Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (2004)

Director:

Je-gyu Kang

Writer:

Je-gyu Kang (writer)

Release Date:

6 February 2004 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot:

A drama about the fate of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War.

Plot Keywords:

Korean War | Korea | 1950s | Medal | North Korea

Awards:

9 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Dong-Kun Jang	...	Jin-tae Lee
Bin Won	...	Jin-seok Lee
Eun-ju Lee	...	Young-shin Kim
Hyeong-jin Kong	...	Yong-man
Yeong-ran Lee	...	Mother
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kil-Kang Ahn	...	Sergeant Huh
Joe Cappelletti	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Min-sik Choi	...	North Korean commander
D.C. Douglas	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version)
Min-ho Jang	...	Old Jin-seok Lee
Dae-Hoon Jeong
Jae-hyeong Jeon	...	Yong-seok
Yun-hie Jo	...	Jin-seok Lee's grandaughter
Doo-hong Jung
Bo-kyeong Kim
Su-ro Kim	...	Anti-Communist Federation member

Also Known As:

Brotherhood (International: English title) (UK)
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (International: English title) (USA)
Taegukgi (International: English title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sequences of war violence.

Runtime:

140 min | 148 min (director's cut)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Brazil:18 | Sweden:15 | Australia:MA | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:U | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB (original rating) | Hong Kong:III (video rating) | Ireland:15A (cinema release) | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 (director's cut) | USA:R | Mexico:C | Argentina:16 | Indonesia:Dewasa

Company:

Kang Je-Kyu Film Co. Ltd.

Trivia:

The second film to sell over 10 million tickets in South Korea after breaking the highest grossing record set earlier by Silmido (2003).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Jin-Tae receives his medal after the Americans arrive, modern 50 star American flags are shown. In the early 50's the flag still would have been 48 stars. It wasn't until 1959 that the current 50 star flag was introduced.

Quotes:

Jin-tae: [pulls out Jin-seok's pen that he lost] I found this in the fire. I've been holding onto this for you.
Jin-seok: Give it to me... when I see you again.

Movie Connections:

References Saving Private Ryan (1998)

SEE IT: Superior to "Saving Private Ryan"

Whereas Saving Private Ryan's plot was a "situation" rather than a story--it's fatal flaw in my opinion)-- this harrowing film of the Korean War is a well paced and heart-wrenching tale of two brothers caught up in one of the twentieth century's most vicious conflicts.

The superbly realistic battle scenes are more brutal than any war movie I've ever seen...it makes you realize that combat is one of the most horrifying of all human experiences. In film it is a good thing; It is necessary to communicate and teach the horror of war.

By the way, "Tae Guk Gi" is the name of the South Korean flag. I give this movie ten out of ten stars.