A series of high-ranking officials are being systematically eliminated by a sleek assassin and his female assistant, and arrogant master swordsman General Choi (Jo Jae-hyeon) is charged with putting an end to the carnage. During a previous time of political upheaval, the Clear Wind, Shining Moon martial arts school was caught in the middle and its members ruthlessly slaughtered. Top student Choi swore allegiance to the usurpers and was spared; now, his former friend, Yun (Choi Min-su) is exacting vengeance on behalf of the victims.

Like other South Korean pictures of this ilk from recent years, Kim Eui-suk’s SWORD IN THE MOON benefits from a large budget and lush cinematography. It is also another production to employ a Hong Kong action choreographer (in this case, Yuen Bun, assisted by Korean martial arts legend Kim Won-jin), though the combat here is built more around battlefield swordplay carnage than wire-enhanced stunts. Even with these assets, the film largely fails to engage, thanks to a needlessly awkward flashback structure and the near-incessant stoicism of the leads, neither of whom seem especially world-weary or conflicted. On the occasions when dramatic elements dominate, the tone is too melodramatic to be effective.

The mildly cropped 2.15:1 presentation is, alas, non-anamorphic but colorful and sufficiently vivid. However, the optional English subtitles are positioned under the picture, which means those with 16:9 monitors will not be able to enlarge the image to fill their screens. The dual-layer disc offers various audio options (Korean DD-5.1 or DTS, a Cantonese dub in 5.1, and a Mandarin version in 2.0 mono), with the original Korean sync sound versions the best choice in terms of authenticity, though both sound more limited and compressed than the better contemporary mixes. A collection of Tai Seng promo spots are the only supplements.