Probably the best war movie ever done and an inspiring work for the ages

Rating: 10/10 (25 October 2012)

This is not only the best movie of the year but easily one of the best war movies ever done in history of cinema until today and beats most modern Hollywood productions.
This movie simply incarnates everything war is about and it perfectly shows the madness of the Korean war and even its impact on modern life in Korea. The film is about being separated from family, saving someone you love at all costs, getting used and abused by political propaganda, going through changes and identity crisis, fighting for your life on a blood-red battlefield, seeking for peace and vengeance, meandering between madness and relief.
The acting of this movie is absolutely outstanding from the two gripping and profound main characters over their desperate family members to the cynical politicians and soldiers. Don't even try to find one, there is no bad actor in here and every actor or actress delivers one if not the best job of his or her career on here.
The movie is perfectly filmed and features impressive fighting scenes with realistic special effects, stunning landscapes and outstanding choreographies with dark or vivid colour and light effects. The scene with the slayed bodies in an abandoned North Korean village, the fighting scenes between prisoners in a bloody and inhuman game, the assassination of the so-called traitors, the arrival of the hordes of Chinese soldiers on the battlefield and the final battle of the movie are only a few breathtaking examples for the high quality filming.
The story is as hectic, twisted and unbelievable as the whole madness of war and features many ups and downs, many gripping changes and a few little twists. Some people might find this aspect a little bit exaggerated but I think the opposite as it perfectly portrays the extreme feelings everybody is going through in wartime.
At the end, this movie is also highly emotional. In the end of the film, I just couldn't help and was about to cry because the whole story is an emotional drama of a rare high quality. The final scenes where you see one of the characters as an old man who learns the truth about the past is one of the most touching movie scenes I have seen in quite a while.
If you care about war movies, this one has to be your new bible and you should watch this at all costs as it easily beats all modern Western war movie productions that appear pathetic, repetitive and superficial next to this masterpiece. This film should get more international recognition and should be used in any school of the world to show children the true madness of war. This is a work for the ages, so don't hesitate to check this out. I might watch this movie at least once a year and will probably never get tired of it which speaks volumes for the movie's impact on me and many people seem to feel exactly the same. Trust the highly favorable ratings by critics and fans and don't miss the chance to watch this film.