Don't watch this for the romance. The title isn't just about the King. Every single character betrays someone else by the 45-minute mark. The swordsman betrays his morals. The wife betrays her husband (depending on how you read the scenes). The concubines betray each other.
Here’s my honest take after finally watching this film based on its IMDB summary.
If you scroll far enough down the rabbit hole of “under-the-radar historical thrillers” on IMDB, you’ll eventually stumble upon (2015). With a 6.3/10 rating and a poster that screams “expensive Korean period drama,” you might expect something along the lines of Masquerade or The Throne . You would be half right. The other half is a fever dream of flaying, obsession, and the most unhinged king ever put to screen. the treacherous 2015 imdb
★★½ (But I can’t stop thinking about it)
Have you seen The Treacherous ? Drop your IMDB hot take in the comments below. Don't watch this for the romance
By the end credits, I wasn't sure who I was supposed to root for. Usually, that’s a sign of complex writing. Here, it just felt like narrative exhaustion.
The Treacherous (2015): Lavish, Brutal, and Utterly Exhausting – An IMDB Deep Dive The swordsman betrays his morals
Set during the reign of King Yeonsan — historically known as Korea’s most tyrannical ruler — the film follows a twisted love triangle. Im Sung-jae (Ju Ji-hoon) is a master swordsman and artist. King Yeonsan (Kim Kang-woo) is a paranoid, pleasure-addicted lunatic. When the King sees a portrait of Im’s wife, he must have her. But this isn't just a simple "take the girl" story. Im agrees to become the King’s right-hand man to get revenge, resulting in a spiral of beheadings, betrayals, and shocking violence.
