SanDiegoKid
April 6th, 2005, 06:22 PM
I just watched a South Korean film, Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War is the international english title)
It's set in 1950, about two South Korean brothers forced to fight in the Korean war.
The film making is top notch, and very reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan (a film to which Tae Guk Gi will forever be compared to) in the camera work and level of realistic visual effects used to depict the horrors of the battlefield.
The older brother strikes a deal to go on every dangerous asignment to have his brother sent home in return. In the process he finds himself transformed into a medal winning Staff Sgt., desensitized to and poisoned by the gritty combat he's exposed to.
One thing that makes this film particularly moving is that its backdrop is a civil war which effects Korea to this very day. There is even a battle sequence set in North Korea's Pyongyang, turned to smouldering rubble. Though the point of view is mostly from that of soldiers from the south, it keeps from completely dehumanizing the north through little scenes with prisoners of war, and one soldier who begs for his life on the battlefield saying, "Please don't kill me! The communists forced me to fight. I'm only 15!"
It never feels like too much of a family drama, but never strays into being a war film for the sake of portraying combat.
This is on my top 10 for sure and may very well be my #1 war flick.
PM for more... (ahem)... details.
It's set in 1950, about two South Korean brothers forced to fight in the Korean war.
The film making is top notch, and very reminiscent of Saving Private Ryan (a film to which Tae Guk Gi will forever be compared to) in the camera work and level of realistic visual effects used to depict the horrors of the battlefield.
The older brother strikes a deal to go on every dangerous asignment to have his brother sent home in return. In the process he finds himself transformed into a medal winning Staff Sgt., desensitized to and poisoned by the gritty combat he's exposed to.
One thing that makes this film particularly moving is that its backdrop is a civil war which effects Korea to this very day. There is even a battle sequence set in North Korea's Pyongyang, turned to smouldering rubble. Though the point of view is mostly from that of soldiers from the south, it keeps from completely dehumanizing the north through little scenes with prisoners of war, and one soldier who begs for his life on the battlefield saying, "Please don't kill me! The communists forced me to fight. I'm only 15!"
It never feels like too much of a family drama, but never strays into being a war film for the sake of portraying combat.
This is on my top 10 for sure and may very well be my #1 war flick.
PM for more... (ahem)... details.