Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood 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.

South Korea puts Saving Private Ryan to shame with this amazing war movie. Taegukgi (or Brotherhood of War) is probably the best traditional war movie i have ever seen. The battle scenes are intense and brutal, even more so then Spielberg's classic film (which is a movie i really like, too.) They also kick in at unexpected places. They are sitting around eating and suddenly bombs are exploding and limbs are flying. The acting is incredible and emotional even though i watched it in subtitles (dubbed English voices are horrible). The facial expressions said it all. The story is a heartbreaking tale of two brothers who are drafted into the Korean conflict in 1950. By the end, i came this close to tearing up. And i am a tough guy. Or so i think.

Now i know a lot of people in America tend to overlook foreign movies because their afraid of reading, or can't read, but i am finding more and more that foreign flicks are a lot better than recent Hollywood movies. Hollywood needs to take a lesson and make more creative stories.

This is truly a masterpiece of modern cinema, a milestone in war movies, and one of the best films i have seen in a long time. Incredible.---9/10

I'm not a big fan of war films, unless the war in question was at least a couple hundred years ago or somewhere in the future, or the stars - but I did enjoy SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, if "enjoy" is the best word to use for such an experience. Apparently, director Kang Je-Gyu (SHIRI) enjoyed SPR too, as its influence on his Korean war film TAEGUKGI is impossible to deny. SHIRI was the South Korean film that probably did more than any other to bring the country's cinematic new wave into being, and especially into the field of view of the rest of the world at large. Its main accomplishment was, arguably, demonstrating that Korea could make a film that competed head on with Hollywood product, in terms of slick production values but also perhaps in terms of vacuous scripts Although it is rather shallow compared to other Korean films, though, I think it's safe to say that SHIRI had more depth than Hollywood would have injected into a similar story.

TAEGUKGI is his first film since SHIRI, and he's definitely playing the Hollywood game again - tackling Spielberg head on this time. Like SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, TAEGUKGI attempts to humanise war by giving us some specific characters to focus on (in this case, two brothers played by Won Bin and Jang Dong-Kun) - and then uses our personal connection to show us that war is actually a dehumanising experience. The film also spares no effort in showing us the ability of bullets, knives and bombs to turn human beings into squishy piles of gore.

There's a fairly obvious political symbolism in the story of two brothers and the effects the Korean war has on their lives and relationship - I don't know if it would be fair to read the ending as a view about the conditions under which Korean reunification might occur though. The ending of the film won't come as much of a surprise, since it's basically foretold at the start with a scene set in the present day. The exact details might be a little unexpected though.

If you like your modern-ish day war films, and specifically if you liked SAVING PRIVATE RYAN, then there's very little doubt that TaeGukGi will impress. It's big, slick and well put together. Since it's not my favourite genre or topic of interest, I can't say I loved it like a brother, but was sufficiently satisfied with it given what it is.

Let's be real; Saving Private Ryan is a better movie then Tae Guk Gi. This is movie tries too hard to be exactly like Saving Private Ryan- the action, the cinematography, the camera work... But behind all the technicalities comes a very moving and powerful character-driven story that is more riveting then Saving Private Ryan. In comparison to the incredibly gritty "Saving Private Ryan", Tae Guk Gi is more of a blockbuster movie that has more stylized action and drama. Still, this is a must watch.

That's what this movie is. Pure hell. If you're that person that screamed in agony when Shakespeare IN LOVE beat SAVING PRIVATE RYAN – find this movie and realize just how much better TAE GUK GI: BROTHERHOOD OF WAR is than just about every war film ever made. A story of two brothers during the Korean War. The movie is spectacle larger than any film made this year, but as intimate as a tale of brothers could ever be. I grew up with Sam Fuller, Peckinpah, Spielberg and the war films of Hollywood. This thing… it's just amazing. I went to see it on "Can Day" here in Austin… where you donate 3 cans of food to the homeless and see any movie you want. I saw 4 films that day, this was the 3rd – and it just completely blew me away. I instantly got the Korean Box Set – and have seen it many times since… Unfortunately – the day I saw it in the theater was the last day it was showing in Austin. A BRILLIANT FILM. The film will just shake you to the core. The South Koreans are making brutally brilliant films. Amazing. Should be re-released with a major advertising campaign. The trailers you could cut of this thing… my god. Stunning film and my pick for the best film of 2004 ! Check the site - http://aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=19054