While Kim Ki-duk's Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter...and Spring was at times naive and simplistic in its presentation of Bhuddism, its sense of realism in portraying the intensity of a true connection between man and nature prevented it from becoming a complete failure.  With The Bow, Kim brings Bhuddism into the realm of the purely mystical, a world where the book Zen and the Art of Archery may breed actual results.  The films namesake object represents both the beauty of Zen and the dangers of its perversion, although its qualities as a musical instrument seem to exist only to further its sense of mystery and power.  Its qualities as a ritualistic device also work to create the otherworldly feel on the boat where the entire film is set.  The old man and the young girl, who he either adopted or kidnapped a decade ago when she was 6 years old, are experts with the bow, giving them the qualities of a Zen master without the knowledge required for such mastery.

At first he appears as her father figure, a man worthy of her trust and respect because he has always been her entire world.  When groups of fisherman begin visiting the boat, his role quickly turns from that of the overly concerned parent to the jealous lover.  These men, modern in every way imaginable, act as an intrusion to the utopia the old man has set up and threaten to interfere with the wedding he has planned in the near future.  Despite this, he does welcome the men and even tells their future through a bizarre act using the bow and the young girl.  That most of this happens without the use of dialogue adds to its mystique but while the film has a strong atmosphere, there is little to no substance within it.  When one of the visiting men pulls the young girl out of her shell and they fall in love, the triangle of emotions created becomes downright silly.  Her sense of duty to the old man is understandable, but the melodrama that ensues is an absurd clash of the modern and the traditional.  Kim tries hard to show the beauty of the girl's relationship to both men, but within its mythical context, the proceedings are surprisingly banal.  From what I've seen by Kim Ki-duk, his skill for creating gorgeous images in his films is clear, but not enough to overcome the anemic plots and poorly developed themes that drag them down.  In The Bow, the results of this tendency make for a painful experience that no amount of eye candy can make up for.