Brotherhood

Could this be the best war film of all time? It’s quite possible. Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War offers everything a good war film needs, like the battles themselves, capturing the cruelty and futility of war, death, love, epic music, and here, even brotherly solidarity until the end. At first, I didn’t want to watch the film (because of the unknown actors to me), but since war films are very rare these days, I overcame that urge. The decision to watch this film was wise in every way. In the first few minutes, the main characters are introduced along with their peaceful and happy life before the war. Then it begins. Both main characters, who are brothers, are drafted into the Korean War. I must commend both actors for their amazing and heroic performances, as what they went through to make it look like they were really at war is something you don’t see often. Considering the film had a budget of $13 million, the battles were filmed and executed in a very realistic way, something that many American films can’t boast of. There are also several touching moments where I shed a tear or two. I must also mention the otherworldly music, which was grand and perfectly matched the scenes it accompanied. I have to tip my hat to the composer for creating something so beautiful. It was predictable how it would end, but that didn’t concern me at all. If I had to describe the film in one word, I’d say masterpiece. I give it 93%. (21/08/2016)

Technically and formally, it's an absolute blast; the opening battle scene, for instance, almost trumps even the best sequences of Ryan with its authenticity and emotion. The central musical motif also works perfectly despite frequent repetition, the main cast is extremely likeable and talented, and the strong emotional interjections in the middle of the action passages are very tastefully and unobtrusively dosed. Unfortunately, the story is surprisingly so Hollywood cookie-cutter and so unoriginal and unrealistic with all the pathetic flashbacks and family motifs that it knocks down a star of that formal great potential. But I'd probably be happy to overlook all that if it weren't for the final "deserter" twist, which was completely unwarranted. Otherwise, a very proper 4*. (22/02/2014)

Regarding pathos, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War is not as good as Saving Private Ryan and other poster productions made in the USA - all those contrived sentences, naive slow-motion retrospectives... yet there's a fundamental difference. Pathos is not aimed at promoting the flag, but at portraying the relationship between two brothers, which is brutally marked by war. The almost sadomasochistically entangled epic may sometimes abound in an unnecessary amount of pastel colors and the garishness of emotions, but in its essence this is not a problem. This is not an ideology, but a clear humanistic message about the power of love and the price of sacrifice. In Kang's film, the parties to the Korean conflict look just as ugly, propagandistically dull and dark. The big world simply creates a monstrous backdrop to a small human story, which is very sympathetically surrounded by adrenaline fighting sequences. The handheld camera, awkward jerks, the confusion of man-to-man combat and occasionally evident CGI additions. Take it or leave it, I was engulfed by both the human story and the war story, although I would welcome a little less calculation and effect on both levels. However, unlike American melodramas, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War represents a very good picture of war and man. (19/04/2007)

A surprising war blast that impresses with its epic battle scenes and the gritty story of two brothers, whom the script doesn't make into heroes and terminator henchmen, but rather shows them as ordinary people for 140 minutes. The whole thing felt like a cross between Saving Private Ryan, Full Metal Jacket, Platoon and Letters from Iwo Jima (which are even better), but I didn't feel like I was watching a film ripping off its more famous brethren. (11/02/2011)

Since I've only been getting acquainted with war movies for a short time, absolutely every one of them knocks me on my ass. It's just that this story threw me right into the plot due to its believability and realism. The script may sound like a hackneyed cliché, but in this case, the delivery is simply the deciding factor. It is at times gritty, at times touching, but most importantly always close to the viewer. Of course, I have to praise the beautiful music and the above-average performances of both brothers. (03/12/2013)