The Admiral: Roaring Currents
The film mainly follows the famous 1597 Battle of Myeongryang during the Japanese invasion of Korea (1592-1598), where the iconic Joseon admiral Yi Sun-sin managed to destroy a total of 31 of 133 Japanese warships with only 13 ships remaining in his command. The battle, which took place in the Myeongryang Strait off the southwest coast of the Korean Peninsula, is considered one of the greatest victories of Yi.
Despite its limited budget of $9.5M, The Admiral: Roaring Currents became a massive hit, earning $138.3M worldwide—a remarkable 1356% return. The film's compelling narrative found its audience, proving that strong storytelling can transcend budget limitations.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014) showcases meticulously timed narrative architecture, characteristic of Kim Han-min's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 6 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.6, the film showcases strong structural fundamentals.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Admiral Yi Sun-sin lies wounded and defeated after a crushing naval loss. His forces are decimated, his reputation shattered, and Korea faces imminent invasion by 330 Japanese warships.. Of particular interest, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 15 minutes when The King orders Yi to disband the navy and join ground forces. Yi faces the choice between obedience and certain national defeat, or defiance with 12 ships against 330.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 32 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to Yi declares: "I still have 12 ships remaining" and commits to face the Japanese fleet at Myeongryang. He actively chooses to fight despite orders, betting everything on strategy over numbers., moving from reaction to action.
At 63 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat The Japanese fleet appears - 330 ships filling the horizon. The false defeat: Yi's preparations seem meaningless against the overwhelming force. Stakes are raised as battle becomes inevitable., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 95 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Yi's flagship is surrounded, his nephew is mortally wounded, and several ships are on fire. The "whiff of death" - it appears all is lost and the sacrifice has been in vain., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 100 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. The tide literally turns in the strait - Yi's understanding of the sea (the theme) proves true. He realizes the currents will now work against the Japanese, synthesizing naval knowledge with desperate courage., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
The Admiral: Roaring Currents's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs systematic plot point analysis that identifies crucial turning points. By mapping The Admiral: Roaring Currents against these established plot points, we can identify how Kim Han-min utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish The Admiral: Roaring Currents within the action genre.
Kim Han-min's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Kim Han-min films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.2, reflecting strong command of classical structure. The Admiral: Roaring Currents represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Kim Han-min filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Kim Han-min analyses, see Paradise Murdered, Hansan: Rising Dragon and War of the Arrows.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Admiral Yi Sun-sin lies wounded and defeated after a crushing naval loss. His forces are decimated, his reputation shattered, and Korea faces imminent invasion by 330 Japanese warships.
Theme
A court official states: "One must know the sea to command it." The theme of understanding one's true strength through adversity and the strategic use of what little remains.
Worldbuilding
Establishing Yi's disgrace, his 12 remaining ships, the demoralized sailors, political pressure to disband the navy, the overwhelming Japanese fleet, and the strategic importance of the Myeongryang Strait.
Disruption
The King orders Yi to disband the navy and join ground forces. Yi faces the choice between obedience and certain national defeat, or defiance with 12 ships against 330.
Resistance
Yi debates whether to fight or retreat. He inspects his broken fleet, faces mutiny threats, recalls past victories, and receives counsel from officers. He struggles with doubt while preparing for impossible odds.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Yi declares: "I still have 12 ships remaining" and commits to face the Japanese fleet at Myeongryang. He actively chooses to fight despite orders, betting everything on strategy over numbers.
Mirror World
Yi reconnects with his sailors and officers on a personal level, sharing their fears and hopes. His nephew and loyal officers represent the human cost and bonds that make victory meaningful.
Premise
The "promise of the premise" - tactical preparation for naval warfare. Yi studies the strait's currents, positions ships strategically, trains crews, sets traps, and exploits knowledge of the narrow waterway.
Midpoint
The Japanese fleet appears - 330 ships filling the horizon. The false defeat: Yi's preparations seem meaningless against the overwhelming force. Stakes are raised as battle becomes inevitable.
Opposition
The battle intensifies. Japanese ships press the attack, Yi's ships take damage, sailors die, formations break. Every advantage Yi planned begins to crumble under relentless assault.
Collapse
Yi's flagship is surrounded, his nephew is mortally wounded, and several ships are on fire. The "whiff of death" - it appears all is lost and the sacrifice has been in vain.
Crisis
Yi processes the losses, mourns his nephew, and faces his darkest moment of doubt. The surviving sailors look to him for meaning in their suffering.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
The tide literally turns in the strait - Yi's understanding of the sea (the theme) proves true. He realizes the currents will now work against the Japanese, synthesizing naval knowledge with desperate courage.
Synthesis
The finale: Yi executes the strategy using the changing currents. Japanese ships collide in the narrow strait, Korean ships press the advantage, and the impossible victory unfolds through mastery of the sea.
Transformation
Yi stands victorious but somber, having saved Korea with 12 ships. The closing image mirrors the opening defeat but shows transformation: a broken admiral has become a legendary hero through understanding, not force.