Tae-Guk-Gi: The Brotherhood of War
(2004, Korea, 140 min)
Directed by: Kang Je-kyu
Starring: Jang Dong-kun, Won Bin, Lee Eun-joo
www.taegukgi2004.com

Trailer: Low Res | Hi Res

Given today's volatile international climate between North Korea and the US, the release of the movie Tae-Guk-Gi: The Brotherhood of War comes at a timely period. The political posturing between the 2 countries, in the midst of nuclear arms talks, along with the changing of the guard in South Korea with the election of a progressive president elected by a generation not familiar with the Korean War have all contributed to a tense situation on the Korean peninsula. My parents' generation, post Korean War, was a period when South Koreans (whom the North believed were pawns of the westernized world) were deathly afraid of an attack from the North, and the US became their saviors. Times are changing—relations between the North and South are gradually warming and it seems like the US is more likened to be an imperialist war machine than a savior.

So what, do you ask, does all of this have to do with the damn movie? Tae-Guk-Gi, if you haven't noticed yet, takes place during the initial breakout of the Korean War in 1950's Korea. But that's not the only similarity—I'll get to that in a bit. The war in turn forces a call to arms in which two brothers, Jin-tae (megastar Jang Dong-kun) and Jin-seok (megastar Won Bin) are forced to "volunteer" for the South Korean army (sort of like how all South Korean men "volunteer" in modern-day Korea today. Not) to fight the impending invasion of the Communists.

Now Tae-Guk-Gi is a Korean film, which assures us a few things: we have to see long extended fight scenes, someone has to die, the dramatic scenes must be laced with an extremely sappy score, and there must be, by all means necessary, enormous helpings of MELODRAMA. And as anyone who has ever watched a Korean drama can tell you, if a situation is dramatic, leave it up to the Koreans to make it 100 times more dramatic (the two brothers not only have lost their dad and have no one else to look after their family, but their mom has a speech impediment). If you cry easily, be prepared to bring your Kleenexes. My friend whom I saw it with probably should have.

Tae-Guk-Gi can be predictable at times, but the real impact of the movie is the emotional strain that the hardships of war has on the brothers. The biggest problem I have with most Korean films is the poor acting. Korean actors tend to over-act and at times show their behavior with a tad too much zeal. And of course, you can't expect too much from a pretty boy megastar in Korea who gets roles based more on his good looks than on his acting ability (think Brad Pitt). However, the acting in this movie is surprisingly good and the chemistry between the two brothers is what really brings intensity to the film. The brutal experience of war, realistically and gruesomely shot with raw grittiness by blockbuster veteran Kang Je-Gyu, tests the brothers both physically and emotionally. As the war drags on we see the effects wear on the brothers' values as well as their once close-knit relationship, echoing the the similar deteriorating path which South Korea and North Korea took. This brings me to the significance of the movie as it relates to the modern political climate.

On the world stage, there's a bit of controversy of what the United States' intentions were in entering the Korean War. Were they there for the support of free democracy? Or was it more for the strategic positioning of the US in the Asian arena? And should the South regard the North, whom they are still technically at war, as enemies? Or is the US the real manipulator? A comment made by my parents put things into perspective when I was complaining one day about the US war machine and the presence of their 37,000 US troops in the South. "If the US never entered the war, we wouldn't be here in America", quipped my dad. How could I have anything against such a country that gave my parents and me so many freedoms? These sort of moral dilemnas are what Kang Je-Gyu tackles in the microcosm of the relationship between the two brothers. As in any civil war, the Korean War literally divided and pinned brother against brother. In the end which do you choose—loyalty to your country or family?

The realism of the battle scenes and the horror of war that Kang Je-Gyu, known for obssesing over historic detail, vividly depicts, gives the story the type of atmosphere that puts in perspective the type of mentality one has to adopt as a solidier fighting in a war against your fellow countrymen, Communist or not. His overuse of the shaky cam technique, prevalent in Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (which Tae-Guk-Gi has widely been compared to on a story level as well as for its blistering insight in the harrowing realities of war) is a bit annoying at times, but along with the cold, searing cinematography reminiscent of Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down, there is a tremendous sense of realism which catapults the audience into the thick of the battle.

All in all, Tae-Guk-Gi is an intense emotional roller coaster that delivers on many different levels. The touching story of two brothers faced with the hardships of war is never a dull moment with battle scenes interspersed throughout, leaving you at the edge of your seat. At the same time, it is also a story that emotionally illustrates the current ongoing struggle between two fraternal countries, as evidenced by the division of fellow countrymen from one another by the 38th parallel.

—ubn