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Audio Format: DD 5.1 Surround, DD 2.0 Stereo Video Format: Widescreen 1.85:1 (Anamorphic) Languages: Korean, Thai Subtitles: English, Thai Region Code: ALL, PAL Year Made: 2004 Running Time: 120
Please note: Please verify that PAL formatted DVD will play on your machine prior to purchasing this title. (PAL TV and DVD players required.)
The Best Selling Films of 2004 (to October 1)
Domestic Films Nationwide Seoul Release Weeks
1. "Taegukgi" 11,721,878 3,501,922 Feb 5 13
2. "My Little Bride" 3,141,400 876,600 Apr 2 8
3. "Once Upon a Time in HS" 3,014,324 1,020,869 Jan 16 6
4. "Fighter in the Wind" 2,276,562 609,936 Aug 12 4*
5. "Windstruck" 2,229,000 687,600 Jun 3 4
6. "The Big Swindle" 2,147,300 778,800 Apr 15 7
7. "Arahan" 2,069,776 755,033 Apr 30 7
8. "True Romance" 2,147,135 573,400 Jul 23 4
9. "The President's Barber" 2,005,041 669,330 May 5 5
10. "Sicily, 2km" 1,854,868 502,363 Aug 12 4*
 `Paramui Paito (Fighter in the Wind)???? is based on the events in the life of legendary Korean martial artist Choi Bae-dal. Or more precisely, the film is based on the comic book based on the martial artist??s life _ a difference that can be felt throughout this entertaining but factually suspect movie.
The first of a handful of local films about famous Koreans who lived during the Japanese occupation period, ``Fighter in the Wind???? tells of the early part of Choi??s life, how he sneaked into Japan in the late 1930s in hopes of becoming a pilot, joined the martial arts community there, and after training by himself in the mountains for 18 months, came down to become the top fighter of that country.
The film offers a seemingly sentimentalized version of the same story, especially playing up the outsider aspect of Choi??s experiences, of his being a Korean in Japanese society. Given the story??s xenophobic elements, which include evil yakuzas exploiting Koreans, it will be interesting to see how a Japanese audience responds to the film when it gets released there as planned.
"Fighter in the Wind," is about a legendary Korean man who fought 47 bulls and defeated numerous karate experts in Japan. The plot is based largely on a famous cartoon series by Bang Hak-ki, featuring Choi Bae-dal (1922-1994), a real life figure who moved to Japan during the colonial period and established himself as a much-admired karate fighter by founding a new version of the martial arts form called "Kyokushin Karate."
In 1934, 11-year-old Bae-dal (Yang Dong-geun) watches his father's farmhand, Bum-soo, fighting with Japanese officials in the market in Gimjae, Korea. He admires Bum-soo's fighting skills and starts to learn to fight.
Seven years later, 18-year-old Bae-dal smuggles himself into Japan to enroll in an aviation school but instead finds himself being forced into the Kamikaze program. He resists and fights with the Japanese instructor, Kato, who is a karate master and captain of the program.
Bae-dal is shamefully defeated and earns Kato's scorn. His pride deeply hurt, he determines to get stronger and learn real fighting skills. He happens to meet Bum-soo again and obtains a copy of Musashi Miyamoto's "Book of Five Rings," a book detailing techniques on how to fight and survive.
The encounter with Bum-soo is a turning point for Bae-dal. He begins to wander the streets at night, saving women and others from bullies and robbers. A romance is inserted into the plot when Bum-soo rescues Youko (Aya Hirayama), a beautiful geisha, from some ill-mannered American soldiers.
However, Bae-dal can't become complacent. His master, Bum-soo, is brutally killed by a Japanese mob. Filled with anger and desire for revenge, Bae-dal goes to the mountains and commits himself to intense self-training.
Now, all the factors are in place for a numbing series of fight scenes as Bae-dal finishes his training and embarks on a journey to fight and defeat top martial arts masters across Japan.
Actor Yang, as has been widely publicized, seems to have spent much time practicing martial arts in order to make the fight scenes as authentic as possible. His performance as the action hero Bae-dal deserves some praise because he did all the fight scenes himself, without relying on special effects or a stuntman.
For all the impressive action scenes, however, the audience may find it a bit hard to understand why Bae-dal is so obsessed with fighting, and especially trying to conquer all the famous martial arts masters of Japan.
Director Yang Yun-ho has included some scenes designed to evoke nationalism on the part of Koreans, but they are not enough to justify Bae-dal's peculiar acts. Some audience members - perhaps those in their 30s or older - may understand the underlying reasons thanks to having read the cartoon series in the past, but teens and twenty-somethings are likely to wonder who Bae-dal really is and what's behind his obsession.
"I fear fighting. I have a fear of losing, and I have a fear of becoming crippled while fighting," Bae-dal says repeatedly. This remark gives Bae-dal a human side, helping the relatively simple characterization.
``Fighter's best moments hint at the moral complexity of films like ``Raging Bull, Martin Scorcese??s boxing masterpiece. At first, Choi??s motivation to become Japan??s best fighter seems to be connected to righting injustices felt by Koreans in Japan, but as he travels to martial arts schools enduring punishment after punishment, it becomes less clear as to what he is trying to prove.
But such insights are all too brief in the film, which is so heavy on the melodrama and action that it??s difficult to take too seriously. By the end, the story resembles a kung fu film from Hong Kong, complete with a geisha girlfriend (Ara Hirayama), who tries to turn Choi into a lover not a fighter, and elder statesmen of the Japanese martial arts community who will go to any lengths to keep a Korean from becoming Japan??s best. It??s not the most inventive of plots, but the film keeps it entertaining throughout.
Singer and actor Bi (Rain) was initially cast for the lead role of Choi but had to pull out due to schedule conflicts. It??s a good thing too, for the rail-thin pop singer wouldn??t have been able to take the physical punishment the role required.
Instead, we get Yang Dong-geun, a burly actor who plays the part to near perfection. It??s refreshing to see this young and talented actor take on a substantial role for a change, and he brings to ``Fighter' the necessary savagery and physical presence to make it work.
Mas Oyama's Brief History
 July 27th, 1923, born in Southern Korea.
Learns Chinese Fist of Chakuriki in the land of Manchuria. He was 9 years old.
1938, becomes student under Master Gichin Funakoshi of Shotokan Karate.
1946, enters the mountain for training.
1947, becomes the champion of All Japan Karate-do Tournament.
He studies Goju-ryu Karate extensively under Master Gogen Yamaguchi, and becomes Vice Chairman in the organization, holding 9th Dan degree.
1948, enters the mountain alone for 18 months of training.
1950, starts training against the live bulls, living beside the cattle butchery. Out of 47 bulls, 4 killed in instant.
1952, visits America for Karate instructions and demonstrations in 32 locations. Has 7 times of real matches.
1953, visits America, he fights against a bull in Chicago, where he breaks its horn by Shuto strike (knife hand).
1955, goes all around South America and Europe with Bepford Davy, President of Chrysler Corp. He fights numerous mix matches.
 1956, starts small Oyama Dojo at an old ballet studio.
1957, fights against a bull in Mexico City.
1958 January, publishes "What is Karate" which becomes a best seller of 500,000 copies.September, invited by FBI in Washington D.C. for Karate instructions and demonstrations.October, invited by West Point Military Academy for Karate instructions and demonstrations.
1964, Thai Boxing challenges Karate-do, where Oyama Dojo alone accepts. 3 matches 2 wins.
1971, though a popular comic book series "Karate Baka Ichidai," and the movie "World's Strongest Karate" in 1975, his name and of Kyokushin become known all over Japan.
1975, helds Kyokushin Kai's First World Karate-do Open Tournament.
April 26, 1994. Dies of lung cancer at the age of 70.
In addition to described above, he visits elsewhere researching and fighing real matches against other Martial Arts of the world. Kyokushin as the largest Karate organization, he has students numbered 12,000,000 in 140 nations worldwide. He is also noted for starting the Full-Contact, Bare-Knuckle tournament system.
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