Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood of War-better than Saving Private Ryan

[rosncranz]

Tae Guk Gi: Brotherhood of War
a review

I have been waiting to see this film for a long time now, and it was just realised in America about two weeks ago. It is a Korean film about the Korean war, or more accuratley a story of two brothers who get ripped away from there family whom really need them, and thrown into the war. It starts in the beginning days of the war, and spans its entireity. This movie has drawn a lot of comparisons to Saving Private Ryan, but many think it is better, and I couldnt agree more. It is brutal, and graphic (though not overly so) and its filmed somewhat like SPR.

It stars Won Bin, whom is a major hearthrob in Korea, and a veteran actor plays one of the brothers grown up, he actually came out of retirement for the role. It's directed by the same man that directed Shiri. This is the biggest budgeted and highest grossing Korean film ever made, in other words go see it!

It is tragic, and dramatic, and at times funny. It is brutal and occasionally (though not often) over the top. If you like war films, this is a must! I will go as far to say if you like war films you will not dislike this movie, and it is definatley more about the brothers relationship than the war so there is a lot here for people who dont particularly care for war films.

overall= A

[espwolverine]

I held of buying this till the Region 1 version came out because the extras had english subtitles on them and it also has an okay ebglish dub. This movie interms of story blows Private Ryan out of the water. Excellent movie. 10/10

[Jack]

Ryan is better. Well, I thought so anyway. Brotherhood is pretty damn cliche and ridiculous. Not that Ryan isn't, this movie just feels more imitation than originality I guess. And I would argue that it is one of the nastiest movies in a while. I would say the gore is over the top. Maybe it had to do with me being ill when I saw it but jesus, the maggots on that wound, the POW fight, the villager booby trap, the rock to the officers head I felt like taking a shower afterwards. It's a fine film, but still pretty predictable and doesn't really bring anything new to the table as far as war movies go, most have done it's elements before, and more often than not, most have done them better. It spends too much time on the action and not enough on the characters. I thought Ryan did a better balancing act of both. There are tearjerkers of course, but they aren't earned. You never really get to know any characters outside the two brothers, so when someone else dies, it doesn't carry the weight the film expects it to. I really wanted to like it, but in the end all it really got was a shrug from me. My loss I guess. C+

[Mat]

I think I will be renting this soon.

[Inferno]

It's not another "brothers separated and fighting of opposing sides of the war" story is it?

[rosncranz]

It's not another "brothers separated and fighting of opposing sides of the war" story is it?

there on the same side, the elder brother finds out from a commanding officer that one way to get his younger brother sent home is if he takes risky missions and recieves a medal, he will then have some weight to throw around. so he takes all of these dangerous missions to get his brother sent home, theres a lot more to it than that, but thats the basic idea. and while i disagree with jack about a lot of what he said about the movie, it does get a little unrealistic at times. but it is not as gory as SPR. Harry Knowles at aintitcool.com said it was his #1 movie of '04.

[Mat]

Harry Knowles at aintitcool.com said it was his #1 movie of '04.

Please don't bring that name up again.

[rosncranz]

Please don't bring that name up again.

oh sorry :rolleyes:

[MDbum]

My Review

The title actually refers to the name of the south korean flag (im half korean). That would be confusing for americans since there is no word in english for it, so they decided to title it The Brotherhood of War. Just thinking it to yourself, "The Brotherhood of War." I dunno why but I’ve always smirked a little at titles baring such names of companionship or duty in war films. It was fine at first, but the gaming and movie industries just took it out of hand. Look around you. Call of Duty, Band of Brothers, Brothers in Arms, Medal of Honor, Men of Valor . . . and that’s just off the top of my head. Now we’re served The Brotherhood of War. Look for "Brothers on Duty of Valor with Honor in Arms", slated for 2005 memorial weekend.

The Brotherhood of War was a big hit in S. Korea, the biggest since this film called Shiri, which I hated by the way. From what I hear, the movie industry in Korea is booming and films like BOW certainly show it. The sets in BOW are gigantic it must’ve cost a fortune (in korean movie industry standards). However, as we all know, big budgets definitely does not equal a great movie. BOW follows the lives of two young brothers in 1950. By the way, if you don’t know anything about the Korean war, I suggest you hit up an encyclopedia since the film offers no pretext to political affairs. Anyways, these two brothers Jin Tae a college bound student (the younger of the two), and Jin Soek, a simple shoeshine boy, are forced into the South Korean army. Through war, Jin Soek and Jin Tae go through their own changes, leading to conflicts within conflicts, threatening their brotherhood.

To call BOW a war film is misleading, it’s much more of an action film. The best way I can put this film I suppose is "Saving Private Ryan meets Rambo meets The Young and the Restless". The film borrows many elements from Saving Private Ryan, the grittiness of combat, the speckles of dirt and blood hitting the lens, basically, we are shown war through immersion. This is without a doubt the most violent war movie I’ve seen. Which isn’t a bad thing, if anything it makes war look more terrifying. It shows a good example of many of the sucidal charges implemented by both sides. However, due to the sloppy editing and flow of the story, the violence loose’s it’s effectiveness and becomes dull. But for the most part, the film definitely shows war as an activity we ought not to partake. The film is like Rambo because of the action. I know there are stories of valor and bravery in combat, but shoeshine boy who slaughters over 50 men in under two hours is hard to accept. The film is like a soap opera because of the drama and cliched dialogue. A good example is one scene before the war, the two brothers are playing in the stream .. "You look very happy, I wish every day was like this". Although I will admit the soap opera type close-ups were effective in evoking tear jerkers.

There are cliches and conventions in every film. You wanna do a documentary on drug addicts? It’s been done. You wanna shoot a love scene in the meadows? It’s been done. Simple fact, there are cliches and conventions in all films and you can’t avoid them. But holy mary, this film actually see’s it as a good thing to have! There’s the train station scene where the fiance runs along the train car of her lover. You’ve got the protagonist in the middle of battle seeking out the antagonist, but he must fight through 78 soldiers (oh whom he all defeats) just to get to him. Also, whenever a soldier busts out a photograph of his sweetheart to show to fellow soldiers, he practically digs his own grave. And my god, the writers even managed to incorporate a standoff amidst all the violence.

The editing, as I mentioned earlier, is horrendous. It’s uncoordinated and jumpy. Soldiers will be in a tent discussing "they’re gonna hit us hard" then suddenly the film cuts to 50,000 screaming red communists. After I found this method to be repeated, I’ve come to expect it. The editing no doubt effects the story. We're shown soldiers shoved on a train to suddenly the front lines with tactical miliatry skills. Koreans in the korean war were poorly trained and equipped. The fact that shoshine boy did what he did in the movie goes byeond the willing suspension of disbelief. On a better note, the camera direction was great, despite the constant frame shots of exploding shells. The cinematography really immersed you into the war, oh, I mean the action. The sets are marvelous, very grandeur. I’m no expert to judge what 1950's war-torn Korea should look like, but apply your own logic and you’ll agree, this film is spot on.

Final Thoughts
The relationship between Jin Soek and Jin Tae is mediocre at best. This is a film about brotherhood, and when it fails to even live up to its own title, there are problems. There are very few moments of authentic dialogue within the even scarcer moments of tranquility. As I mentioned, the violence is almost non stop once it starts. We have no time to actually digest what is being said or why things are being done. I swear in one battle I had no idea what was going on or why they were fighting. Seeing our characters soaked in blood and dirt is not enough to evoke sympathy. The actors playing both parts did an exceptional job, where if you can get past the loads of violence, blood, and cliches, you’ll see a serious attempt by the two actors to bring the level of this comradery to respectable levels. The subject matter of the movie is very interesting and should engage the viewer into the story regardless of the many letdowns the film has.

Final Verdict: 6/10

[MDbum]

It's not another "brothers separated and fighting of opposing sides of the war" story is it?


Yes and No

[rosncranz]

My Review

The title actually refers to the name of the south korean flag (im half korean). That would be confusing for americans since there is no word in english for it, so they decided to title it The Brotherhood of War. Just thinking it to yourself, "The Brotherhood of War." I dunno why but I’ve always smirked a little at titles baring such names of companionship or duty in war films. It was fine at first, but the gaming and movie industries just took it out of hand. Look around you. Call of Duty, Band of Brothers, Brothers in Arms, Medal of Honor, Men of Valor . . . and that’s just off the top of my head. Now we’re served The Brotherhood of War. Look for "Brothers on Duty of Valor with Honor in Arms", slated for 2005 memorial weekend.

The Brotherhood of War was a big hit in S. Korea, the biggest since this film called Shiri, which I hated by the way. From what I hear, the movie industry in Korea is booming and films like BOW certainly show it. The sets in BOW are gigantic it must’ve cost a fortune (in korean movie industry standards). However, as we all know, big budgets definitely does not equal a great movie. BOW follows the lives of two young brothers in 1950. By the way, if you don’t know anything about the Korean war, I suggest you hit up an encyclopedia since the film offers no pretext to political affairs. Anyways, these two brothers Jin Tae a college bound student (the younger of the two), and Jin Soek, a simple shoeshine boy, are forced into the South Korean army. Through war, Jin Soek and Jin Tae go through their own changes, leading to conflicts within conflicts, threatening their brotherhood.

To call BOW a war film is misleading, it’s much more of an action film. The best way I can put this film I suppose is "Saving Private Ryan meets Rambo meets The Young and the Restless". The film borrows many elements from Saving Private Ryan, the grittiness of combat, the speckles of dirt and blood hitting the lens, basically, we are shown war through immersion. This is without a doubt the most violent war movie I’ve seen. Which isn’t a bad thing, if anything it makes war look more terrifying. It shows a good example of many of the sucidal charges implemented by both sides. However, due to the sloppy editing and flow of the story, the violence loose’s it’s effectiveness and becomes dull. But for the most part, the film definitely shows war as an activity we ought not to partake. The film is like Rambo because of the action. I know there are stories of valor and bravery in combat, but shoeshine boy who slaughters over 50 men in under two hours is hard to accept. The film is like a soap opera because of the drama and cliched dialogue. A good example is one scene before the war, the two brothers are playing in the stream .. "You look very happy, I wish every day was like this". Although I will admit the soap opera type close-ups were effective in evoking tear jerkers.

There are cliches and conventions in every film. You wanna do a documentary on drug addicts? It’s been done. You wanna shoot a love scene in the meadows? It’s been done. Simple fact, there are cliches and conventions in all films and you can’t avoid them. But holy mary, this film actually see’s it as a good thing to have! There’s the train station scene where the fiance runs along the train car of her lover. You’ve got the protagonist in the middle of battle seeking out the antagonist, but he must fight through 78 soldiers (oh whom he all defeats) just to get to him. Also, whenever a soldier busts out a photograph of his sweetheart to show to fellow soldiers, he practically digs his own grave. And my god, the writers even managed to incorporate a standoff amidst all the violence.

The editing, as I mentioned earlier, is horrendous. It’s uncoordinated and jumpy. Soldiers will be in a tent discussing "they’re gonna hit us hard" then suddenly the film cuts to 50,000 screaming red communists. After I found this method to be repeated, I’ve come to expect it. The editing no doubt effects the story. We're shown soldiers shoved on a train to suddenly the front lines with tactical miliatry skills. Koreans in the korean war were poorly trained and equipped. The fact that shoshine boy did what he did in the movie goes byeond the willing suspension of disbelief. On a better note, the camera direction was great, despite the constant frame shots of exploding shells. The cinematography really immersed you into the war, oh, I mean the action. The sets are marvelous, very grandeur. I’m no expert to judge what 1950's war-torn Korea should look like, but apply your own logic and you’ll agree, this film is spot on.

Final Thoughts
The relationship between Jin Soek and Jin Tae is mediocre at best. This is a film about brotherhood, and when it fails to even live up to its own title, there are problems. There are very few moments of authentic dialogue within the even scarcer moments of tranquility. As I mentioned, the violence is almost non stop once it starts. We have no time to actually digest what is being said or why things are being done. I swear in one battle I had no idea what was going on or why they were fighting. Seeing our characters soaked in blood and dirt is not enough to evoke sympathy. The actors playing both parts did an exceptional job, where if you can get past the loads of violence, blood, and cliches, you’ll see a serious attempt by the two actors to bring the level of this comradery to respectable levels. The subject matter of the movie is very interesting and should engage the viewer into the story regardless of the many letdowns the film has.

Final Verdict: 6/10

i think i was just out reviewd :) i dont agree with some of what you said, but it was still a very good review.

i wouldnt call it an action film, i didnt think the violence was that bad, and i didnt find the battles confusing. i agree though that it can get kinda over the top.

[vision_afar]

I've heard great things about this film so I'm really looking forward to it.

[Andrey83]

Ros: Know anything about a region 2 release?

[Mat]

Nice review, MDbum. :cool:

[Jack]

MDbum nailed this movie, totally agree with him.

[MDbum]

Thanks, my mom watched it (who is full korea, again, im only half) and she liked it. I know this is only a one case study, but it's a conflict so recent in history that almost every korean on both sides can relate to. (i musn't foget the chinese as well).

[Fanible]

I liked it a lot, but I didn't find it as good as Saving Private Ryan. I never found anything wrong with Ryan for accuracy, emotion and tension, and it's actual war sequences is above any other film.

Well, that opinion wasn't all true. I didn't like their white sparkling teeth. :P

[DieselPower]

Short Review:
What was great about it?
It has a great achievement in its cinematography and its gritty war-appeal. The action during the war scenes is like playing one of EA's Medal of Honor, except in a third person view, which is really good. The cameras' movements, the perfect sound editing, the gun shoot spurts and the combat action were very well done.
Acting: Both the brothers did a great job on their part, especially the younger brother, Jang Dong-Gun, some would also say he over acted, but I liked it.

What could have been better?
The action, story-wise: As MDbum mentioned in his review, the fact that it is like Rambo or even Commando action. Well not as bad as Commando but you know where I'm getting at. The sense of realism hits the deck in the action scenes. Realism as in what the chances are of NOT getting shot at while running on a battle field and being shot at with a mini-gun. Though the difference between Rambo and this movie is the fact that John Rambo was a green-beret, and in this movie the big brother was a shoe-shiner, though he's a sharp shooter.


Overall:
I thought the story between the brothers was pretty good. I would definitely recommend it for its action and war scenes, as it is well made in that sense. As a note, it's not better then Saving Private Ryan.
Verdict: 8/10