At first glance
, it se
ems like
an ordinary spo
rts movie b
ased on Kend
o. Jaewoo, w
ho joins the
national
team selec
tion pro
cess, is treat
ed as a so
on-to-be elimi
nated player
from the fir
st day. H
owever, IRON M
ASK does
not simply
follow the t
ypical sports m
ovie formula
. It sets th
e tension
high early
on, by sho
wcasing a
n intense confr
ontation bet
ween Jaew
oo and the unb
eatable top-
ranked
player,
Taesu. From th
ere, it gradu
ally reveals wh
y Jaewoo
is there,
peeling
away the laye
rs of his
story like
an onion. Thus
, the fil
m expand
s beyond being
just a sport
s movie and
veers i
nto sharp p
sychological d
rama. The sha
rpness of J
aewoo’s em
otions is vivid
ly reflecte
d in his Kend
o, whil
e also represen
ting the chall
enges he must
unrave
l in hi
s life. T
he ending is
quite thou
ght-pro
voking.
The captivating
cinematograph
y exudes th
e excitement
of Kendo
matches
in an electrify
ing way, makin
g IRON M
ASK worthy
of note.
(Rhana
JANG)　　A
t first glance
, it s
eems like
an ordi
nary sport
s movie b
ased on Kend
o. Jaewoo,
who joi
ns the n
ati