Uprising

Late sixteenth-century Joseon. The son of a noble family and the slave who grew up taking beatings in his place have been bound together since childhood. When the Japanese invasion begins both are pulled into the war, and their bond cannot survive as long as the class order does. Kim Sang-man directed. Shin Cheol and Park Chan-wook wrote it, and Park also produced. The cast includes Gang Dong-won, Park Jeong-min, Cha Seung-won, Kim Shin-rok and Jin Seon-kyu. Its intellectual ground is a real historical argument: the teaching of the Joseon thinker Jeong Yeo-rip, who held that all men are equal and was accused of treason for it, sits behind the story. The swordplay is staged in long takes and the crowds in the battle scenes are genuinely crowds. It opened the Busan International Film Festival on 2 October 2024 and reached Netflix nine days later. Who it is for: viewers who like Korean historical film and stories of class conflict. Who it is not for: anyone wanting a simple plot; this runs on many characters and many fronts.