Hell on Earth

Rating: 9/10 (27 November 2007)

Since the comparisons to Saving Private Ryan are inevitable, I will admit that I liked SPR a lot better. This movie, on the other hand, was easily a contender. First off, DO NOT WATCH THIS MOVIE DUBBED IN English. Thank you. Not only does it ruin the film, but it cheapens the acting performances that you need to hear to fully get the movie. With that being said, here is my review: The fighting scenes were absolutely gorgeous. They even broke that cliché where every artillery shell must be a gigantic fireball, and instead used dirt spray, which is more like reality. There was something about this movie that was absolutely terrifying. It was the same feeling that I felt while watching SPR, that's hard to get in many other war movies. Not only were the characters great, but everything felt chaotic.
One complaint about the movie is that it is over dramatic. This may be a cultural difference with respect to film. It also helps us understand more about the characters. This leads me to the absolute best point of this film - its reflections on death and war. A great movie is one where you feel the horror of an impending onslaught, like when China charged the S. Korean base and all of the men where basically in a frenzy. Then, the film shows a gigantic wall of incoming soldiers, almost like an "omg!" moment. Unreal.
I hated the ending, however. I believe that it cheapened the film. Though none of the soldiers would have really cared about one measly S. Korean soldier running around in the heat of battle, it was a little stupid that he found his brother in the middle of the fight and they got into a Hollywood-ish fight. A better ending would have definitely helped this film out a lot, like, for instance, the brother being killed by his own men. Other than this, great film.
9.5/10