
The year is 1859, feudal Joseon is plagued with numerous natural disasters, poor harvest, poverty, hunger and death. But the rich nobles are only concerned with their own wealth and continue to exploit and persecute the poor. In this dark period, KUNDO was a single shred of hope for the poor, an entity which can be the subject of fear to unjust nobles. After killing poor butcher Dolmuchi's mother and sister, millionaire Jo-yoon commands absolute power over him. Clouded by ven... (Full plot summary below)
FREE with your Prime (USA) subscription or when you start a 30-day free trial!
Links compiled using automated software. Availability of offers subject to change / might be region specific / out of date.
The year is 1859, feudal Joseon is plagued with numerous natural disasters, poor harvest, poverty, hunger and death. But the rich nobles are only concerned with their own wealth and continue to exploit and persecute the poor. In this dark period, KUNDO was a single shred of hope for the poor, an entity which can be the subject of fear to unjust nobles. After killing poor butcher Dolmuchi's mother and sister, millionaire Jo-yoon commands absolute power over him. Clouded by vengeance, Dolmuchi is accepted as a member of KUNDO, and unsheathes his sword for the weak.
Leave your thoughts about Kundo: Age of the Rampant.
| New York TimesAndy WebsterFor all its gloss, “Kundo” fails to resonate. You appreciate the execution, but the film is hindered by its lack of novelty and metaphorical weight. |
| FilmLand EmpireAnton BitelPrecision action sequences sit alongside dazzling period colour, coarse, crazy comedy rides side-saddle with domestic pathos, genre & tone are switched with deft ease, and the pace never lets up. [But] when anything goes, everything seems throwaway. |
| The Hollywood ReporterFrank ScheckThe convoluted plotting, profusion of characters and heavy doses of explanatory narration may prove off-putting for some less attentive viewers. But the director infuses the fast-proceedings with enough visual flair — inspired by filmmakers ranging from Kurosawa to Leone to yes, Tarantino — to provide ample compensation. |
| VarietyRichard KuipersKundo: Age of the Rampant delivers a thoroughly entertaining if overlong gallop through the trusty old story of honorable bandits stealing from nasty rich people and distributing the proceeds to downtrodden peasants. |
| Washington PostMark JenkinsIn its second half, “Kundo” becomes robust and exhilarating. The filmmakers stage cast-of-dozens battle scenes and one-on-one showdowns with equal brio. |
| Los Angeles TimesGary GoldsteinKundo: Age of the Rampant is an often entertaining if overlong look at the last days of Korea's Joseon Dynasty. |
| Slant MagazineOleg IvanovThe film's attempt at political commentary amounts to a half-baked treatise on good governance in the face of tyranny and socioeconomic exploitation. |
| Village VoiceMichael NordineWith its harmonica-heavy score and rousing shots of these horse-riding antiheroes, Kundo's early and late scenes resemble a Western as much as the historical epic its middle section gradually turns into. |
| Film Journal InternationalDavid NohGorgeously photographed, edited with a crackle, lavishly populated and designed, this is a sheer non-mind-taxing crowd-pleaser |
| User ReviewDaniel BIf you loved "D'jango" you'll love Kundo. Loved it. |