Once Upon a Time in a Battlefield (황산벌

Hangul

Hangul,Pronounced or ; Korean: 한글 Hangeul/Han'gŭl or 조선글 Chosŏn'gŭl/Joseongeul the Korean alphabet, is the native alphabet of the Korean language. It is a separate script from Hanja, the logographic Chinese characters which are also sometimes used to write Korean...

 Hwangsanbul), is a Korean comedy

Comedy

Comedy , as a popular meaning, is any humorous discourse or work generally intended to amuse by creating laughter, especially in television, film, and stand-up comedy. This must be carefully distinguished from its academic definition, namely the comic theatre, whose Western origins are found in...

 movie of 2003. It was directed by Lee Jun-ik

Lee Jun-ik

Lee Jun-ik is a South Korean movie director, producer and actor specialising in commercial historic movies and responsible for The King and the Clown; the highest grossing Korean film of 2005.-Director:...

. Its plot is about the Battle of Hwangsanbeol

Battle of Hwangsanbeol

Battle of Hwangsanbeol was a battle that took place between forces of Silla and Baekje in 660.By the time King Muyeol was able to gain the support of Emperor Gaozong of Tang China, King Uija had led Baekje into demise as his parties and dissipation caused neglect for state affairs...

 between Baekje

Baekje

Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....

 and Silla

Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

 in the 7th century. Its popularity has spawned a sequel, titled Battlefield Heroes

Battlefield Heroes (film)

Battlefield Heroes is a 2011 South Korean action comedy directed by Lee Joon-ik. The film is a sequel to the 2003 film Once Upon a Time in a Battlefield and stars Jeong Jin-yeong, Lee Mun-shik, Ryu Seung-ryong. The film is set in 668 and chronicles the war between the southern Korean state of...

, which debuted in 2011, and takes place in the subsequent Silla-Tang invasion of Goguryeo.

Plot

The movie starts out with a meeting between the rulers of Baekje

Baekje

Baekje or Paekche was a kingdom located in southwest Korea. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla....

, Silla

Silla

Silla was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, and one of the longest sustained dynasties in...

, Tang China

Tang Dynasty

The Tang Dynasty was an imperial dynasty of China preceded by the Sui Dynasty and followed by the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period. It was founded by the Li family, who seized power during the decline and collapse of the Sui Empire...

, and Goguryeo

Goguryeo

Goguryeo or Koguryŏ was an ancient Korean kingdom located in present day northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula, southern Manchuria, and southern Russian Maritime province....

. They are arguing why the Korean southern kingdoms have to pay tribute to China, even though Tang is only 50 years old. The king of Silla sides with the King of Tang. The movie flashes forward to the scene in which Baekje soldiers rush to the king with ill news of Silla and Tang allying together, bringing an army of 50,000 soldiers. The Baekje council discusses battle

Battle

Generally, a battle is a conceptual component in the hierarchy of combat in warfare between two or more armed forces, or combatants. In a battle, each combatant will seek to defeat the others, with defeat determined by the conditions of a military campaign...

 plans. But in the end, all of the officials run away out of cowardice

Cowardice

Cowardice is the perceived failure to demonstrate sufficient mental robustness and courage in the face of a challenge. Under many military codes of justice, cowardice in the face of combat is a crime punishable by death...

. The king of Baekje calls for the great warrior, Kyebaek. He accepts the offer to protect his country after three glasses of wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

. Kaebaek is forced to kill his family in fear of something worse happening to them.