MovieChat Forums > Taegukgi hwinallimyeo (2004) Discussion > Could have been much better (spoilers wi...

Could have been much better (spoilers within)

posted 15 years ago by dsh1998
9 replies | jump to latest

I got this via Netflix as it's one of the few Korean War movies out there (Here in the US, everything is either WWII, Vietnam, or now Iraq).

The movie started off fine, you see the honorable way the modern Korean people are identifying remains from the war, the heartfelt memories stirred in the old man as he receives the call and is reminded of the war and his brother. It made me think I was watching the Korean equivalent of Saving Private Ryan. The scenes featuring the chaos of the oncoming war, the fleeing of the civilians, and the drafting of the brothers in the army are all well done.

Though my first clue that the movie was going to be flawed was when the older brother tries to take his brother off the train and proceeds to get into a Hollywood style fight against 4-5 soldiers.

Then we flash forward to the initial artillery/mortar bombardment of the fresh recruits. This too was well done and we see the graphic war scenes we've all come to expect. The mine-laying scene was also well done....

But then the film took a wrong turn and decided to make the older brother into something of a Korean Rambo, and the combat featured far too much Hollywoodized hand-to-hand combat. From there it was all downhill. Do I even need to mention the battle scene in Seoul where the objective was to "capture the other side's leader"? It was like something out of a video game, complete with the boss wearing a different color uniform to make him easier to pick out I guess....

There were still some good moments. I thought the rounding up and execution of accused communist sympathizers was pretty well done, though the brothers' actions were again very Hollywoodized. But the coup de grâce was having the older brother go over to the North and lead the Flag division (those flags looked dangerous).

[–] Storm_Thunder_Infantry 15 years ago

I'm figured that the Flag division soldiers were more chosen to be in the unit because they were more dedicated to communism and if true, complete fanatics. They didn't seem all that dangerous when the older brother gunned them down with ease for a while with that machine gun before he got himself killed.

But about the battle of Seoul, keep in mind that their unit was simply one of many in the battle. It's true that the US and other armies from UN members did a bulk of the fighting but they simply were not the focus of the movie. The battle in Seoul seemed more like a small sub-battle given it seemed to be a company-size unit fighting the NK defenders. They did at least show a plane flying over, showing that the US is in the battle but not fighting in that particular area of Seoul.

Let the world change the punishment for sexual-related crimes to execution

[–] overninethousand 14 years ago

It was Pyongyang, really taken by ROK 1st on one day with just some resistance in the fortified government district because the North Koreans got so demoralized they have fled.

I see you've seen the film with no subtitles, but the ROK 1st was nowhere even nearby during the Second Seoul, so why this strange idea of yours???

[–] xtomatex 15 years ago

Actually, this movie is a remake of video game « Call of Duty ».

[–] Storm_Thunder_Infantry 15 years ago

I don't think Call of Duty games ever feature the Korean War.

Let the world change the punishment for sexual-related crimes to execution

[–] liam-kelly-1 15 years ago

You do realise his brother goes "Rambo" to get his brother home right? There is no other way to do it then getting his brother severely injured, which I don't think he would do.

In fact, most of the movie plays off of his brother turning Rambo.

[–] dsh1998 15 years ago

Of course I realize why he went "Rambo", but the fact that he did so is what made the movie unrealistic and ultimately pretty cheezy.

It reminds me of that train-wreck of a movie, Windtalkers. It too had great subject matter (the real story of the Navajo code-talkers is very interesting), and it could have been a good movie. But instead it became a Nicholas Cage hero flick with ridiculous action sequences.

[–] surround_sound 15 years ago

hmmm a bit cheesy and unrealistic in places but at the same time I think it was a device to expose brutality and extremity of war, most of the violence was at a high level and sickening in places.

Windtalkers was a waste of a good concept but then it is Woo and we shouldn't expect him to make a serious film.

[–] nicholascoppola 15 years ago

dsh, you pretty much hit the nail on the head. It became WAY too much of a cliche hollywood action film after his brother got promoted and started going rambo all over the place.

[–] CoSMiGoNoN 13 years ago

Couldn't agree more with the OP. It started great, but it started going downhill with the train scene and so on. Could have been great...