War really is brutal.

Rating: 7/10 (24 September 2005)

One of the reasons I enjoy watching foreign films is that it gives me a taste of different cultures and viewpoints. I live in the USA. Obviously this film takes a Korean slant on the war. This film is a story about the Korean War and its effects on two brothers. The film starts in the present, but then flashes back to pre-war life and times of the two brothers. I like the strong sense of family shown in the film. The willingness of each family member to sacrifice for the betterment of the others. This part of the story touched my heart.
The war scenes are horrific, no blood or guts are spared. The heroism is remarkable, as is the driving force behind the hero. I can't speak to the historical accuracy of the war scenes, but they were very impressive. The war scenes were about as brutal and chaotic as I could have imagined, and then some. The film seemed a bit long, but that may have been part of the effect of the duration of the war. The film is not "Saving Private Ryan", but worth seeing just for the war scenes alone.