Taeguki

Directed by Je-gyu Kang, 2004
Starring Dong-Kun Jang and Bin Won

Two brothers find themselves reluctantly drafted into a bloody war that would pit one people against each other. It is 1950, the dawn of the Korean War, marking the beginning of a conflict that would never really be resolved. The two brothers, Jin-Tae and Jin-Seok are sent to the front lines, dodging bullets and artillery in a desperate attempt to hold off the Communist Northerners. What follows would be a typical war movie, akin to Saving Private Ryan, complete with the blood n’ gore, physiological tension, and the loss of innocence as the first casualty of war. Like the aforementioned Steven Spielberg film, the mission is a man.

Jin-Tae, the older of the two, puts the life of his brother before his own, risking everything to send his still-student brother home. Upon hearing of a bargain granted to a father and son, Jin-Tae risks life and limb to win the Medal of Honour, thus earning the right to send his brother home. Going beyond the call of duty, Jin-Tae treads on the thin line between courage and stupidity as he takes the point on every single risk-plagued mission. Contrary to the faint hopes of a weeklong war, the Korean War drags on, and now the military might of the USA and China have joined the fray.

As Jin-Tae reaches for the Medal of Honour, Jin-Seok realizes the cost of his return home is too high, for both must come out of this war alive. The drama is played out excellently as Jin-Tae gradually transforms from the brother Jin-Seok once knew to a cold-blooded soldier with one mission in life: sending his brother home.

As far as Asian movies go, Taeguki is a breakthrough, putting South Korea on the map. The scale of the film itself speaks volumes about the size of this production. The choreography of the gory battle scenes is just right for any war film of this genre, complete with whizzing bullets and lurching camera. The masses of Chinese infantry rushing up the hills are amazing, not the mention the CGI American bombers and crowds of refugees – and yet, the CGI isn’t overdone. As spot-on as the CGI and choreography of the battles are, the script and story could be better.

Taeguki tackles several issues on different fronts, stretching the film to an exhausting 2 hours and 40 minutes. There’s the mother, fiancé, comrades with widely different personalities, and of course, the two brothers. The film doesn’t end in the climactic grand finale it could have been, and by the last act you just have to wonder why they’re dragging the story on and on. Perhaps with a better script the loose ends could have either been cut or tied up to maximize the effect, because in the end, what makes a movie great is the script.

Being a genuine war film (the most expensive Korean movie to date, at $13 million), Taeguki has its fair share of screaming men, spilt guts, and jump scenes. The horrors of war are brought to life once more, turning men into animals and raising the issues of mercy and humanity. It’s a bit predictable and rather formulaic. But beyond the usual war scenes and issues, Taeguki is at heart, a sweeping tale of two brothers – a powerful epic, Korean style, about how love and loyalty rise above the cruelest of wars.