The Treacherous

Set in Joseon-era Korea, The Treacherous centres on King Yeonsan, a ruler whose cruelty and appetite for pleasure leave the country at his mercy. He orders Im Sung-jae, a longtime associate who manages both the king and the business of the court, to gather young women from across the kingdom and train them as concubines for his own amusement. Among those brought to the palace is Dan-hee, who joins the selection with a private motive: she wants to get close enough to the throne to take revenge for her father's death. The search for candidates angers the wider population, and the competition among the women becomes part of the court's darker dealings.

Min Kyu-dong directed and co-wrote the film with Lee Yoon-Seong, following his 2012 title All About My Wife; his next feature, The Old Woman with the Knife, came a decade later. Ju Ji-hoon plays Im Sung-jae, Kim Kang-woo appears as Prince Yeonsan, and Im Ji-yeon is Dan-hee, with Lee You-young, Cheon Ho-jin and Cha Ji-yeon among the credited cast of 28.

Released in 2015, the historical crime drama runs 133 minutes and took about 7 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 6.1 out of 10 from roughly 2,600 votes, and on TMDB it sits at the same score from a much smaller pool of 92 votes.