God of War (Mushin) 2012

All ambitious men pursue power and the women they love. After accomplishing these pursuits, all that remains is their legacy after death... 500 years before the Shogunate ruled feudal Japan, Goryeo also had a strong military establishment that ruled country for 100 years instead of a king. Especially, the Choe clan ruled Goryeo for 60 years in place of Goryeo kings. It was Kim Jun, a slave and family retainer to the Choe clan, who ended the Choe clan’s power to become the most powerful man in the kingdom. There were few cases in history where a slave was able to rise to a position of power and authority. However, as described above, Kim Jun stole his master’s love and reached the highest position in the Goryeo royal court to rule the entire kingdom. This drama is inspired by historical facts recorded in the Annals of the Goryeo Dynasty and tells a story about courageous men.

Directors: Kim Jin-Min, Kim Heung-Dong

Stars: Kim Ju-Hyeok, Kim Gyu-Ri, Jung Bo-Suk, Park Sang-Min

JDramaMama's Rating: C-

This drama series left a lot to be desired as far as I was concerned. The main character played by Kim Jin-Min, who is the actor of the one facial expression, was not very interesting. The female lead played by Kim Heung-Dong was overly aggressive in her pursuit of the slave who would eventually rule the country, even to the point of poisoning her husband which ultimately ended in her having to drink poison. Too many loyal generals and servants were murdered by the king's bastard sons with no redemption. This was frustrating to watch. The whole series had a rather dark, gloomy overcast to it. Watching this for 56 episodes was a bit like torture. For me, once was definitely enough. (I would have given it a D rating if not for the action scenes.)

#KDrama #action #historical