The Pirates (2014 film)

The Pirates ( "Pirates: Bandits Going to the Sea") is a 2014 South Korean period adventure film starring Son Ye-jin and Kim Nam-gil.

A standalone sequel, titled The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, was released in theaters on January 26, 2022.

Plot
On the eve of the founding of the Joseon Dynasty, a whale swallows the Ming Emperor's Seal of State being brought to Joseon by envoys from China. With a big reward on whoever brings back the royal seal, mountain bandits led by Jang Sa-jung go out to sea to hunt down the whale. But he soon clashes with Yeo-wol, a female captain of pirates, and unexpected adventure unfolds.

Main

 * Son Ye-jin as Yeo-wol
 * Lee Do-yeon as young Yeo-wol ; He was born in an environment where his father was a pirate and his mother was a haenyeo, but his mother was killed and became a pirate due to his father's pirate activities.
 * Kim Nam-gil as Jang Sa-jung

Pirates

 * Lee Geung-young as So-ma
 * Shin Jung-geun as Yong-gap
 * Choi Sulli as Heuk-myo
 * Lee Yi-kyung as Cham-bok
 * Kim Kyeong-sik as Subforeman

Bandits

 * Yoo Hae-jin as Chul-bong
 * Kim Won-hae as Choon-seop
 * Park Chul-min as Monk
 * Jo Dal-hwan as San-man
 * Kim Won-joong as Catfish
 * Song Yong-ho as Snakehead
 * Moon Seong-bok as Eel
 * Jeon Won-gyu as Pine cone
 * Lee Jae-ho as Cudgel
 * Kim Jae-hak as Straw

Joseon officials

 * Kim Tae-woo as Mo Heung-gap
 * Oh Dal-su as Han Sang-jil
 * Jo Hee-bong as Oh Man-ho
 * Jung Sung-hwa as Park Mo
 * Ahn Nae-sang as Jeong Do-jeon
 * Lee Dae-yeon as Yi Seong-gye

Others

 * Jeon Bae-soo as Baek Seon-gi
 * Park Hae-soo as Hwang Joong-geun
 * Lee Gyu-ho as Mool-gom
 * Kim Ian as Baek Chi

Domestic
The Pirates sold 272,858 tickets during its first two days of release, placing second on the box office chart behind The Admiral: Roaring Currents. After 17 days in theaters, it became the third Korean film in 2014 to reach 5 million admissions. At the end of its run, the film reached 8,665,269 admissions, and also grossed US$64,414,955.

International
Lotte Entertainment pre-sold The Pirates to 15 countries at the 2014 Cannes Film Market.

Reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics and currently holds a 57% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Martin Tsai of The Los Angeles Times described the film as a "derivative trove of swashbuckling action, romance, comedy, special effects and revisionist history" which contains typical Hollywood devices, while Nicolas Rapold of The New York Times notes that "Neither the action nor the comedy in this action comedy is consistently strong." Frank Scheck of The Hollywood Reporter criticizes the film for its "endless slapstick fight scenes" and the film's special effects but praised the underwater scenes with the whales which he says have a "hauntingly ethereal quality."

Sequel
A sequel of the film titled as The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure, directed by Kim Jeong-hoon, produced with new cast of Kang Ha-neul and Han Hyo-joo was released on January 26, 2022 by Lotte Entertainment.