The Pirates () 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.
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 Pirates 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
Bandits 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
Joseon officials 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
Others 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 .
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.
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Recipient Result2014 Best Actress Son Ye-jin Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin Best Cinematography Kim Young-ho Best Art Direction Kim Ji-a Best Costume Design Kwon Yu-jin, Im Seung-hee Best Lighting Hwang Soon-wook Technical Award (sound) Lee Seung-yup 15th Busan Film Critics Awards Best Actor Lee Geung-young 22nd Korea Culture and Entertainment Awards Best Film The Pirates Best DirectorLee Seok-hoon Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin Best Art Direction Kim Ji-a Technical Award Kang Jong-ik (visual effects) 1st Korean Film Producers Association Awards Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin Technical Award Kang Jong-ik (visual effects) 2015 Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin 10th Max Movie Awards Best Actress Son Ye-jin Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin Technical Award Best Visual Effects Kang Jong-ik Best Actress Son Ye-jin Best Supporting Actor Yoo Hae-jin
References
External links
The Pirates at Lotte Entertainment