Noryang: Deadly Sea

Noryang: Deadly Sea takes place in December 1598, as the seven-year Imjin War nears its end. Admiral Yi Sun-shin learns that the Japanese forces in Joseon intend to withdraw quickly after their leader Toyotomi Hideyoshi issues orders from his deathbed. Rather than let them escape, Yi assembles a combined Joseon and Ming fleet to block their route and destroy the retreating army. When the Ming commander Chen Lin is bribed and the blockade is broken, the Japanese lord Shimazu Yoshihiro and his Satsuma troops move to rescue their countrymen, setting up a decisive naval confrontation in the Noryang Strait.

The film is directed by Kim Han-min, who also wrote the screenplay with Yoon Hong-gi and Lee Na-ra. It follows his earlier treatments of the same historical figure: War of the Arrows (2011), The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014), Hansan: Rising Dragon (2022) and 한산 리덕스 (2022). Kim Yoon-seok plays Admiral Yi Sun-shin, with Baek Yoon-sik as Shimazu Yoshihiro, Jung Jae-young as Chen Lin, Heo Joon-ho as Deng Zilong, Kim Sung-kyu as Junsa and Lee Kyoo-hyung as Arima Harunobu, among 40 credited cast members.

Released in December 2023, the film runs 153 minutes. It was produced on a budget of about 40 million USD and took roughly 34 million USD worldwide, so it did not recover its cost at the box office. On IMDb it holds 6.3/10 from 1,300 votes, and on TMDB 6.4/10 from 166 votes, indicating a modest audience response.