NekoHomey Purely Joyful Movie!

Pluskylang Great Film overall

Keeley Coleman The thing I enjoyed most about the film is the fact that it doesn't shy away from being a super-sized-cliche;

Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.

Leem4004 There's a chaos that surrounds the film - this is a war movie that revels in the insanity and confusion of battle - but the chaos strikes hardest in the first half hour. It's here that the locals, caught off guard by the invasion, are shuffled into refugee status in what plays, rightfully so, like a nightmare. The nightmare only grows when soldiers drop by and force all men of the proper age to enlist, no exceptions. The film grips us hard in these scenes, these terrifyingly real scenes, and our heart breaks as we remember that the army doing the forced draft is on our side. Just as American movies have at times reminded us of the dark pages in U.S. history, so now does Tae Guk Gi remind us of the darker actions of the Korean War.From here, the plot places itself on the brink of meandering for two more hours, and yet while the movie pushes its epic length with no clear ending in sight, it's a meandering that's kept well in check; there's not a scene here that drags. Even with the screenplay pushing out your usual war movie cliché's - some unfortunate sap shares pictures of his family, never a good sign in such a film - there's such a gusto behind the project that even the most familiar of characters holds steady. Yes, this is a story about two brothers sharing the experiences of war (a literal 'band of brothers'), but the paths the plot takes stretch the limits of the formula in exciting, compelling directions.Carrying the film through are two dynamic performances. Jang Dong Gun (sharing more than a passing resemblance to a young Chow Yun Fat) is quite remarkable as Jin-Tae, the young man who grows colder as the war rages and he evolves into an exemplary soldier. And as Jin-Seok, Won Bin provides the right mixture of confused youth and troubled brother. Both leads are quite memorable, helping solidify the story, keeping the sheer weight of the movie from bearing down too hard on the viewer.

Leofwine_draca This South Korean war movie was internationally distinguished after its popularity made it the most successful Korean film of all time...and it brings with it a reputation of gravitas and emotion that is not entirely without merit. Told in flashback, it's a tale of how two brothers are torn away from their family and forced to join the South Korean army. After engaging in lots of terrible missions, the elder brother becomes desensitised to the violence and turns as brutal as the enemy. When his fiancée is shot and he thinks his brother is killed, he transfers to the North Korean army, and the conclusion is set for an inevitable confrontation between the two siblings, who now fight on different sides.This film is very well made, exquisitely shot and with some very good acting from the cast; the supporting actors and actresses are all good, but the real focus is on the two main brothers, and both are fine. Won Bin has the larger role as the younger brother who grieves over the disappearance of his sibling, but the best performance comes from Jang Dong-Kun, who gets to run the gamut of emotions from A-Z, starting off as a headstrong youth, become a valiant hero, turning embittered and entirely ruthless, and ending up as a crazed, almost possessed evil killing machine.Much of the film is taken up with fighting, and the battles are as realistic and brutal as in SAVING PRIVATE RYAN. Crystal-clear camera-work throws you into the trenches as earth flies through the air from mortar strikes and bodies are repeatedly torn to pieces by the incoming gunfire. These parts of the movie are visceral and horrifying, recalling such films as BLACK HAWK DOWN; certainly the horror of warfare is brought across. The bodies of massacred villagers are booby-trapped to blow, hands and legs are blown off by mines and bullets, and in some cases, heads literally explode. Certainly the level of blood and guts makes this one of the grisliest war films I've watched.The only real problem with this film is the nature of the narrative, which keeps jumping forward in time, offering visual scenarios of key scenes in the lives of the heroes. As such, the main character's transformation from South Korean hero to North Korean butcher is glossed over, and doesn't come across as believable. Some of the emoting is also a little bit over the top – I'm thinking the train sequence here, as the characters repeatedly cry for their mother. The director would have done well to hold back just a little. Some of the CGI work is also a little bit fake – I could deal with the landscapes, but the CGI aeroplanes are too much. Still, BROTHERHOOD is a great war film, equalling similar US-themed movies and teaching the west about a war that is sometimes forgotten about by those of us living outside of Asia.

jessy zaki I am a big fan of war movies, and I was thinking that SAVING PRIVATE RYAN was the best, but i was wrong. In my opinion THE BROTHERHOOD OF WAR surpasses them all. Am I exaggerating?! no.. What makes this movie special-at least for me- is: -so realistic battle scenes and emotions showing horrors of war and not glorifying it like other movies. -dealing not only with war crimes, but also with the government crimes towards its own people. -asking what is patriotism and which bond is stronger;to one's family or to his country? -great cast and smooth, yet powerful background score-reminded me of the same effect of that of BRAVE HEART had on upon me. Some Westerns may think of it as being kinda over-dramatic, but I see it's a part of the Eastern tradition in general, and actually it is justifiable here;the movie is more than some graphics which are very realistic. NOTE: "The Korean War is an obvious example that there is no winner and loser in wars, only losers. There was no peace treaty, only a cease fire"

ryder-dj Easily one of the best war movies I have ever seen, if not the best. Not many movies from this genre make me a bit emotional at the end but this one certainly did. I cannot recommend this movie enough. The acting is brilliant, the action very realistic and it really does portray the horrors and sadness of such brutal conflicts.For me what made this movie even better is that is was a break from the usual American story and brings awareness to a conflict that doesn't seem to get as much attention as WW2 and Vietnam etc.This movie has a bit for everyone but if you are like me and love history and enjoy movies like Saving Private Ryan this is an absolute must. Easily 10/10.