Kundo: Age of the Rampant

Plot

The year is 1862. The late Joseon dynasty was a period of social and economic unrest in Korea, and it was also a time of great tyranny. Due to continuous natural disasters and poor harvests, poverty, hunger and death are rampant. The aristocracy rule the country and, concerned only with their own wealth, they exploit and persecute the poor.

In these turbulent times, a band of fighters named Kundo rise against the authorities. They raid corrupt officials, then share their loot with the vulnerable and impoverished. While the king stands powerless against them, Kundo becomes a figure of fear to undeserving nobles, and a ray of hope in the lives of long-suffering citizens. The members of Kundo believe that their cause is more important than their own lives.

In an era when one's status is decided by birth, Dolmuchi was born to a poor butcher, while Jo Yoon, though born into a powerful and wealthy family, is illegitimate. The two men strike a dangerous deal and Dolmuchi loses his mother and sister as a result. He is trampled by Jo Yoon who commands absolute power in his oppressive world. Bringing together the men who are on the fringes of this dark society, Dolmuchi is accepted as a member of Kundo and opens his eyes to the world. Reborn under the new name "Dolchi," he draws his sword out of its sheath and disperses the shadow cast on the poor and helpless. Then before him, the man who took away his family appears. Standing in front of Jo Yoon, Dolchi challenges his arch-enemy to a final duel.

Box office

Kundo: Age of the Rampant drew 551,848 viewers on its first day in theaters on July 23, 2014, grossing ₩4.08 billion (or US$3.997 million). This was the all-time highest opening day box office in South Korea, for both a foreign and domestic film, breaking previous records set by Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011) and Secretly, Greatly (2013) (Kundo's record would shortly be broken eight days later by The Admiral: Roaring Currents. It reached 3.1 million viewers in five days.