out until its release date on July 30th.
Via Sports Chosun
RELATED POSTS
Tags: Choi Min-shik, Jin Gu, Jo Jin-woong, Ryu Seung-ryong
Interview with Kim Yoo-jung
Hello Dramabeans series
![[2022 Year in Review] The Bean Count](https://www.dramabeans.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/beancount_2022.png)
Required fields are marked *
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *
1 zakin89
June 21, 2014 at 4:11 AM
Woah this looks EPIC =)
You had me at Choi Min Shik! LOVE HIM! He is one of my most favourite actors and damn if the other cast doesn't sound intriguing as well!
And the posters... Holy crap they look awesome! Count me in! Hopefully this'll get subbed soon though I guess this will probably get an international DVD release with subs *starts praying*^^
Required fields are marked *
2 Jushi
June 21, 2014 at 4:16 AM
Excited! Though I won't be able to catch this in cinema definitely I'll watch it when it's ready for home viewing. I love War of Arrows for its fast pace story telling and neatly choreographed action sequences. I'd love to see another film with such elements.
Required fields are marked *
3 KDaddict
June 21, 2014 at 4:57 AM
The dangerous strait, Strait of Myeongnyang, where LSS lured the Japanese fleet, was very near to where the Sewol sank on April 16. He crippled the Japanese fleet of 330 ships and defeated them with a mere 13 Korean ships. LSS was able to make a name for himself throughout Korean history by knowing the currents there and making use of them. The recent Captain Lee Jun Seok of Sewol, has also made a name for himself at the same strait, a name of a rather different kind.
Required fields are marked *
Ida
July 30, 2014 at 4:51 AM
But now we know that the ferry was reconstructed to be top heavy and the safety ballast ditched due to greed. It never ceases to amaze me that people who already have more money than anyone could ever need do not value human lives. I hope that large extended family living on I'll gotten gain suffer guilt. May they say "bienada" through all generations to come.
Required fields are marked *
4 anais
June 21, 2014 at 5:05 AM
Interesting.
Also interesting that they're having the Japanese characters speak in Japanese.
Required fields are marked *
tweetiebird
June 21, 2014 at 6:11 AM
But I think the actors are actually Korean, it maybe just the bits in the trailer but the Japanese is really heavily accented with Korean... I would have preferred them to speak in Korean for the Japanese parts, or use actual Japanese actors (or Koreans who can speak Japanese well).
Required fields are marked *
Kiara
June 21, 2014 at 7:51 AM
I'm not surprise. When Kim Han-min directed "War Of the Arrows" the Manchurians were actually speaking Manchu. It's not easy to find people that are still fluent in the old language of Qing.
Required fields are marked *
5 webby
June 21, 2014 at 5:27 AM
Looking forward to this film and the promise of battles at sea. Besides, Choi Min Shik is one of my favourites.
Required fields are marked *
6 KDaddict
June 21, 2014 at 5:27 AM
Thanks for the news. A must-watch on a big screen when it shows here.
Required fields are marked *
7 Kiara
June 21, 2014 at 7:39 AM
Whoa!!!! I have been saying that no one can top Kim Myung-min's performance. The drama version was cheap but Kim Myung-min made it memorable and he is still Admiral Lee Soon-shin of the small screen.
This looks epic epic epic. I'm excited all the way to the moon. Praying for limited release in the US so I can see it when it's out and not 1yr later. No question Choi Min-shik will own it on the big screen.
Thank you awcoconuts <3.
Required fields are marked *
KDaddict
June 21, 2014 at 8:38 AM
I haven't seen the 2004 version, cos it was around 100 eps. Is it worth trying?
I tried to start Jumong a no. of times, but also got scared bcos of its length.
Dae Jang Guem was good, but it was so l-o-n-g, it was torture.
Required fields are marked *
Kiara
June 22, 2014 at 5:13 PM
Well, its Admiral Lee Soon-shin and he is so worth it. I loved it but it was a very long drama because it covers his life from childhood all the way to the time of his death. Its based on his autobiography so there were some accurate portrayal of his real life character, unlike the fairytale called Jumong and Dae Jang Geum :p.
Sadly the DVDs does not have all the eps and some of the streaming sides have some eps missing :(.
Required fields are marked *
8 ananke
June 21, 2014 at 7:45 AM
I can't help but think it is too soon for this film given the country is still in the midst of the Sewol tragedy and its fallout. How will people watch it without thinking that these same waters took their children from them?
Required fields are marked *
9 MapleSilver
June 21, 2014 at 8:49 AM
Wow, if this becomes a great hit the luckiest actor this summer may just be Jo Jin-woong as his current movie A Hard Day seems also to be doing pretty well in the theaters.
Required fields are marked *
10 Shiku
June 21, 2014 at 10:51 AM
I can't wait for this movie. It's on my list
Required fields are marked *
11 Hugepuffball
June 21, 2014 at 6:39 PM
It looks ridiculously high quality, but... Really? Is that terrifying white mustache REALLY there? Someone tell me that it was an evil intern's nefarious photoshop...
Required fields are marked *
12 Susan
June 22, 2014 at 10:00 AM
This looks fantastic, and I'll watch pretty much anything with Choi Min Shik in it.
Required fields are marked *
13 Lotus_Blossom
June 22, 2014 at 5:08 PM
Choi Min Shik! I would watch him paint a wall.
Required fields are marked *
14 fanwho
June 23, 2014 at 6:10 PM
Admiral Lee Sun-shin 1592-1598 (13 vs 300) english version
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3GtnZMNjCw
Required fields are marked *
15 Cheryl
June 24, 2014 at 11:49 PM
The trailer looks AMAZING! I'll have to wait until it's on video b/c I need English subs, but it'll be worth it.
Required fields are marked *
16 Tincat90
July 31, 2014 at 8:30 PM
There's a special preview screening (with subs!!) in Orange County on 8/12!!
We just need to do a 2 min survey here:
http://joinsnyl.polldaddy.com/s/theadmiral-nylifesurvey
Required fields are marked *
17 Yiseul
December 18, 2014 at 12:28 PM
Does anyone know if this has been released on DVD or online somewhere yet? (Not sure how long it usually takes to release stuff on DVD, but I've been waiting since summer hoping it would come out!!)
Required fields are marked *