Things that i Liked:
- The actors were able to truly convey their feelings towards the viewer/audience exceptionally well.(Especially to me T.T)
- Although the music is sad and painful it really is amazing to listen and fell how well it matches with this film.
Things that I hated:
- Being a war movie don't expect it to be all smiles and kisses. Be prepared! (I know I wasn't T.T)
Overall Taegukgi is truly amazing and it is a must watch for anyone that enjoys watching movies. This film will make you a different person. If not then you will get very emotional T^T
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-WARNING-
This is a war movie and it involves violent scenes as well as emotional scenes, labile people (like myself) should not watch this!
The story of these two brothers is incredibly touching as well as it feels realistic to watch. I have only watched one movie with Won Bin (Jin Seok in this movie) before watching this and I was stunned by his performance on the screen and I can say that my admiration for him has grown to the skies. Along with Jang Dong Gun (plays his brother Jin Tae) he makes this movie insanely good.
The story, environments and the acting is all outstanding and every emotion is conveyed with precision and feeling behind it. As if all of this wasn't enough the music fits the movie perfectly and it's well timed with the scenes and creates the right mood.
I won't lie, I cried rivers. Especially at the end, but let me tell you, this entire movie is one single tragedy. But what can you expect from a war? This is the reason I had to deduct one point from the "Rewatch value", it takes to much off your heart and soul to watch this, my head aches from all the crying. I would watch it again, but I'll have to wait a while until I'm ready for it again.
Watch and enjoy!
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I always say how war movies are not my favourite genre and how they are too hard to digest. That being said I have to say that there are some war movies which are definitely worth seeing and this one is one of them. Actually this one is probably the best war movie ever made and no American or any other movie could get close to this one. And I say that with some real facts.
It started out like so many other movies, a short clip of the present and then a long flashback. And then it blew me away with its depiction of war and all of its complexities. There are many elements of 'Taegukgi' that elevate the film from the status of standard war film to a message of hope set against the backdrop of war. The film's scope is grand, dealing with the far more intimate themes of family, brotherhood, and personal responsibility. At its core, 'Taegukgi' is the story of two brothers, a strikingly poignant analogy for the entire North Korea / South Korea dilemma. While the battlefield choreography is as frenetic as it is harrowing, it never takes the film's center: this picture is founded on relationships – the human perspective to the world outside – and it never falters. Instead of focusing on history, Kang Je-Gyu crafts every scene to highlight the thoughts, actions, and emotions of the participants of history, and, for that, 'Taegukgi' deserves countless praises.
The film also spares no effort in showing us the ability of bullets, knives and bombs to turn human beings into squishy piles of gore. Cinematography is amazing and the camera work in most of the moments seems to be a documentary, so realistic it is. It's full of death, terrible events, sadness, tears, fears, full of strongest emotions that war brings and you're kinda expecting all that. But still your heart is tearing apart and breaking into million pieces.
The ending of the film won't come as much of a surprise, since it's basically foretold at the start with a scene set in the present day. The exact details might be a little unexpected though. And although you're kinda expecting that one too, still you cry and ocean, no two oceans of tears, honestly my head ached from all the tears I had. It takes to much off your heart and soul to watch this, no doubt.
As for actors who start in this movie, just these two names are enough and you'll know it has to be some masterpiece: Won Bin and Jang Dong-gun. They are perfect for playing in tragic, dark and serious movies, they already proved it (one in My Way, the other one in Man From Nowhere, they played in the best Korean movies separately and now together in one which was even better than those two :P).
Won Bin as a younger brother who was weak with his health was really grandiose, from at first sight weak boy, he turns to be so strong and brave and ready to fight for his own beliefs against everyone even against his own brother. He was constantly on the side of innocents and he hated war and killing more than anything else and it's shown very detailed on his face, his gestures, his expressions how he struggled and was disgusted by all the horrors of the war.
Jang Dong-gun as Jin-tae was magnificent, he was a shine and glory of this terribly harsh movie. I can't remember when some character made me cry so much and feel so much pain, it was too painful to see him talking to his brother, there was one scene when he's saying to Jin-seok how he was dream and hope of their family, how he's not regretting giving up school and shining shoes for him, how they sacrificed so much to make it possible for him to study, that one scene has graved into my heart like one of the most powerful scene ever shown in movies. You could literally feel his endless love for his little brother and that exact moment was when I cried my heart and soul out.
In the further happenings it was very painful and hard but also very realistic and amazing to see how director forces Jin-tae to explore his own budding evil, how he turned mad and furious full of everlasting rage towards everything and this journey is not without its own relative scars. Once a man has crossed over and embraced wartime madness, can he ever truly find a way out? Maybe it was too much and maybe he went too far to accept that madness, and for us maybe too unbelievable but it was still a small thing and wasn't enough to put a shadow on this movie. But it was also necessary to bring the aspect of brotherhood full circle, to have these two unique men face their darkest hour, and to make one final statement on the role that family inevitably plays in every man's life.
The music was really perfect and so fitting, how slowly started to be louder and louder and more powerful with some bigger scenes going on. It really added more emotions and feelings.
This movie makes you feel like you're on the battlefield with these soldiers, with these two brothers and sharing their destiny. It's harsh realism only heightens the emotion. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece and I truly can't see anyone not being affected by this movie. Just remember to keep the tissues close by for this one cause you're gong to need it , like the whole box of them. Superb, grandiose, glorious piece of art and undeniably the best Korean movie ever made.
How it's possible this movie hasn't been nominated to the Oscar? Well it's probably cause its high quality goes way beyond that. There's no way I could give some score lower than 10. And 10 it is.
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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.
-dealt 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.
Some Westerns may think of it as being kinda over-dramatic, but I see it's a part of their 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"
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What drew me in was how the story unfolded around two brothers, how their actions and thinking changed as the war progressed and how their relationship suffered because of the war. The camera, cinematic and sound effects were superb, especially during emotional scenes. I lost count of scenes which made me felt so connected to the characters, kudos to the actors.
The film could have explained more about the events that transpired, as not everyone who watch it knows Korean history.
Definitely a must watch, but expect a little gore and disturbing scenes.
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Director Kang Je-kyu binds us emotionally into the tale with perfection sprinkled all over; the unfolding is so convincing that I felt connected to the brothers (played by the very excellent and unbeatable actors Jang Dong-gun and Won Bin) right from the beginning. Jang delivers a perfectly neat act and you feel for him since the very beginning, while Won makes you cry along with him. This is seriously an award deserving performance from both the actors, and undoubtedly the film won a lot of awards and love from people all over. Rest of the actors too add glory to the film's victory.
The technical aspects need to be heavily praised, as not for a second it's felt that the film has a low quality or production values. The scale is pretty high, and the production values are rich. The war sequences, rather and better to be called action sequences, are extremely well choreographed and are enjoyable enough to be seen again. The cinematography is splendid and the lens doesn't capture a single shot without perfection.
The screenplay and editing are very well dealt with, as even at 148 minutes (I have seen the director's cut) the film doesn't bore for a second. The moment you think it's over, it goes on to deliver some chilling portrayal of human emotions and continues the narration with utmost sincerity. The climax is very well done, and the last few minutes had me constantly crying. Every emotion could be felt.
TAEGUGKI is undoubtedly a major triumph for the South Korean cinema. When I finished watching the film as well as shedding tears, I was left silent as well as asking myself a question again and again, "Why didn't I see this gem before?"
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The thing I loved the most in the movie is definitely the directing. Everything was so realistic. It's obvious how hard everyone worked on making this movie as impactful as it is. The viewer can easily connect to the story thanks to the good directing and, of course, the brilliant acting and well-written script.
The movie follows the story of two brothers and how they drifted apart because of the war and how much they changed. It was tragic and painful because the actors did such a good job at portaying their characters' suffering. Won Bin and Jang Dong Gun were perfectly cast. And how I wish Won Bin would return to the screen soon... he's such a good actor.
Now, there's this one thing. The movie lacks any kind of explanation. If you know nothing about the Korean War, then it may be hard to connect the things in the movie and you can be confused at the beginning. I personally don't have enough knowledge about it, but what I know was enough I guess. But if you aren't interested in Korean history and don't know anything about the war between North Korea and South Korea, I'd adivse you to read a little about it before watching the movie. I'm not sure why they decided that it'll be better to avoid explaining details, maybe the director thought that non-koreans who aren't interested in Korean history wouldn't want to check it out.
Overall, a great movie and a must-watch. Be prepared for a lot of gore though, some scenes are really disturbing.
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