[Movie Review] "I Am A King"

"I Am a King" is a movie based on the fairytale "The King and The Beggar" about a king and a beggar who look the same, switching places. "I Am a King" was released on the 8th and is the Chosun version of the "The King and The Beggar".

In the accounts of history, the movie grew from the fact that general Chungnyeong before he became King Sejong, read books until his butt was sore and was a timid and weak character who didn't like to go outside. This movie talks about the three months that wasn't recorded down in history after general Chungnyeong was installed as prince until he rose to the throne.

The movie is based on historical background but the characters of Chungnyeong and the beggar Deok-chil are based on imagination and were emphasized comically. The main point of the movie is that a king and a beggar became each other overnight.

Tae-jong (Park Yeong-gyoo) chooses Chungnyeong (Joo Ji-hoon) as the prince instead of Yangnyeong (Baek Do-bin), his eldest son who was into wine, women and gambling. Threatened by Yangnyeong that he was to leave the palace until the day of the throne, Chungnyeong can't take the pressure and one night goes over the walls of the palace.

He then meets the beggar who looks just like him. Drunken Deok-chil had been chasing after his crush (Lee Honey) as he saw her being taken into the palace as the daughter of a traitor until he passed out by the walls. He is then taken to warrior Hwang-gu (Kim Soo-ro) mistaken for Chungnyeong. Hwang-gu discovers Deok-chil's identity but he puts him out as a replacement for Chungnyeong.

A king becoming a beggar and a beggar becoming a king overnight is indeed an interesting subject. The grafting of the familiar King Sejong is outstanding and the story doesn't seemed force but funny.

However, as the movie draws into the later half, it starts becoming morale and gets boring. There a limit to depending on the character and plan-out of the movie. Joo Ji-hoon tries to pull of 2 roles but he didn't manage to keep the distance between two very different characters. Supporting actors Park Yeong-gyoo, Im Won-hee, Baek Yoon-sik and Kim Soo-ro add to the comedy to make in fun. Director Jang Gyoo-seong attempted at a historical for the first time in his life.