The Pirates (Korean: 해적: 바다로 간 산적; lit. 'Pirates: Bandits Going to the Sea') is a 2014 South Korean period adventure film directed by Lee Seok-hoon, and starring Son Ye-jin and Kim Nam-gil. The film was released in South Korea on August 6, 2014 by Lotte Entertainment. It has grossed over $64 million worldwide.
A standalone sequel, titled The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, was released in theaters on January 26, 2022.
Contents
Plot
On the eve of the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, a whale swallows the Ming Emperor's Seal of State being brought to Joseon by envoys from China. With a big reward on whoever brings back the royal seal, mountain bandits led by Jang Sa-jung go out to sea to hunt down the whale. But he soon clashes with Yeo-wol, a female captain of pirates, and unexpected adventure unfolds.
Cast
Main
Son Ye-jin as Yeo-wol
Lee Do-yeon as young Yeo-wol; She was born in an environment where her father was a pirate and her mother was a haenyeo, but her mother was killed and became a pirate due to her father's pirate activities.
Kim Nam-gil as Jang Sa-jung
Supporting
Lee Geung-young as So-ma
Shin Jung-geun as Yong-gap
Choi Sulli as Heuk-myo
Lee Yi-kyung as Cham-bok
Kim Kyeong-sik as Subforeman
Yoo Hae-jin as Chul-bong
Kim Won-hae as Choon-seop
Park Chul-min as Monk
Jo Dal-hwan as San-man
Kim Won-joong as Catfish
Song Yong-ho as Snakehead
Moon Seong-bok as Eel
Jeon Won-gyu as Pine cone
Lee Jae-ho as Cudgel
Kim Jae-hak as Straw
Kim Tae-woo as Mo Heung-gap
Oh Dal-su as Han Sang-jil
Jo Hee-bong as Oh Man-ho
Jung Sung-hwa as Park Mo
Ahn Nae-sang as Jeong Do-jeon
Lee Dae-yeon as Yi Seong-gye
Jeon Bae-soo as Baek Seon-gi
Park Hae-soo as Hwang Joong-geun
Lee Gyu-ho as Mool-gom
Kim Ian as Baek Chi
Release
Domestic
The Pirates sold 272,858 tickets during its first two days of release, placing second on the box office chart behind The Admiral: Roaring Currents. After 17 days in theaters, it became the third Korean film in 2014 to reach 5 million admissions. At the end of its run, the film reached 8,665,269 admissions, and also grossed US$64,414,955.
International
Lotte Entertainment pre-sold The Pirates to 15 countries at the 2014 Cannes Film Market.
Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics and currently holds a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Martin Tsai of The Los Angeles Times described the film as a "derivative trove of swashbuckling action, romance, comedy, special effects and revisionist history" which contains typical Hollywood devices, while Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times notes that "Neither the action nor the comedy in this action comedy is consistently strong." Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter criticizes the film for its "endless slapstick fight scenes" and the film's special effects but praised the underwater scenes with the whales which he says have a "hauntingly ethereal quality."
Sequel
A sequel of the film titled as The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, directed by Kim Jeong-hoon, produced with new cast of Kang Ha-neul and Han Hyo-joo was released on January 26, 2022 by Lotte Entertainment.
