The Swordsman

Set in the Joseon dynasty following a political coup, the story follows Tae-yul, a former elite swordsman living in isolation with his daughter, Tae-ok. As Tae-yul suffers from failing eyesight due to past injuries, his daughter seeks a cure for him. However, she is captured by slave traders from the Qing Empire led by Gurutai, a warrior seeking a worthy opponent. To save his daughter and confront his past, Tae-yul must return to combat.

Directed and written by Choi Jae-hoon, this action drama was the first of two films he directed before The Killer. The movie stars Jang Hyuk as Tae-yeul, Kim Hyun-soo as Tae-ok, and Joe Taslim as Gurutai, with a total credited cast of 34 people. Produced by Opus Pictures, Kiwi Media Group, and The Wave E&m, the film earned 2 million USD at the worldwide box office.

The movie is generally well-received by audiences, holding a rating of 6.8/10 on IMDb from 6,300 votes and 7.5/10 on TMDB from 296 votes. These audience scores are slightly higher than the rating of 6.4/10 provided by film critics based on 14 reviews.