I've long had a curiosity about the Korean War. It has to do with being a military Korean linguist, mostly. I know about the US involvement. I know about Task Force Smith, I know about the Pusan Perimeter. I've read about the Incheon Landing and the march north to the Yalu. I know about the Chinese involvement and about the US Marines having to fight their way out of North Korea (more on that later in this post). I've learned about the stalemate that stabalized near todays borders for years before the cease fire was finally signed. I know all about this from the US perspective.
Recently, I've wanted learn about the Korean point of view. I've looked for Korean history books about the war with little luck in the local Korean bookstores. I bought Three Day Promise through amazon.com and it's near the top of my next book list. Well, last night my wife and I went to San Jose with some friends to see Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War.
In a word - Incredible!
I'll try not to spoil too much here but there's a few things I'd like to bring up here.
This movie reaches for the heartstrings, early and often. It starts out with a scene from today, where a dig is being conducted at a battle site. Remains and artifacts are found, photographed, and carefully packed. Bones are placed in caskets, draped with flags, and carried off by military members. A man receives a phone call from the site. They ask his name and if he participated in a particular battle because they think they have found remains that they identified as his. He asks if maybe they are mistaken and if the remains are of his brother. He decides to visit the site.
The movie then takes you back to early June 1950. And from there you are told the story of two brothers, drafted into the Army at the start of the war. They leave behind their mother and the older brother's fiance and her younger sisters.
The story was very well done. The movie shows the lengths one brother will go to for the other, and the depths to which a man can fall when all hope is lost. The older brother tries at every turn to find a way to secure a release for his younger brother from the Army. He hopes to send him home, safe and sound. The younger brother wants to stay with him and hopes that they will both make it home safely after the war. Their motivations drive a wedge between them as the older brother volunteers for dangerous missions and gets promotions in hopes of earning a medal that will earn the release for his brother.
The movie is bluntly honest about events from the war. There is a movement in Korea to make movies honestly and to show the good and the bad of history. Well this movie delivers the good, the bad, and the ugly. It shows brave Soldiers fighting for their country. But it also shows many of the bad things about the war - what the North Korean Soldiers did to the villagers left behind during their retreat. And what the South Korean Soldiers did to the North Korean Soldiers when they later captured them. It also touched on what people did to survive during the war - attending Communist rallies just to feed their family and then the backlash when the UN forces regained control of Seoul and the price paid for trying to save an innocent person from this backlash.
The action and effects of the movie were spectacular. If you're a fan of the Saving Private Ryan/Band of Brothers type war effects, you'll love this movie. The effects are on par with those movies. If you've never seen a man with white phosphourus covering his head, you will in this movie. And the action is incredible. I was able to successfully predict some events, but I still literally jumped in my chair when they happened.
Only one thing stuck out to me during the entire movie as being not quite right. There is a mention, during the Chinese counter-offensive that everyone is retreating. The even make special mention of the US Marines retreating. I'll tell you what, ask any Marine if the US Marines have ever retreated. Stop by SSG Geezer's blog and ask him if you don't know any Marines.
Overall, I give this movie an A. I plan to tell my students about it later this week, during our next military topics class, and recommend they see it. I hope that this movie does well in its US release, but I have a feeling it won't. Outside of the Korean/American audience, not many people will go see it, though, I fear. Most Americans have a thing about reading subtitles in theaters, unfortunately.