I'm FURIOUS after seeing the rating of this movie. Nobody can call this movie 'average'. Historical facts are researched well; all characters' stories are fully developed; all actors actualize historical figures on the screen 'phenomenally'; mise-en-scene is traditionally artistic.
I especially want to point out that the effort of the director and the writer to develop all main characters' story fully so the audience can learn and really feel thoughts, emotions, and motivation making up this historical event. The son went crazy ignoring the duty of the prince and presenting eccentric behaviors. The father pressures his son in anyway possible to the point of madness and eventually kills him. It's difficult to understand the behavior of either one. However, the movie explains it all and persuades the audience. The father loved his country more than his son. The son went crazy because he thought he could not make anyone be proud of him. It was beyond sadness, almost aching to understand the responsibility and burden of the throne.
Song Gang-ho and Yoo Ah-in's acting .... makes me speechless. No words can describe how talented they are in this movie. Both the king and the prince are not easy to portray, but their actualization on the screen is magnificent.