A complex film about the minefield of loyalty and betrayal.
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
An anti-war spectacle that uses the story of brothers divided by the 1950 civil war as a metaphor for the wounds of the split.
70
L.A. WeeklyDavid Chute
L.A. WeeklyDavid Chute
While it comes on like a flag-waver, it actually delivers something more nuanced. Its underlying skepticism about the Korean War seems to have jibed with the current national mood: The picture was, deservedly, a huge hit.
63
New York PostV.A. Musetto
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Shamelessly contrived and manipulative, Tae Guk Gi packs a visceral wallop.
60
Village VoiceEd Park
Village VoiceEd Park
In the rare moments when a rifle, grenade, howitzer, bayonet, dagger, fist, land mine, or flamethrower isn't being deployed, the film pushes its melodramatic plotline with soap operatic shamelessness.
Far more ambivalent and ambiguous film than Mr. Spielberg's. Both North and South are portrayed as brutal, abusive regimes that use their citizens as so much cannon fodder.
60
TV Guide Magazine
TV Guide Magazine
It's easy to view the story of these brothers as a larger metaphor for the relationship between the two Koreas, which gives the film an added resonance that your typical Hollywood war movie wouldn't possess.
50
VarietyDerek Elley
VarietyDerek Elley
Kang remains a superb technician, but somewhere the movie forgot to pack any genuine emotion along with its ordnance and K rations.
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
After a sentimental opening sequence, he (Kang) scarcely lets the film pause to breathe, which dulls its effectiveness.