Staggeringly effective war flick

Rating: 9/10 (23 December 2004)

My summary (above) isn't meant to trivialize this beautiful film, but it was the first thing that came to mind.
I remember two things only about SAVING PRIVATE RYAN -- the opening beach assault and the tank sequence. The bracketing story was undone by its false sentimentality.
TAEGUKGI, which follows the basic structure of RYAN, uses RYAN's failings as a lesson and is a superior film for it.
The battle scenes are adroitly staged, but this Korean epic stands out because it places its personal drama in the foreground and makes that drama constantly interesting.
Two brothers are drafted as the South's conflict with the North escalates into combat. One brother volunteers for suicide missions in order to win the Medal of Honor and get his younger brother discharged. Out of this premise the drama unfolds.
The poetry and chaos of Mallick's THIN RED LINE is also referenced here.
The combat is bloody and realistic and the hand-to-hand conflict is a refreshing focus for a movie of this scale.
Performances all 'round are above-par, the score is reminiscent of American epics and the cinematography is terrific.
Pretty much flawless cinema.
Only the initial scenes of the brothers in their pre-war life feel a little forced and oversentimental. They reminded me of early sequences from John Woo's masterful BULLET IN THE HEAD.
That film, of course, fell apart in the last ten minutes with its out of context car chase. This film commits no such sin.
It is amazing.