“Memories of the Sword” is set to hit the big screen next month, intensifying summer box office competition with “Assassination,” “Veteran,” “The Beauty Inside” and the Hollywood blockbuster “Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation.”

Starring a stellar ensemble cast of actor Lee Byung-hun, actresses Jeon Do-yeon and Kim Go-eun and directed by Park Heung-sik, the film is a martial arts epic about a man of humble beginnings (Yu-baek, played by Lee) who uses his swordsmanship and cunning betrayal to gain power in the royal court. 

Years after his initial betrayal, he is hunted by two women who were victims of his actions -- the blind swordswoman Wol-so (Jeon) and her protege Hong-yi (Kim), who trains herself to take revenge on her parents’ killers.

The film has been creating a buzz not only for its all-star cast but also because it is the first domestic film starring Lee Byung-hun since a scandal. Last year, the actor was blackmailed by two young women who taped him allegedly making inappropriate comments to them and behaving untowardly.

The movie was initially slated for release last December, but had to be pushed back due to the backlash from Lee’s scandal.

“To be honest, I’m not a fan of martial arts epics,” Lee said at a news conference in Seoul on Friday ahead of the film’s Aug. 13 release. Adding that he did not want to do another historical film after “Masquerade” (2012) because of the difficulties stemming from historical makeup and costumes.

“But when I read the script, I loved the story. It has very strong drama.”

Actress Jeon agreed with Lee. “The drama was very appealing. I thought of it as a melodrama, because although Wol-so devotes her life to finding justice, she could not have been so determined if she hadn’t been in love.”

The action in the film is intense -- actress Kim said she had to do wire action on every one of her 80 days of filming -- but according to director Park, the true appeal of the film is in its characters.

“I thought that martial arts movies needed more density in their narrative,” Park said. “I paid more attention to the narrative in this film.”

“The audience will enjoy the film just watching the excellent performances of these three actors,” he added.

Jeon and Kim are two of the most sought-after actresses in Korea, both having made an appearance at the Cannes Film Festival this year for “The Shameless” and “Coin Locker Girl,” respectively.

By Won Ho-jung (hjwon@heraldcorp.com)