As class critiques go, Hwang Dong-hyuk's The Fortress is a devastatingly effective one. This retelling of the 17th century Qing dynasty's invasion of Korea portrays the ruling class as one almost entirely out of touch with the commonfolk; a group of backstabbing lords more committed to appearances (fancy clothes, calvary etiquette, the overall hierarchy) then they are to the people and culture that they're supposedly representing. King Injo (Park Hae-il) is guided by a roomful of ass-kissers and the only two brave enough to speak their opposing truths are the reconciliatory diplomat Choi Myung-gil (Lee Byung-hun) and the military advisor Kim Sang-heon (Kim Yoon-seok) who places integrity higher than life itself. Each man is persuasive in his way yet you begin to suspect that neither is ultimately right.
For as the voice of the people, blacksmith Seo Nal-soi (Go Soo) is able to recognize that these gents are ultimately arguing for a world that still treats the majority of men as war fodder. As such, Seo isn't so much an agitator out to change the system so much as he is someone self-aware enough to recognize that the structure is rotten to its core. Also worth mentioning is orphan girl Naru (Cho Ah-in). This waif — tossed from grandfather to grandfather's murderer to pragmatic metalworker — serves as a powerful reminder that if we're not serving our children's futures with our costly battles then what are we fighting for?
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