The Restless falls in with recent martial arts epics like The Promise and The Banquet as films that offer plenty of eye candy, yet miss the mark when it comes to a satisfying story.
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"The Restless" is a big-budget, martial arts fantasy that was released in its native South Korea over the Christmas season. The film was a flop at the box office. It seems the audience was more sophisticated than the filmmakers gave them credit for. They were probably looking for more than just elaborate action set pieces and dazzling special effects. Kudos to them.
"The Restless" stars Jung Woo-sung who was also the lead in the similar, but much superior, "Musa: The Warrior." Jung plays, Yi Gwak, a wandering vagabond and sole survivor of a band of warriors called the Royal Demon Slayers. Yi Gwak saves a helpless girl from a band of monsters and is welcomed with open arms by the villagers. However, desperate for money, they have drugged Yi Gwak´s wine in order to turn him in for the bounty on his head. Yi Gwak escapes and somehow awakens in a fantastic city in the realm of Midheaven.
Midheaven is a way station for souls. After 49 days, they can return to the land of the living through reincarnation. To everyone´s shock, Yi Gwak is still alive and shouldn´t be there at all. Before anyone can figure out what´s going on, Midheaven´s protectors, the White Reapers, ride into the city followed by a vicious army of demons. The White Reapers are led by a beautiful maiden named So-hwa (Kim Tae-hee) who looks exactly like Yi Gwak´s wife, Yon-hwa. In fact, she is Yon-hwa, in a fashion. Yi Gwak has the ability to see ghosts, but his power caused the people of his village to believe his wife was a witch. She was burned alive and, in the afterlife, became a Guneen, a spirit freed from all memory of their past life. But, wait, there´s more.
Turns out the leaders of the demon army are actually Yi Gwak´s former comrades of Royal Demon Slayers. We learn that following Yon-hwa´s death, Yi Gwak was taken in by the group and their commander, Ban-chu (Heo Jun-ho), who suffered a similar tragedy. His wife committed suicide after being raped by a pair of aristocrats. In revenge, Ban-chu and his followers attempt a coup d´état against the ruling class, but are cut down by a rain of arrows. Now that they´re dead, the Demon Slayers are more powerful than ever. Although, it's never explained how or why. Ban-chu´s inner circle consists of Hyo, a beautiful woman who carries a torch for our hero, and a pair of brothers who can shoot chains out of their backs. Think Dr. Octopus by way of Scorpion from "Mortal Kombat." Together, they seek the Holy Stone that is being safeguarded by So-hwa and is willing to destroy all of Midheaven. If Midheaven should fall, then no souls would be able to pass on into heaven or reincarnate to Earth. Why does Ban-chu need the Holy Stone? I´m not entirely sure. He´s either trying to prevent death or looking to open a portal to Earth for his minions.
"The Restless" is one of those bombastic fantasy films with all kinds of crazy ideas that are hard to grasp. There´s also a mention of a Pool of Reflection that can control the phases of the moon or something. I think that´s what it was supposed to be. Of course, with all these fantastical elements, come endless chunks of exposition. The main story in the present is broken up with a series of flashbacks that reveal Yi Gwak´s back story. "The Restless" really reminds me of "Legend of Zu." That film also featured plenty of special effects and high flying martial arts and was completely incomprehensible. "Restless" isn´t nearly as confusing, but it does feel like the filmmakers tried to pack in way too much into their script.
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