Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004)

Director:

Je-gyu Kang

Writers:

Ji-hoon Han (writer)
Je-gyu Kang (writer)

Release Date:

6 February 2004 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot:

A drama about the fate of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War.

Plot Keywords:

Korean War | 1950s | Korea | Medal | North Korea

Awards:

9 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Dong-gun Jang	...	Jin-tae Lee
Bin Won	...	Jin-seok Lee
Eun-ju Lee	...	Young-shin Kim
Hyeong-jin Kong	...	Yong-man
Yeong-ran Lee	...	Mother
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kil-Kang Ahn	...	Sergeant Huh
Joe Cappelletti	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Min-sik Choi	...	North Korean commander
D.C. Douglas	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Min-ho Jang	...	Old Jin-seok Lee
Dae-Hoon Jeong
Jae-hyeong Jeon	...	Yong-seok
Yun-hie Jo	...	Jin-seok Lee's grandaughter
Doo-hong Jung
Bo-kyeong Kim
Su-ro Kim	...	Anti-Communist Federation member

Also Known As:

Brotherhood (International: English title) (UK)
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (International: English title) (USA)
Taegukgi (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sequences of war violence.

Runtime:

140 min | 148 min (director's cut)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB (original rating) | Hong Kong:III (video rating) | Ireland:15A (cinema release) | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 (director's cut) | USA:R | Mexico:C | Argentina:16 | Indonesia:Dewasa

Company:

Kang Je-Kyu Film Co. Ltd.

Trivia:

One of four Korean movies screened at the 2006 International Fajr Film Festival in Iran.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Jin-Tae receives his medal after the Americans arrive, modern 50 star American flags are shown. In the early 50's the flag still would have been 48 stars. It wasn't until 1959 that the current 50 star flag was introduced.

Quotes:

Jin-tae: Look at me. Trust me.

Movie Connections:

References Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Damning indictment of the cost of war

When North Korea invades the South, two brothers are forcibly drafted into the army. The older of the two, hoping to win a medal and ticket home for his younger brother, begins going on every suicide mission offered. This, however, puts a strain on his relationship with his brother and those in the platoon. Worse the course of the war has several nasty turns waiting for them...

I'm of two minds about this film. Despite the fact this is a graphic example of both the physical and psychic effects of war, the narrative is more than a bit disjointed. The film is loosely connected snapshots of the course of the war, beginning right before the invasion, then several weeks later before jumping about a month at a time to certain key events. I'm sure that had I better grasp of the history of the war I would have understood the events better. I felt lost and wished there had been more explanation. The lack of a narrative that follows all the way from start to finish hurts the film since we're moved a bit too much from place to place and situation to situation

But the course of the war is not the purpose of the film, rather its the relationship between two brothers. How war changes them and everything in and around them except the love they have for each other. Its a bit hokey but its dead on, just ask anyone who's ever loved their sibling unquestioningly. You understand how one brother would spend 50 years trying to find the other.

And then there are the battle scenes which are wonderful and frightening and seem to be the total chaos that war really is. People die horribly and the experience is far from fun.

Is the movie worth seeing?

Yes. Its not perfect but its a kick in the pants.

8 out of 10.