Masquerade

"15 days lost to history."

2012 2h 11m KO

🙌

7.7

BANGER

★7.7TMDB · 179

DramaHistory

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Though it places his own life in danger, a look-alike commoner secretly takes the place of a poisoned king to save his country from falling into chaos.

“15 days lost to history.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Lee Byung-hun
King Gwang-hae / Clown Ha-sun
Ryu Seung-ryong
Chief Secretary Heo-gyun
Han Hyo-joo
Queen Joong-jun
Kim In-kwon
Warrior Do
Jang Kwang
Eunuch
Shim Eun-kyung
Court Lady Sa-wol
Park Ji-a
Lady Han
Shin Jung-keun
Lee Jeong-rang

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Choo Chang-min
Writers: Lee Yoon-ho, Hwang Jo-yoon
Languages: Korean
Countries: South Korea

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 14 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Choo Chang-min, shot by Lee Tae-yoon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mowg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Nam Na-young shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Lee Byung-hun and Ryu Seung-ryong and Han Hyo-joo carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "15 days lost to history.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt2290840 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Choo Chang-min directs. Lee Tae-yoon behind the camera. Mowg scores. Nam Na-young cuts. Produced in South Korea. Dialogue in Korean.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 14 years ago.
2Directed by Choo Chang-min, shot by Lee Tae-yoon. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mowg. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Nam Na-young shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Lee Byung-hun and Ryu Seung-ryong and Han Hyo-joo carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "15 days lost to history.".
7IMDB entry: tt2290840 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 12 themes, including "politics", "royalty", "body double", "impostor".

The technical file

Cinematography: Lee Tae-yoon
Original score: Mowg
Editing: Nam Na-young
Production design: Oh Heung-seok
Costume design: Im Jeong-hui
Makeup / hair: Cho Tae-hee
VFX supervisor: Baek Sang-hoon
Runtime: 131 min · 2h 11m
Status: Released
Original language: KO
Certification (US): 14 anos
IMDB: Masquerade (2012)

Also by

Choo Chang-min

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

Viajecito2012-09-18
A commoner becoming the king is a theme that's all too familiar to us. The story was told in <The Prince and The Pauper> and this film takes the idea from that and takes it to the 16th-century Joseon Dynasty. The king is the tragic historic figure of Kwanghae. The commoner who becomes the King realizes just what it takes to be a good king. Although the premise may feel like it’s based on real events in history, but the film is a work of fiction. LEE Byung-hun plays both the king and the commoner and it's his first role in a historical drama since his debut. His queen, who loves her king despite realizing that he's a fake, is played by HAN Hyo-joo who showed great potential in <Only You>. The movie is directed by CHOO Chang-min whose other works include <Mapado> and <Lost in Love> and the writer HWANG Jo-yeon co-wrote <Old Boy>.

Production companies