Welcome to hell

Rating: 7/10 (29 September 2005)

Americans like to tell World War II stories where they won, and Vietnam war stories, where the Americans lose but the pacifists in America won (because America withdrew from Vietnam, making it an American Victory).
North and South Korea are separated by the world's largest minefield. These 2 countries, with the same history, culture and language move further apart now during the cultural war.
So delving in to the Korean war for Koreans is no easy matter. Until recently North Koreans were always seen as the enemy. Completely alien to south Koreans.
This movie delves into the Horror of the Korean war. There are no good guys and bad guys, no real heroes. What we see is the story of 2 brothers forced into the South Korean army when North Korea invades in 1950. (The South were also thinking of invading the North, but didn't get organised in time) The story passes through the terror of the early stages where North Korea was able to invade right down to Busan in the south of the Korean Peninsular, to move north when the Americans daringly intervened and the bitter deadlocked battles that resulted from China's intervention.
You see the terrible atrocities on both sides, the indifference to people and the stupidity of hatred. Brother will fight brother, but there is always hope. For in Korea, family is the basis of society, and that at the end of the day, North and South are brothers.
Perhaps the action is a little over the top (Hng Kong actions movies have led Asian audiences to expect this), but here is a movie that finally makes me feel that war has no redeeming characteristics.