The South Korean historical action drama Uprising was released on October 11th, and has already climbed very high up the Netflix Top 10 Non-English Movies chart.
According to the latest data from Netflix, Uprising hit the #3 spot on the chart for the period of October 7th to October 13th just three days after it premiered.
The 2-hour-six-minute Korean war film got there due to having been viewed more than 7.5 million times, for a total viewing time of over 15.9 million hours.
Uprising was in the Top 10 Non-English Movies on Netflix in 58 countries, including most of Asia, half of Europe, Morocco, Nigeria and Reunion in Africa, New Caledonia in Oceania, and 14 countries in the Americas including Argentina, Brazil, Venezuela and Peru.
The film stars Kang Dong Won, Park Jeong Min, Kim Shin Rok, Jin Seon Kyu, Jung Sung Il, and Cha Seung Won, with a superb supporting cast that includes Jo Han Chul, Jeon Bae Soo, Lee Min Jae, Jeon Jin Oh, and Kang Gil Woo.
It is directed by Kim Sang Man (The Tenor Lirico Spinto and Midnight FM), and written by Park Chan Wook (Oldboy).
As one of South Korea’s most prominent film directors, Park would normally direct his own screenplay but, while Uprising was in the production stages, he was already busy directing the first three episodes of the hit black comedy drama The Sympathizer for HBO.
Hence, the direction by the equally talented Kim Sang Man.
The plot of Uprising
Set in the 16th century Joseon Dynasty, Uprising tells the story of two childhood friends, Jong Ryeo (Park Jeong Min) and Cheon Yeong (Gang Dong Won) who grow up together as master and servant.
After the Imjin War (1592-1598), they reunite as enemies on opposing sides, with Jong Ryeo fighting alongside King Seonjo’s forces and Cheon Yeong joining the Righteous Army.
You can watch Uprising now on Netflix.
And yep, it is a masterpiece and will likely be up for a slew of awards – both in Korea and internationally — very very soon.