The Anarchists (2001)

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(82 ratings)

This historical action drama puts a modern-day spin on a story inspired by actual events from Korea's past. In 1924, the Japanese government has occupied both Korea and Shanghai, putting a stranglehold on political freedoms and imposing Japanese imperialism upon the people. A group of five… More This historical action drama puts a modern-day spin on a story inspired by actual events from Korea's past. In 1924, the Japanese government has occupied both Korea and Shanghai, putting a stranglehold on political freedoms and imposing Japanese imperialism upon the people. A group of five anarchists skilled in the martial arts -- lone wolf Seregay (Jang Dong-gun), impulsive master fighter Dol-Suk (Lee Bum-soo), sickly but fast-moving Han (Sang Jung Kim), philosophical Lee (Joon Ho Jung), and novice battler Sang-gu (Kim In-kwon) -- joins forces with a group of rebels fighting against Japanese tyranny. However, while the five anarchists soon prove their bravery in a series of terrorist actions against Japanese occupation forces, most of the rebels have embraced a socialist political philosophy, and when the anarchists refuse to follow suit, they are forced to strike out on their own. With nowhere else to turn, the anarchists take up a life of crime to support themselves as they strike out against Japanese authority, but soon they realize that their mission is doomed to fail and decide to go out in a final blaze of glory against a Japanese ship carrying a number of top officials. Along with Sandstorm, Anakiseuteu won the Audience Choice Award in its American premiere at the 2001 Cinequest San Jose Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Yong-sik Yu
Genres: Art House & International, Drama

In Theaters: Apr 29, 2000 Wide
On DVD: Apr 22, 2003

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Featured Audience Ratings

Justin Y

When it comes down to it, The Anarchists is a blend of a little bit of everything, which in turn becomes a good movie.The film takes place in Shanghai, sometime in the 1920s and it follows a group of Korean anarchists that terrorize the Japanese government.… More
When it comes down to it, The Anarchists is a blend of a little bit of everything, which in turn becomes a good movie.The film takes place in Shanghai, sometime in the 1920s and it follows a group of Korean anarchists that terrorize the Japanese government. It's funny because the plot and title really hint at ... a whole lot of anarchy. Well, this is not an all out explosive John Woo type film, although the beginning does hint at it with some decent gun and knife play.In fact, this movie feels like it has two parts. The first half of this hour and 50 minute action thriller gives a lot of focus and time to the character of Sergei. There is quite a bit of meat to the story and the beautiful female character of Kaneko livens up the screen. The second half focuses more on the other characters of the group and the story takes a dive for a good portion of it. Lucky for us, the ending picks it up again.Like I said before, the action isn't all over the place, but it does have its John Woo type of moments. Don't expect a Hard Boiled though.Dong-Kun Jang of, Tae Guk Gi fame, carries the first half of the film along with the lovely Ji-Won Ye. In-kwon Kim plays the so-called rookie of the group and also provides the narration throughout. The rest of the cast is good with Beom-su Lee being the most erratic.The Anarchists is not a perfect movie, but it is a decent watch if you have the time for it.