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King and the Clown

King and the Clown

Drama · History · Thriller · 2005

Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.

Movie details

King and the Clown

“Forbidden desire, sumptuous tragedy.”

2005 Drama · History · Thriller 2h 1m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

Two clowns living in Korea's Chosun Dynasty get arrested for staging a play that satirizes the king. They are dragged to the palace and threatened with execution but are given a chance to save their lives if they can make the king laugh.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over King and the Clown?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Where it lives

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

Lee Joon-ik

Written by

Choi Seok-hwan

Kam Woo-sung

Kam Woo-sung

Jang-sang

Lee Joon-gi

Lee Joon-gi

Gong-gil

Jung Jin-young

Jung Jin-young

King Yeonsan

Kang Sung-yeon

Kang Sung-yeon

Jang Nok-su

Yoo Hai-jin

Yoo Hai-jin

Yuk-gab

Jang Hang-seon

Jang Hang-seon

Cheo-sun

Jeong Seok-yong

Jeong Seok-yong

Chil-duk

Court is in session

Put King and the Clown on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Auteur Devotee

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.