My Way

Greetings again from the darkness. Was anxious to see a big-budget Korean take on WWII, and overall came away impressed ... despite the shortcomings and annoyances. My history with Korean films have been limited to small, intimate stories told with quiet manner, and frenetic action flicks with sub-standard stunt work. Director and co-writer Je-kyu Kang attempts to combine an intimate story of two young men with an epic war film with a record body count and excruciatingly frequent number of cuts/edits.

The movie starts off by showing us how the lives of two boys first intersect. Jun-shik Kim (by Dong-gun Jong) is a farmer's son whose dad works on the estate of Tatsuo Hasegawa's (Jo Odagiri) grandfather. A wide class difference separates the boys, but their love of running generates a severe feud ... a rivalry that won't die easily. All of this takes place in Japan-occupied Korea, and it's clear early on that the filmmaker sets out to defend all Korean actions.

Inspired by a real life 1944 photo that shows a Korean soldier being captured while wearing a Nazi uniform, the back-story here is as strange and complex as any you have seen ... unfortunately, it is handled with the manipulative touch of a sledge hammer. As their marathon-running rivalry reaches a crescendo, both boys are drawn into the Japanese Army, albeit via substantially different routes. Tatsuo is an officer, while Jun-shik is an enslaved line soldier. Their bitter rivalry does not stop for a little thing like WWII and it leads to many moments of near insanity.

What really is impressive about the film is the three main battle scenes, especially the storming of Normandy Beach. If you have seen Saving Private Ryan, then you know the model ... however, this one takes it even further. It is intense, loud and brutal. The question of whether the rivalry can survive capture by Russians and then Nazi's, or whether survival instincts take over is really the heart of the story.

As terrific as the battle scenes are, it is impossible not to mention the hyper-editing that lasts most of the film's 142 minutes. It is hard on the senses and makes the action difficult to follow ... which is a shame for a film that offers so much realism in war scenes. Still, it's not an easy film to watch and we care enough about the two characters to put up with the eyeball attack we get in most scenes.

This is my first review. I'll make it short. Someone else mentions the shaky camera. That annoyed me for the first 15 minutes or so, (reminded me of that annoying zoom on Iris) but then I forgot all about it and enjoyed what was a great war movie that every film buff should try and see.

I'll give it 9/10. Hell no, make it a 10/10, that other point just because Kim In-kwon was in the cast and he was fantastic as usual. (I hope the South Koreans appreciate what a highly gifted actor he is. I grew up loving the likes of Bette Davis, Joan Crawford etc. I know what I'm talking about, i.e. screen charisma AND great acting skills).

Taro Yamamoto as Noda was another character played very well. For some reason he reminded me of Doug Hutchison's character Percy from The Green Mile. (It annoyed me I'd seen him before but couldn't recall where so I had to look him up. He was the card cheater in Kaiji and one of the older kids on Battle Royale.)

Back to the point. My Way = Epic movie. I loved it.

I just finished watching this movie and I'm stunned at the beauty and depth of it. I especially like that it jumped right it and didn't linger on character development type stuff-you learned the characters as it went.

What I really wanna say Is that over and over again now it seems that every time i watch a 'good' foreign film, its REALLY good and leaves me wondering when I felt motivated enough about a big Hollywood production to start a post about it.

Hollywood seems to have a habit of bashing me over the head with some agenda or specific train of thought and I appreciate how this movie and many foreign movies I've seen similar to it in value and production either hid its agenda from me nicely, was some 'thought' I didn't understand due to historical understanding, or simply tried to provide a visual story to the best of their ability.

Whatever the case, this movie rocked and I was glued to the very end. I will be searching for more from this director.

War films are released left and right, but usually all feel like another rehash with little to nothing new to them. With the Asian film market they are well-known for their epic period pieces and have delivered some really well done war films. The latest of this genre My Way coming out of Korea takes a unique take on the war film. While they have proved the ability to make a great war movie, will this new twist with the story manage to create something memorable or just be another loss on the battlefield? My Way follows a Korean and Japanese marathon runner that are thrust into a bitter rivalry that follows them off the track and onto the battlefield as they are forced to enlist. This is not only a good war film it is easily one of the best to come along in quite a while. As it advertised, it is very much like Saving Private Ryan, but way better. The story is a bit out there at times but is amazing to watch. It has taken the true story of a Korean body found on the beaches of Normandy and created and amazing journey around it. The performances are all really well done and only enhance the overall experience. There are times in war movies that they try to deliver a well-crafted story to make a better film, but end up sacrificing the war aspect. Here they not only didn't ignore it, they deliver on a massive scale. With a film running almost two and a half hours, it delivers almost non-stop violent bloody action that takes you directly onto the battlefield. While it is a long film, it never really feels like it. The story moves at a breathtaking pace with a brilliantly executed pace and beautifully violent visuals that will not soon be forgotten.

My Way has not only created a brilliant war film, it takes you on a journey of redemption and emotional pain. There are so many levels to this film that it's nearly impossible to touch on them all. If you are a fan of this genre then you have to give this movie a shot. It is not just a movie; it's an experience of cleverly written and executed filmmaking that will entertain on numerous levels.

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Although very lengthy and extremely graphic, My way will keep you fully engaged and emotionally attached for the duration of the film. A very interesting perspective of World War 2 and an incredible story that brings tears to the eyes and teaches the significance of true brotherhood. Esthetically pleasing and gut wrenching at times, you'll wish My Way could be even longer.