A Powerful Indictment of War

Rating: 10/10 (9 May 2013)

This brutal and powerful immersion in the experience of people in a country torn asunder by forces outside their control has probably never been more timely than it is today, and for many reasons, not the least is the effect outside forces are having on the local people in The Middle East--whether you root for or against the activity in Irag or Afghanistan or Syria, it will echo in your head as you watch what went on in Korea some fifty years ago, a "police action" still ringing with repercussions today.
Tae Guk Gi, besides documenting the hideous reality of being dragged into fighting against common sense, is also the moving story of two brothers and their immediate family, of separation physically and emotionally; some of the over-the-top emoting may seem extreme, but so are the situations, and the film cunningly details what happens when governments are changed at the whim of those currently in power. This is an epic worth watching, but in the excellent company of anti-war films such as All Quiet On The Western Front, Come and See and City of Life And Death is certainly is not an entertainment.