Minghella's 'Breaking and Entering' is an excellent modern tale set in London that revolves around the relationships of (1) a "green" company director, (2) his longtime Swedish girlfriend and (3) a Bosnian immigrant. Admittedly I am not a big fan of Jude Law (what self respecting individual is!?) but he plays his part so efficiently it was a masterstroke casting him in the lead role. His character is trite seemingly disinterested and frequently irritating but wholly believable and realistic. He may come across as a London male stereotype but as said Law is so convincing it does not matter it just adds to the realism. Wright Penn is fantastic as his troubled Swedish girlfriend. She has to look after her 10 year old daughter suffering from ADD while struggling to feel appreciated and loved by the vacuous Law. Wright Penn fits the bill ably. Her character may be not perfect, her role at the end of the film is somewhat lacking in self respect and is slightly humiliating and desperate following a very selfless action she takes in helping out someone else, but again the films strength is its realism not its heroics. But the star of the film is the magnificent Binoche. Her performance is easily the best female performance I've seen in a film... ever! She plays the suffering mother of a troubled youth and lost her husband years before. She becomes entangled in a relationship that she should avoid but, as she states herself, it has been years since anyone showed her affection so she is vulnerable to an advance. There are two scenes which exemplify Binoche as the best actress in the business; when she decides to take pictures of her sleeping lover against his knowledge, she tries to make it look like she enjoys it but immediately reviles with disgust and disgrace, and when she descends to desperate begging from her lover for his help. Both scenes are so powerful you will be moved very much. The film has a number of subplots and social commentaries (and a few funny moments: look out for the scene in which one character states "Latte's have been drunk" you'l understand when you see it) but I will not dwell on them as they are secondary to the excellent performances of its cast. An engrossing and enjoyable film, make it a priority to see it.


BREAKING AND ENTERING takes you inside the council housing of London and the rough edges of Kings Cross with a look at the difference in the relationships of a Bosnian Refugee and her son, in contrast to that of a London Architect and his partner, and her autistic daughter. When their paths meet through "breaking and entering" their stories collide in a film with solid performances from the cast.

Remembering the bombing of Kings Cross in 2005, and having lived in that area as a graduate student at London University, the film location was such an interesting match for the darkness of the characters, and their own issues and complexity. The shots of the Camden Locks, and the trees that dot the water, made the story come alive with watching Law and Binoche, and the son, Miro, each with their own problems to solve.

BREAKING AND ENTERING is a timely film as it shows the "melting pot" of London with its different races and refugees who have created a city of millions who have arrived in England to escape their past. And that is also the case of Robin Wright Penn's character and her daughter from Sweden. The characters journeys come to a conclusion which fits the theme of redemption and moving beyond the past. A very complex, but a satisfying film.


Being a fan of Jude Law was essentially the incentive to go and watch this film. Before the film actually started i was unaware of the overt plot. Set in the outskirts and center of King's Cross, with modern architecture and two 'families' with contrasting backgrounds seem to intrigue me. Without detailing the film too much, the concept seem simple, and common. Yet it seemed to be so well crafted and intricately devised. Jude Law gave a very honest and truthful and convincing performance alongside Robin Wright Penn, the sleep deprived worn girlfriend. Penn gave a delicate yet fierce performance particularly at the end, when she lashes out at Will for all the preceding predicaments that he had caused. Juliette Binonche, a french actor with a wide range of persona skills depict the sense of solemness to a high degree. Her accent was very realistic and above all her presence was credible.

Though this film has the intentions of establishing a dramatically intense atmosphere, the tension breaks with a touch of crude humour when the prostitute appears. Although strictly speaking this would normally be facetious, it works perfectly well.

With the film's score weaved in the background, it creates a 5 star film. The actors give an almost impeccable performance, and will ensure a string of credits to their name.


There's a lot to recommend this film. Principally there is the very fine (another very fine) performance from Jude Law. His versatile and grown-up performance glues the ensemble and the story strands together. The support is top notch: Juliette Binoche is the pick of the rest, thrown into chaos by her thieving son and Law's flaky contemporary liberal; around her are a convincing neurotic (Penn), compassionate urban realists (Farmiga and Winstone) and Martin Freeman playing an almost cameo-like doppelgänger to Law. And I don't know where they found Rafi Gavron who is brilliant as a first timer amongst such company.

The film has a couple of issues - it's almost pathologically organised with one-too-many similar themes investigated and resolved over its arc. The ending ties everything up too neatly.

Despite this the film manages to break the bonds of domestic or TV drama that so easily dog other British productions. London is definitely a character though. There are carefully chosen landmarks just off the tourist radar; even the estate where the immigrant family live is not a council dive but a flawed marvel of late 1960s architecture (The Rowley Way Estate in Camden).

A super film that, from its performances to its look, dispenses with preconception to examine the way modern individuals deal with one another in isolation. 8/10


In London, the British architect Will (Jude Law) lives with his Swedish mate Liv (Robin Wright Penn) a worn-out relationship, without the former passion, consumed by the dedication of Liv to her autistic daughter Bea (Poppy Rogers). The needy of love Will and his partner Sandy (Martin Freeman) have an ambitious architectural project to improve the dangerous neighborhood of King's Cross where their firm Green Effect is located. The practitioner of parkour and refugee from Serbia Mirsade a.k.a. Miro (Rafi Gavron) breaks in Green Effect in the night to deactivate the alarm system to burgle computers and others electronic devices with a gang of compatriots leaded by his uncle. Will decides to stake-out during the nights to find the culprit, and he witnesses Miro trying to break-in the firm again. Will pursues Miro and finds his address, where Miro lives with his seamstress mother Amira (Juliette Binoche). Will does not call the police, and on the next day, he visits Amira with the pretext of sewing a coat. Will gets closer to Amira, visiting her everyday, and more distant from Liv, When Miro finds that Will had been in his room, he tells the truth to his mother and she decides to give Will's laptop back to him. Will sexually desires Amira and she has an encounter with him to get pictures to compromise and blackmail him.

"Breaking and Entering" is another great movie of Anthony Minghella that explores the theme of second chance in life through a dramatic triangle of love of the needy lead character and the maternal love of two mothers. Jude Law performs a successful but needy of love architect that misses the passion and attention of his girlfriend; Robin Wright Penn neglects her mate and gives her total attention to her daughter; and Juliette Binoche is a Serbian refugee capable of any sacrifice to save her son from prison. Their daughter Bea and son Miro are the key elements that trigger the plot. The lead trio has magnificent and credible interpretations and the story concludes with a final non-commercial redemption. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Invasão de Domicílio" ("Invasion of Domicile")


One of the most enjoyable films I have watched this year. Strong acting and direction with constant suspense almost to the very end. Juliet Binoche is outstanding , and Ray Winstone plays a strong support role as a sympathetic detective. Not every one rates Jude Law , but he is well cast in this , and I could not help think that there might be something semi autobiographical in the role that he plays. The views of London are good and there is plenty to think about in this movie as well , overcrowding , poverty , lack of opportunity for the young , personal relationships in the busy lives that we lead. to sum up , a movie that we all should go and see , relevant to our modern lives.


Anthony Minghella, the talented English director, wrote the screen play for "Breaking and Entering". As the title suggests, this is a story about alienation, exile, the clash of cultures, among other things. Mr. Minghella whose death leaves a tremendous gap in the world cinema, was a man whose work will be sadly missed by discerning fans. He was, above all, a man of impeccable taste and it shows throughout his entire career.

The story centers around an architect, Will, who decides to go to an unsavory part of town to locate his office. The area is crime infected. Soon criminals invade the premises to steal things that can easily be disposed and will fetch a good return to the criminals. Will is the lover of Liv and although it appears they have a nice thing going, we get an impression that all is not well between them.

When Will's computer is stolen, he gets upset. He decides to keep surveillance on the place until he watches a young man breaking into his office. Will is determined to track him down and succeeds in locating the public housing project in which he lives. To his amazement, he discovers the young thief's mother is a seamstress, Amira, and decides to go to her with the feeble excuse he wants some suits altered.

What Will doesn't imagine is to what extent he will become attached to the beautiful woman. She is a refugee from Bosnia who lives by taking private jobs in order to support herself and the son, who she doesn't suspects of being capable of any wrong doing. Will and Amira get into an affair that's bigger than both of them. He gets something bigger than what he bargained for, thus putting in peril his own relationship with Liv. When all it's said and done, Will ends up apologizing to Amira and to Liv. The ending it's a cop out, because Will enters into his affair with open eyes. He ends up apologizing to everyone. Begging forgiveness he feels exonerated, perhaps, for his actions and what he did to both Amira and Liv.

One wishes the film would have had a different resolution, but one can see why Minghella decided to go ahead with his instinct. The movie has an excellent cast. It's probably one of the best things Jude Law has done in recent memory. Robin Wright Penn makes a great Liv. Juliette Binoche is also effective as Amira.

It's sad in a way to realize this was Mr. Minghella's last work when he had so much to give us.


Risky, risky shots is what Anthony Minghella and his team have achieved here. Things that belong far away from the the classy style of "The talented Mr. Ripley" and the classic style of "Cold Mountain". There's also a risky screenplay, an original one by the director that also stands on a different level compared to his previous adapted efforts. But what a way to keep up the good work the man has!

This is because there are things that also remain the same; the kind of things that define a director's work: like actors direction. You really need to watch Jude Law in an Anthony Minghella film because the director has made him portray all sorts of things, but here you can catch him as an everyday man, and sense his reactions to the dramatic and comic situations in a way he's not shown before. Instantly compared to "Closer", Law's work here is much more mature.

He plays Will Francis, an architect that has a project and office in a not so safe place of London: King's Cross. Now, I lived in London for six months and most of the places are known to me, but I'd never seen them from Minghella's perspective here. There's a robbery in the film and Will chases the aggressor, a kid, and after a series of events ends up involved with his mom Amira, played by Juliette Binoche...Yes, involved like the "Closer" type of involvement.

Maybe it's because Juliette Binoche can play any character and resolve any scene, but putting her character and Law's together in such a common place as the Millennium Bridge doesn't sound good with a simple look. However, in that scene Will attempts to kiss Amira; the way she rejects that kiss and the tiny instant which shows Will's afterthoughts, eliminates every other possibility and makes something good of the scene.

"Breaking and entering" is a movie about decisions, but the decisions are not evidently presented and they're not necessarily life-changing. I remember the actions of Patrick Marber's characters in "Closer", so brilliantly ruthless, but not very explained. Minghella's screenplay here leaves the viewer no doubt that every action done by every character is justified.

The kid, Miro (a promising Rafi Gavron), robs an office because he needs to prove something to himself; a detective (unexpected Ray Winstone) looks for him and tries to talk about the issue because he senses the boy has some good inside him; Will does what he does (the good and the bad) because he's a kind person; his wife (Robin Wright Penn) makes a choice because she understands.

And Amira, she's like every other mother that will go to end of the world for his son...Not caring if he's right or wrong. Mother's love is impossible to explain.


Set in London, one of planet Earth's most prosperous and important cities, the film presents a series of artificially sweetened events, set in motion by an office break-in carried out by a 15-year-old kid named Mirsad, a war refugee from Bosnia. Now based in London and straddling the line between lower middle class and poverty, he is cared for by his Muslim mother Amira who provides for both by working as a seamstress after his Serb father got murdered during the war.

The office space that he keeps breaking into belongs to an architectural firm owned by Englishmen Will Francis and his partner Sandy. Will is young, rich, and bored. He's also got a depressed Swedish-American girlfriend Liv along with her 13-year-old autistic daughter Bee to deal with at home.

Another one in a growing line of recent Kumbaya, global village cinematic offerings, B&E purports to explore a slew of additional themes (human relationships, single-parent, mixed-family tribulations, etc.). However, everything outside its general "people are people" running thread is a rather bland salad dressing. Unfortunately, the main course isn't a whole lot better, either. Among an almost alarmingly germinating number of these kinds of films springing up lately - "Crash" and "Babel" being the most prominent - B&E offers no substantial improvement. Much like those mediocre movies did, in a desperate search for relevance this one also resorts to dropping little bits of halfass global liberal politics at strategic points throughout the story.

Furthermore, on the dramaturgical and even aesthetic front, B&E lives and dies by the character of Amira. She is supposed to be the spice that elevates proceedings from the mundane and purely Western "I'm kinda bored and my woman's a crazy moody bitch so some exotic tail on the side would sure hit the spot" territory into something more hearty.

And while Binoche does a minimally adequate job portraying a Bosnian Muslim woman, giving the role to a South Slavic actress would've improved things substantially, and not just from the external authenticity standpoint. Apart from her annoying French "Bosnian accent" and her insufferable French-accented Serbo-Croatian, she plays this woman very unevenly. Not to mention that the way this entire character is written feels undercooked to begin with. At times it's as if they've taken Sena, a supportive wife from "When Father was Away on Business" (played by Mirjana Karanovic), applied a selective 21st century makeover, and built a new movie around her.


This is an example of Anthony Minghella pretending he is Stephen Poliakoff, and failing miserably. This film is straight from the false world of 'luvviedom', i.e. the imaginary world in which the luvvies of the film scene live in their bubble and try to remember what real people were when they once knew them. Minghella is so desperate to put some 'real people' into this phoney saga that he drags in some hapless Bosnian characters, though even they are not convincing, despite the best efforts of the ever-brilliant Juliette Binoche with her perfect Serbo-Croat accent and a superb first performance by the young Rafi Gavron as her son. This film is so contrived and idiotic in its attempts to be profound that it is a lesson in how not to write a script. Poliakoff can pull off these rambling associations of disparate characters who come together in ultimate profundity, because he has some magical ability to make it all mean something in the end, but Minghella simply cannot do it. He is too far away, on some planet of his own, and all his characters are merely theoretical, and so far from real that the result is a really horrible joke. Jude Law delivers another commanding performance, showing himself once again a master of the screen, while Vera Farmiga as a Russian prostitute brings the only other touch of life to this dead production with her hysterically funny and inspired cameo performance. The worst thing of all about the film is the cold, deathly, and repulsive Robin Wright Penn, who is not only unwatchable as an actress, but her character in the story is so despicable that one doesn't know which is worse, the actress or the part. This entire project was flawed from the start, and should never have passed go. If Minghella wants to commit professional suicide, this is the way to do it. He should meet some people in the real world fast, before he drowns in a cesspit of utterly gormless goo. What a ridiculous waste of time!


Breaking and Entering is The Academy Award winning director of "The English Patient," Anthony Minghella's latest film. This is not an epic war romance, the film is set in modern London. If the movie was half as long, Mr. Minghella would be picking out a new tux for the Oscars. But, the two hour long film is too confused and overstuffed with ideas and character development to be bearable. See if the following synopsis gives you a headache: Will, (Jude Law) is an architect who has just opened up a slick new office that looks like an Apple store. Unfortunately, it is in a "developing" part of London famous for its hookers. His office gets robbed a few times and he decides to find the culprit himself by staking out his own office with a techno loving prostitute, (Vera Farmiga). The "free-running" thief turns out to be a fifteen year old boy, Miro (Rafi Gavron) who works for a gang of Serbian thugs related to his late father. Will tracks down Miro but ends up falling in love with Miro's mother, Amira (Juliette Binoche) a soundless-piano playing seamstress.

Need some Excedrin? That's only about half of the movie and I haven't even mentioned Will's depressed light-box loving, long time girlfriend Liv (Robin Wright Penn) and her gymnastics obsessed behaviorally challenged daughter.

I was lucky enough to attend a screening with a Q&A with Minghella after the film. He's obviously enjoying the clout of having an Oscar. It gave him the opportunity to write and direct this film inspired by some of his own experiences. The director even answered some questions from the audience. One of the best was, "how much did you get from Apple?" The film has a lot of Macs in it and Macs kept getting stolen from the office. At one point a character actually says, "these Macs are great aren't they?" It seemed like a clear case of product placement. Minghella said Apple gave him no money. He explained that it was an inside joke. He's Apple obsessed and his office in London kept getting its Macs stolen.

If you can sit through it, the acting is good. Law's performance is subtle and interesting. He has real chemistry with Both Binoche and Wright Penn. Unfortunately the characters are so developed they do not leave much room for the plot.


Gosh. Here's a film that not only went directly to video, but horror of horrors, it was directly to Blockbuster.

And yet it is precisely in the center of one of the six nodes of film perfection. Its that place where cinematic qualities recede and theatrical drama of the Chekov variety is delivered: should in conflict; souls in pain; souls striving toward some sort of tentative peace, knowing that each balance is forged personally.

Now that Mangella has died, taken from us early, I appreciate him. He made a commercial excrescence in "Cold Mountain," but there are elements of his other films that show a delicate soul behind the noise. Here he is himself, directing something he has conceived, and brought into the world.

Its a marvel of tension. He has two mothers, each struggling alone with "special" children. Two children who are addicted to gymnastic life beyond what is healthy and reasonable. Tow enterprises to clean the city, one using trees, the other sensitive policing.

Two themes of ethnic cleansing.

In other words, two haunting worlds that swirl around our focus, the one who draws, creates models, makes photos on a MacBook. This character is played by Jude Law. He's not who I would have chosen to play this man who manages four balancing acts, all connected to each other. I just don't think he is an interesting enough soul to speak to us about these sorts of things. He's basically a child himself in these matters.

It almost doesn't matter, because Mangella fills in the void with cinematic ambiguities. There are deleted scenes on this DVD that should, really absolutely have been in the final cut. Why they were not baffles me. Would it lessen the commercial value of the thing? One involves a coworker, a women apparently worth exploring, who Law's character considers. That he backs off makes his subsequent leap all the more forceful.

The two women here are played by real actresses. By this I mean that they not only know how to show us what their souls contain, but they have souls worth visiting when (temporarily) so shaped.

Binoche may be our most real woman, here moving between a woman and all women. Shes a blessing/ I feel blessed to have known her this way, and blessed that Mingella made the introduction and engagement such.

I think you should see this. Its his real legacy.

Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.


Anthony Minghella is a director of huge capacity,he's able to talk about anything, but there is always something which stands out in all his works and that's his Humanism.

If you happen to see negative, mean characters in his previous films,in Breaking and Entering it is hard to distinguish,in fact there is no such distinction as antagonist and protagonist,for each of the characters can play both parts regarding the people and circumstances they're surrounded in.

The title is very explicit,there are lots of breaking and enterings not just in ones property but also into each other ,questioning and re-valuating ones actions and choices and most of all revealing the motives,whether they rise from social or personal considerations.

In Minghella's sphere every human being is welcome and lovable,he's not accusing or justifying the people, but the circumstances.It is a film that tells the story of a lot of people of our times when political and social insecurities have broken the borders between countries and made many people immigrants.

It is a film that makes us feel responsible towards each other,and creates a land for all of us to live in, that of compassion.


Tenderness is contagious. Looking for love and ways to give it? Are movies more to you than entertainment? Without dreams, ambition and inspiration, life is harder than it has to be. Who says only the very young are hungry for knowledge. This good movie has taught me something about foreign relations, love and families, crime and punishment, truth, imagination, diligence, experience...the list goes on. And the commentary by Minghella -a bonus offered in the DVD features- is simply a joy. See the movie, enjoy the collaborative efforts of several true artists and then learn a bit about what it all meant to this successful writer/director. Or just see it because it's entertaining.


I started watching with little expectation of it being one I would stick with, but I loved everything about this film.The characters were real and believable, wonderfully written and acted. Jude Law and Juliette Binoche were fantastic, heartbreaking and should both have been awarded for their sensitive portrayals. Martin Freeman was solid as usual and Ray Winstone (though in little more than a cameo) was Ray Winstone!! Beautifully photographed with a wonderful score there is little I can fault about this movie. I do not always love Minghella's films (I thought the English Patient was overrated)I really enjoyed this. The scene in the park towards the end broke my heart. Having just watched it on Sky HD I cannot wait to see it again sometime. I thought the boy who played Juliette Binoche's son was terrific and should have a glittering career ahead of him.


Breaking and Entering focuses on Will,(Jude Law) a landscape architect who succeeds in business but finds his personal life is tougher to navigate. He has been with Liv (Robin Wright Penn), for years, but it's difficult to connect with her due to her worry over her autistic teenage daughter. When Will catches a teenage boy named Miro (Ravi Gafron) breaking into his office, he chases the thief home. He later meets the boy's mother, a Bosnian refugee played by Juliette Binoche. His anger at Miro is quickly transformed into attraction to his mother, further complicating his relationship with Liv... I remember watching Breaking and Entering more then a year ago but, at the time, I thought it was a bit dull and slow paced and I ended up seeing only the first half. After all this time, I decided to give the film a second try mainly because it stars Jude Law, a great actor that usually does the kind of films I like, emotional dramas, often very character-driven, about relationships and the human nature. And that is exactly what Breaking and Entering is, and this time around I truly enjoyed the film even though it's far from being great. I guess you could say Breaking and Entering is an acquired taste. Those looking for instant gratification will be disappointed, on the other hand,those looking for a cleverly-written adult drama will be pleased, I think. See, the story is quite simple but the human nature is very complex, the reason why we do the things we do, our emotions, why we respond to certain situations in a certain manner, that's what's interesting about the story and it's the kind of thing the film tries to tap into. Visually, Breaking and Entering is quite stunning with beautiful cinematography and some great locations. The film was well acted with Jude Law delivering the best performance. In the end maybe the film should have been a little shorter, it would probably please a wider audience, but, it's like I mentioned before, Breaking and Entering is an acquired taste, it won't please the masses, that's for sure but, for those like me, who enjoy raw and realistic emotional dramas, I think it's a film worth watching.

7/10


"Breaking and Entering" is about breaking the shells that separate people and entering their lives. While there, they cause pain and joy to each other, they get engaged - and this is what is required for people to be together. Parallel between social projects and individual lives is director's solution, by example, how these social projects may become real  they must be validated through individual lives of participants.

Jude Law needed this role to show his actor's skill  not just good looks  in my estimation he did well. Juliette Binoche, besides being as always adorable, plays role of Serbian Moslem émigré very believably. The rest of characters are supporting and did a good job. Director's work was solid  not brilliant but very professional and credible.

Positive: Good cast, deliberate attempt to build a situation that would address a social condition using individual-social metaphor, solid craftsmanship in directorial work.

Negative: The ideas are not well develop and too simplistic. The "Breaking and Entering" as a step in overcoming individual alienation is unconvincing.

Conclusion: If you wish a food for thought, albeit imperfect, see this film  for me it will always beat "The Dark Knight" (9.2/10) or "Star Wars" (9/10). The rating of 8 was given on the background of everyday's trash produced by Hollywood encouraged by mindless crowds filling movie theaters and elevating ratings for such trash to the astronomical levels - for them Socrates' "An unexamined life is not worth living" has no meaning.


Minghella's final theatrical film, and one of only two original screenplays that he himself wrote (the other being his debut, Truly, Madly, Deeply, which is presently unavailable on DVD). I've seen several variations on the theme in Breaking and Entering in recent years, where affluent white people come into contact with downtrodden immigrants. I have heard them referred to as "globalization movies", and I kind of like that term. Another one that comes immediately to mind is Michael Haneke's Code Unknown. Breaking and Entering is not at that level, but it's a very good film. Jude Law plays an architect who is growing apart from his girlfriend of 10 years (Robin Wright Penn) and her autistic daughter (Poppy Rogers, a fantastic juvenile actress). When his office is burgled, Law follows the teenage perpetrator (Rafi Gavron) to his mother's apartment. Played by Juliette Binoche, the mother is a Bosnian refugee working as a tailor in London. Law becomes intrigued, and eventually they start an affair. From here, everything starts to get real messy. As it would in real life, of course. Which is why the film ends so disappointingly: Minghella wraps everything up too cleanly. He also has Law act unbelievably. There's an inquest near the end, and what he admits during the hearing not only didn't have to be admitted, but it seems, to me at least, that admitting it would have the opposite effect that he intends. So, yeah, it ends weakly, to say the least. But I can't knock it too much. Law and Binoche are extraordinary. Binoche could probably do something like this in her sleep. I remember when Law was an exciting new actor, but there was that year that I think we all got sick of him when he appeared in like 20 movies. A performance like this helps remind me of why we touted his talents in the first place. I also really liked Vera Farmiga in a small role of a Russian hooker. She's a good character actor. She should probably be cast in these kind of roles in the future instead of lead roles.


I really found this movie touching, probably since being at that stage in life when one can easily understand and identify with these situations. I found these ideas of alienation, chase for a (false) easy life where as very actual. In this world where this concept of individualism (as long as YOU are OK nothing else matters, f..k duty, integrity, not to mention fidelity and the simple commitment that two people make to each other) this film manages to bring a sort of brightness and hope by the final "redemption" of the main characters. Also, Minghela's gentle style is standing out - it gives me the impression that he loves humans and that he understands their weaknesses. Is a nice sensation to feel that warmth in a movie instead of being angry with the character. Is somehow like a poetry of human soul.


It's been 10 years since director Anthony Minghella worked with Juliette Binoche in The English Patient and 2 previous film (The Talented Mr Rpley and Cold Mountain) with Jude Law before the trio meet up again in Breaking and Entering.

Set in King's Cross, London, the drama surrounds Will (Law), an architect, Liv (Robin Wright Penn), Will's girlfriend and Amira (Binoche), a Bosnian Muslim immigrant who survived from the instability of Sarajevo, the hometown where she and her son Miro came from.

Miro and his friend broke into Will's workplace, and had everything stolen, including his personal notebook. Miro breaks into Will's workplace again and had everything stolen, but this time round, he left a DVD-ROM containing his personal data from his notebook.

While Will is facing an instability relationship with Liv and her autistic daughter Bea, he tracks down Miro, and discovered that Amira was the mother of Miro, and also the woman whom Will met earlier on. Using Amira's tailoring service as an excuse to investigate the break-in, soon he found love and sex on Amira, which eventually leaving everyone in a unfavorable, unfortunate and tragic situation.

Jude Law is once again reprising his similar role in Mike Nicholas's Closer, which was unfortunately a disappointment to the fan of Law who wish to see something new and different from him. Just like his previous role in Mr Ripley and Closer, Law is maintaining his image as a Casanova, which seems to have failed to appeal to his fans and reviewers.

Binoche, on the other hand, grabs the attention of the audience. While we have previously seen Audrey Tautou playing a Turkish chambermaid in Stephen Frear's Dirty Pretty Things, we now see another critically acclaimed French actress playing the role of Bosnian Muslim immigrant. She was a familiar face in French productions, with occasional appearance in Hollywood productions. Thus, it was fresh and new to see her playing a Bosnian immigrant, after she plays a French chocolate maker in Lasse Hallstrom's Chocolat, a US/UK production.

Minghella explores the another side of King's Cross in Breaking and Entering, where it brings the audience to see the vice and criminal side of King's Cross. While King's Cross was depicted as a place for vice, crimes and lowly immigrant living in the slums, the title also means another thing: Breaking and Entering into the lives of the opposite.

In the story, it began with Miro breaking into Will's workplace and had the workplace wiped out. In the end, he break into Amira's life and entered her personal life, which leads to emotional and monetary blackmail. Miro breaks into Will's life and Amira enters his life, which gave her a route for communication and exploration of her inner world.

Bea's autistic ism breaks the relationship between Will and Liv, where it put them on a test, with a consequence no one could imagine. The test tells us directly we are seeing some of the very real and familiar tensions and emotional breakdown in our daily life. While things could have been better, there are other issues that makes it a challenge to bring them back to pieces, just like how Liv trying to patch up a plate broken by Bea while having a quarrel with Will.

The film wraps up beautifully in the credits with Sigur Ros's Se Lest, which was a small treat for the audience after the story comes to an end. It soothes the ears, and the heart after the tension.

Minghella did not fail his fans in Breaking and Entering, which makes me expecting his upcoming production soon.


Rarely have I seen a film cover as many layers so flawlessly as this film does. The title itself as a bounty of different meanings to it. Taken literally, it refers to the several break-ins that occur throughout the beginning of the film that spiral everything that is to follow. However if you look deeper, you can find several different metaphorical meanings to the title. It could be referring to the lives that we see. They are already broken, and we enter these lives to see how they play out and progress. It could also be referring to the relationship between Will and Amira. He breaks in to her life and as a result, she enters his and we see how his life changes as a result.

I also loved how Minghella studied the parallels between the two mother-child relationships in the film. Both deal with troubled children and mothers who are trying their best to create the best lives for their child. On one spectrum there is Amira and Miro. Due to an absent father and poor finances, Amira is forced to work as hard as she can to provide for Miro. However, he gets involved with criminals and becomes more and more entwined into these break-ins, as he is the only one who can actually be punished by law since he's the only one who physically breaks in. Amira has to work as much as she can and, as a result, she neglects Miro which leads to his actions. On the other side of the spectrum there is Liv and Bea. Bea suffers from a very extreme case of obsessive compulsive disorder and this takes a heavy toll on the lives of her and her parents. Unlike Amira though, Liv has a husband who works very hard and can provide constant economical support to the family. This allows her to quit her job and spend all of her time with Bea, doing her best to make sure she's alright. It's very interesting to see how these two similar relationships progress throughout the film with opposite approaches to trying to fix the problem.

Another interesting story that Minghella subtly unfolds is how immigrants are treated and how they live in a more established structure. In poverty-stricken areas people like Amira can be very well and have great jobs, such as a pianist. However when they have to pick up and move, it's extremely difficult to find any kind of job so she has to resort to being a tailor working out of her own home. This element is also displayed with Erika, who has to resort to being a cleaning lady and is automatically accused when the break-ins first start.

Minghella does a great job of layering so many magnificent and deep stories under one overlying story of how a break-in causes a man to re-evaluate his life. As always in his pictures, the score and cinematography are some of the best I've ever seen. Simply marvelous work. The performances are all brilliant. Jude Law is phenomenal in a very subtle display of a troubled man, dealing with numerous problems, just trying to be happy with his life. Binoche is deep and absorbed in her role as a mother who will do anything to protect her son. Penn perfectly portrays a mother who is trying to keep her relationship stable, while dealing with a very troubled daughter. Even the supporting actors nail their roles. Martin Freeman, as always, is absolutely hilarious and provides some much needed comedic support. Ray Winstone and Vera Farmiga are severely underused, but they nail their parts perfectly.


Anthony Minghella, who won an Oscar for The English Patient (1996), wrote and directed this interesting film starring Jude Law as an architect who gets involved with a Bosnian ex-pat (Juliette Binoche) and her son. I found it mostly satisfying, but somehow unconvincing. The fact that Jude Law is a few years younger than either Robin Wright Penn, who played his wife Liv, or Binoche who played Amira was not the problem. What bothered me was the incompleteness of Will Francis's character. To make this work, Will had to be a philandering sort of guy who this time gets involved in something more than the usual sexcapade. We need to see Will fooling around before he gets involved with Amira, otherwise his insistence on quick sex with an exotic woman just doesn't make sense. Not only that but the lesson he presumably learns from the experience is not as compelling.

And as much as I admire Juliette Binoche I really thought her character could have been spiced up a bit. She needs to look more exotic and to have a kind of saucy streak above the straight-laced mother and seamstress role she is forced to play. We needed to see her as sexually frustrated, yes, but also as someone who is awakened by being made love to by Jude Law! For some reason Minghella underplayed this possibility. I think she should have just gone bananas over Will, and that would have created the kind of emotional conflict that allowed her to feel guilt about arranging to have the photos taken of her and Will in bed together. Although this was blackmail for her son, it was--or should have been--a betrayal of love. Instead of exuding such a goody-goody persona, Amira should have projected a more compromised person, someone who would cynically sleep with a guy and conspire to photograph him in a compromised position instead of first asking him if he would help her son.

There were some schlocky details that Minghella did not pay enough attention to that detract from the effectiveness of the film. First, it is not clear why Will should be able to sleep so soundly in the afternoon in adulterous bed of Amira's friend that her friend can enter and take a dozen or so shots of him with Amira moving around on the bed in different poses. I kept expecting to see something showing us he was drugged! The fact that the police detective befriended the boy was okay. Cops sometimes do that sort of thing. They like to play big brother (in a positive way), but I could not believe that Will would refuse to help Amira's son when she is literally on her knees begging him! Minghella played it in this artificial way so as to set up the climactic scene when Will and Liv arrive together at the hearing. In real life Will could not say no when Amira is begging him because (1) he does want to help the boy, (2) she still has the power to embarrass Will and his wife even though she has given him the incriminating photo negatives, (3) it is totally out of character for him to suddenly care so much about the affair coming out, and (4) he immediately confesses it to his wife anyway.

In the scene when Will returns to his wife after the stakeout smelling of the prostitute's perfume, we have Liv smelling it, and then when he opts for a shower, she pulls him close for immediate sex. I think he should have explained it. After all, he was not involved with the prostitute. He rejected her and that would be believable. In fact in his place I couldn't resist talking about this strange prostitute (played very enticingly by Vera Farmiga in a bit part). It would be interesting. Apparently Minghella was making some point by having Liv want to have sex with him immediately; however that was never developed. We are left imagining that the perfume or the thought of her husband with a prostitute somehow aroused her, which seems unlikely, but if that was the case, it needed to be developed.

Why the robbers would come back to the scene of the crime a third time to commit yet the same crime in the same manner is beyond, I would think, the reach of most of the world's dumbest criminals, and these guys weren't that dumb.

And there were some dangling strings: why DID the prostitute steal his car and then return it? Why was the boy so lost and then suddenly so repentant and seemingly on the right track? This was underdeveloped.

The scene with the autistic daughter Bea at Will's workplace was played so heavy-handedly that we knew what was going to happen before it happened--and what was the point? By the way, her relationship with Will was also not fully developed. (Perhaps Minghella's script was too demanding for the director!) I am sorry to be so critical but this could have been an outstanding movie, and I get irritated when directors go to print so quickly. Minghella is never going to be a great director until he takes a page from Stanley Kubrick's book and polishes every scene and irons out the wrinkles. As it is, Breaking and Entering is a pretty good film, and certainly no Jude Law fan should miss it.


Breaking and Entering meanders in the beginning and becomes more about infidelity than anything else. I thought the film really picked up once Juliette Binoche entered in as the main camera presence - about from the 2nd half on. Her character and acting were 1st rate as a scared, lonely, mother. Jude Law also turns in a performance perhaps better than some of his other movies. Their romance is strange but more believable and far more captivating than his steady relationship with Robin Wright Penn's character. As it was then, I didn't really care much for the family exposition with Law as a live-in boyfriend. It didn't give anything back. And Penn's daughter as having developmental/behavioral problems is distractingly annoying. So, the 2nd half of the movie really made it a worthy watch, especially with Binoche.


This very finely written & directed film by Anthony Minghella had a very limited run.I just cannot figure this out. AWFUL comedies like "40 Yr Old Virgin" play in over 3000 theatres & this real good movie & many other good films like CHILDREN OF MEN have next to no release at all. As per the old song from THE KING & I "Tis a Puzzlement"

The title has a few meanings in itself,(SPOILER ALERT) It is not the robbery at the beginning of the film, It is the breaking of the emotions of the characters & entering there psyche, that this film is about.

Jude Law is an architect creating a building at KINGS CROSS a London neighborhood. The area is like a miniature United Nations, We are dealing here as well with the breaking & entering of various diverse peoples thoughts etc,

Robin Wright Penn lives with Jude & they have a delightful daughter about 10 years old with problems as well.

Newcomer Rafi Gavron (one of the robbers who broke into Jude Laws building) is a refugee lad from Bosnia living with his mother played by the magnificent Juliet Binoche. as you can guess Jude & Juliet meet, & have an affair.

Now enter in the picture Ray Winstone as a policeman, & future STAR Vera Farigna as a prostitute., We break & enter into all these persons psyche,due to the clever & skillful screen play by Mr, Minghella.

ASs you can see at times this becomes a bit confusing BUT the acting by all is superb, I wish the Oscar people gave out an award for outstanding cast like the Emmy's & the Golden Globes'do. This film would have been nominated. The entire cast is just about pitch perfect.Thanks to the excellent direction Of Mr. Minghella.

A few more notes then I will finish. this is Rafi Gavrons first feature he is only about 20 years old (I did not look his age up), he does portray a slightly younger lad, & I do predict a bright future for him.

Now on to the main star JUDE LAW, When OH when is he going to get his Oscar.. He is like the old time actors from the 30's & 40's . He can do dramatic loves stories, comedies,He even can do villains. & gives excellent performances in all. He has a smile & charm that is dazzling,. in short HE IS A STAR.

Rent this film, I am sure you will like it.

Ratings ***1/2 (out of 4) 92 points (out of 100) IMDb 9 (out of 10)


Breaking and Entering is a tedious, tedious, tedious film. Every character (except the psychiatrist and the attorney for the defense) is tormented by some sort of past psychological trauma which causes them to sulk, cheat, lie, leap from buildings in a single bound, scream, steal, tumble, and whore their way through the story. If you like this sort of thing, maybe you won't be as bored as I was. I suffered through the thing on DVD.

The plot is contrived. The dialogue is mostly unintelligible (the angst-ridden actors mumble in thick British accents). Of course, if you're British and seriously hampered by psychological problems of your own, you might possibly understand and believe this rubbish.

I suspect the film was trying to make some vital, social commentary about urban renewal, modern social justice and single-parenting. If so, it went right over my head. Perhaps, I was distracted by plot twists and character transformations that the story could not justify and the real world would not sustain.

Three stars was my wife's idea. (She liked the acting.)


I just saw this movie and I'm simply disappointed. The movie was boring, the story loses its plot and is out of the track most of the time, only proper acting by well-known actors compensates a bit.

The whole story with the prostitute in Will's car is just useless, and I think it was made up as a filler between the main story, because something must be happening in the movie, right?

The ending is so screwed up I just can't believe it - I was expecting Will not to hold charges against the boy, but unexpectedly he makes up this stupid story about borrowing his notebook and all that stuff, and his wife confirms that (sic!) - what a nonsense!

This movie is a waste of money and time - DON'T WATCH IT!

Cheers


Once upon a time, love meant never having to say you're sorry. In "Breaking and Entering," a fairy tale of a different order, love is apparently about nothing but. Sadly, all of those apologies don't make us feel any better. Maybe that's because, by the time the film ends, we're not quite sure they're heartfelt.

In yet another collaboration with director Anthony Minghella ("Cold Mountain," "The Talented Mr. Ripley"), Jude Law plays Will, an architect who, with his partner Sandy (Martin Freeman), has just set up shop in King's Cross, a London neighborhood that is on the cusp of being gentrified but which still is known for its high crime rate. Think crack, prostitution and, yes, burglary.

Naturally, the high-tech architectural firm gets burglarized -- several times -- by a gang of immigrants who employ teenaged boys of superior athletic ability to initiate the break ins. One of these boys, Miro (Rafi Gavron), is as fascinated by what he finds at the firm as he is proud of his ability to earn a living in nefarious ways. This, of course, becomes a pivotal plot point that -- not to give anything away -- anyone paying attention will spot the moment it appears on screen.

In an attempt to do what the police (and apparently an effective security system) can't, Will and Sandy stake out their space at night, initially as a team and then just by Will, who forms an unusual relationship with Oana, a local prostitute (played to perfect humorous pitch by Vera Farmiga).

Will's distraction nearly causes him to miss another robbery in progress. But at the last possible moment he gives chase to Miro, who he follows to an apartment in a housing project. It is disingenuous of Minghella, who also wrote the screenplay, to ask his audience to buy why, at this point, Will doesn't just call the police.

Maybe it's because Will recognizes that, once again, he can practice the same rescuer skills he employed with the two people he lives with, Liv (Robin Wright Penn), his common law wife, and Bea (Poppy Rogers), her functionally autistic daughter. Maybe it's because, this time, he'll be able to get it right.

Whatever the reason, Will is compelled to satisfy his curiosity about Miro by visiting the apartment where the teenager lives with his seamstress mother, Bosnian immigrant Amira (Juliette Binoche). What transpires between these two is to be expected from a pairing of two such good looking actors/characters who cannot possibly not be attracted to each other.

That Will behaves totally irresponsibly throughout all that ensues is grist for the mill. That Minghella thinks he can make it all okay by having Will utter a series of "I'm sorry's" that are the equivalent of kissing a boo-boo better is to underestimate everyone involved.

It is to the credit of this fine cast that they all manage to turn in creditable performances, especially Wright Penn, who manages to do so much with so little. Of all the actors, though, the ones who turn in the most outstanding performances are Gavron, Rogers and, of course, Farmiga. This is a season of finely-honed supporting performances, and "B&E" offers some excellent examples.

To emphasize these performances, however, is to overlook one of the more important "characters" in "B&E". Minghella's films, including the critically acclaimed and commercially successful "The English Patient," prove that the writer/director is adept at integrating landscape-as-character into his films, and "B&E" is no different. Indeed, without King's Cross, and the artistry with which it was photographed by Benoit Delhomme, the film has very little reason for being. It is all the more unfortunate, therefore, that the script is not more specific about the class problems at which it barely hints.

Perhaps there is an apology adequate for such an oversight (not to mention the very unsatisfying ending), but "I'm sorry" just isn't it.


This very long1980 movie isn't the worst Merchant/Ivory/Jhabvala movie (that would be "Jefferson in Paris") but is numbingly dull even to an admirer of many of their movies. I'd assign blame mostly to Jhabvala's screenplay about two radically different troupes vying for the chance to première a (real) recently discovered play written at age twelve by Jane Austen. From what we see of it, Austen wasn't much of a playwright at age 12 (who is?!).

Jhabvala imagines a charismatic experimentalist Svengali (Robert Powell) pitted against a socially well-connected aging actress whom he had used and abandoned earlier (Anne Baxter in her last big-screen role paying off the sins of Eve Harrington?). She wants to stage an operatic version. It defies plausibility that the experimentalist actors have operatic voices, but the audience has to simply accept that, while trying to care about any of the characters struggling to survive whimsical arts patronage. I could muster a bit of sympathy for Baxter, and more for the very handsome spurned husband played by Kurt Johnson, but couldn't care less about the "star" played by Sean Young (in her first screen role) or about which absurd production got supported and mounted off- Broadway.


Boring and annoying are two adjectives that spring to mind regarding this film. The only thing that salvaged it from being completely unbearable was Anne Baxter.

Until she appeared on screen it all just seemed to be a series of disjointed scenes bound only by a shared pretentiousness. And then, boom, there she was and suddenly the electromagnetic field changed.

It was interesting to observe how powerful the presence of a single person can be. Because, in this case, Baxter brought a coherence to the film. With her appearance, the different elements seemed to fall into place. At least to a degree.

I tried to figure out what it was about her that seemed to make this happen. Was it "star" quality? Was it a gravitas that came from her years of experience? Or did she, as opposed to the other actors here, perhaps resist the "direction" that was being given and merely follow her own course as far as interpreting her character. I don't know. I couldn't figure it out.

The only other actor who created a real character as opposed to a caricature was Kurt Johnson who played Victor. And Sean Young was quite good.

The others were giant clusters of affectations. Robert Powell who played Pierre was especially annoying. Granted his character was supposed to be so. But he was not interesting annoying. Just annoying annoying.


Since I didn't enjoy "La vie est un long fleuve tranquille", I didn't expect too much from "Tanguy" when I went to the cinema. Surprisingly enough, the movie was good. I mean really good. Monsieur Chatiliez, the director of "La vie..." and "Tanguy", shows that french comedies can actually be a thousand times better than some modern American comedies. Because Tanguy has it all: this movie has a soul, charming and believable actors, a good script and well thought gags. The movie tells the story of Tanguy, a 28-year old guy who still lives with his parents. One day, his mother Edith can't take this situation any longer, and together with her husband she tries to get Tanguy out their home. It's easy to see that this storyline is a good basis for some great gags and funny situations; and the movie eventually succeeds. I left the cinema with satisfaction, because I saw one of the few intelligent - and most importantly funny - modern comedies. I recommend this gem to anyone who's tired of stupid and underwhelming American comedy-flicks like "Dumb and Dumber".


I did not find the story unrealistic as other users have commented. Actually I know quite a few guys and girls -of different nationalities- that live or have lived with their parents not because they could not afford to live on their own but also because it is... convenient.

It is not difficult to understand why someone would still prefer to live with his parents under these circumstances - he lives as he would in an expensive and comfortable hotel (minus the bill!). Everything is taken care of by somebody else (cleaning up after him in the bathroom, laundry & ironing, bills, shopping, preparing dinner etc), he does not have to buy a car since he can use his parents' cars, he does not have to spend his money on everyday's life necessities and he can concentrate without a single worry in his mind on whatever pleases him (e.g. being an eternal student and having a different girl every night in his bed). In a few words : he's just spoiled. You can see when he tries to live on his own that he does not even make an effort, and immediately pre-judges that he could not possibly make it on his own. He does not want to live on his own and lose all the comforts he currently enjoys.

Plausibility of the story apart, I've seen the movie three times and each time I found it equally laugh-out-loud funny - a very successful combination of well-written dialogues and very good performances by the three lead actors (especially Sabine Azema and Andre Dussolier who are playing the two parents).


Tanguy made me laugh even though my understanding of French is far from perfect. The plot is simple - life in his parents Paris apartment is so pleasant Tanguy a post grad student is still there at 28 years old but his parents secretly want him out!

Sabine Azema (Tanguys mother) was so funny that she really made the film for me. Don't miss it if you like to laugh!


'Tanguy' is a nice French comedy, although it does not start that funny. It tells about a 28-year old guy named Tanguy (Eric Berger) who still lives with his parents. At first everything seems normal, but we slowly learn that especially his mother Edith (Sabine Azéma) wants him out of there. His father Paul (André Dussloier) basically wants the same thing, but at any cost. Tanguy himself has not a clue. Here the movie becomes funnier. The parents decide to make their house a terrible place for Tanguy; he must get annoyed of the place. Things do not work out as planned and slowly Paul becomes more and more upset with his son, especially after Tanguy has tried living on his own for a couple of days.

The story becomes darker and therefore funnier. Tanguy seems a lovable person at first but slowly we come to understand the parents. His mother is truly a nice person, but too nice when Tanguy is around. Instead of being honest with him she constantly makes sure Tanguy does not want to move away. When the father starts losing it the best parts of 'Tanguy' arrive. It is too bad that the movie is already playing for an hour and a half; this is where conclusions should have been made.

Another complaint I have is the save turn the movie takes near the end. Since both parents really started hating their son, certain other events help you understand why, you wish the screenplay kept following that path. The happy ending could have been the parents being really happy, butt the turn here is even saver. Not that it's really a big deal, I enjoyed everything that leads up to the ending. Not great, but certainly entertaining.


Enjoyable French comedy with funny scenario and inspiring cast. In a way, it reminds me Danny De Vito's "The war of the roses": how a simple idea (there, a case of divorce; here, dad and mom wanting to get rid of his 28 year old son) can be handled with such a black sense of humor, mixing fun and fierce satire at the same time. Unfortunately (and without giving much away), "Tanguy" resents a little from his length and refuses to go further on his almost surreal developed premise taking a kind and conformist turn in the end. Nevertheless, it's much more than entertainment: you'll be amused and will think about its subject after leaving the cinema.


I suspect this is more of a grey comedy masquerading as Black. Given that's it's about a relative - in this case a son - who's a pain in the ass it's tempting to see it as another angle on the same director's 'Tatie Danielle' where an aunt and not a son was the cause of friction but that would be to superficialize. Tanguy (Eric Berger) has it made; 28 years old, fluent in both Chinese and Japanese and earning good money as a teacher whilst completing his ph.D. A regular girl friend who's anxious to set up light housekeeping with him plus all the spare tail he wants. You're probably waiting for me to describe the kind of swinging bachelor pad that Sinatra used to have in movies like The Tender Trap but the twist is that Tanguy does all this from his parent's house and they've had just about enough thank you very much so they decide to 'encourage' him to leave by taking the cush out of his cushy lifestyle. But Tanguy is not just fluent in Chinese and Japanese he is also an advocate of Eastern philosophy so he turns everything around and smiles tolerantly if not quite inscrutably at all their best-laid plans. The long-suffering parents Edith and Paul (set designer and architect respectively) are played by Sabine Azema and Andre Dussollier, veterans at acting together and boy, does it show. Add a cynical aunt, Paul's mother (Helene Duc) whose constant needling finally spurs them to action and you have a cast that could make Bowling For Dollars seem like Moliere. A fine movie which addresses a subject that is now relevant in England if not other countries.


Saw this one recently and found the subject matter quite interesting, namely a 28 year old boy who doesn't want to leave the comfort of his parents' home. However hard they try to get him to leave he just won't go ! The film is a bit long and the idea wears itself out a bit by the end but the film is guaranteed to make you laugh ........... unless of course you have a child like Tangu !

I didn't see the relevance of the "Asia" element but presumably it was added in an effort to give "spice" to the film. Whatever the case, the acting is first rate and I think the film should in the coming months gain worldwide renown ( if indeed it is diffused in other countries than France ). If you've seen Tatie Danielle by the same cineast (Chatiliez) the caustic humour of this film is similar to that. Quite an original style and worth seeing !


And charm. Or maybe it's just my sense of humor. Or maybe just not very likeable character (Eric Berger). Or to predictable and in some places sci-fi story. A too lovable parents one day and hostile the next day. Very unlikeable, don't you think?

Beside that, this movie is full of already seen comic elements which leads to some boring moments.

 European movies normally has it's charm and there are some great French comedies in the market, sadly this one isn't one of them, and that's why only

3 out of 10.


Contrary to the defamatory statements made by so-called Our Gang critics Hal Erickson and Leonard Maltin, I found this to be an amusing film. I especially enjoyed the scenes of Buckwheat, Big Shot, and Smallpox the dog, the phone booth, Buckwheat covered with ice, and the talking animation of the dog at the end. I found this film to be funnier than so-called Little Rascals' classics such as "Dogs is Dogs" which I did not find to be funny at all. Give these MGM episodes a break. Release them together with of all of the other 88 Hal Roach talking episodes in packets of DVDs. While I'm at it, maybe somebody will find all of the missing films of the silent Our Gang episodes. That way, all 221 of them will be ready for packaged release on DVD. What a collection!


When I first saw "Tale of a Dog" back in the 70's on television, I had no idea this was the very last "Our Gang" comedy made until I read about it in Leonard Maltin and Richard Bann's "Little Rascals" book when it was first published in 1977. There was a possible reference to this fact when, in the opening scene, Big Shot tells Smallpox while sniveling, "There comes a time when even the best of friends must part."

As for the short itself, it was rather funny, especially the scenes where the other kids run from Buckwheat and Big Shot while a radio announcer's voice warns listeners of the "epidemic," and when the kids hog the phone booth in a drug store while other people wanting to use the phone line up behind them (they hang up a sign that says "Line is bizzy").

Even funnier were the scenes in which Dr. Parkson (Emmett Vogan) advises Buckwheat's mother (Willa Pearl Curtis) to isolate Buckwheat from everybody. When Dr. Parkson returns later to check up on Buckwheat, he finds Buckwheat in bed, covered in ice, shivering. "Jumping catfish!," exclaims Parkson, "What's all the ice for?" To which Buckwheat's mother replies, "Why, doctor! You told me to isolate him!"

While "Tale of a Dog" was the last short produced, "Dancing Romeo," the film made before this one, was the last "Our Gang" comedy to be released (apparently the MGM brass wanted everyone to believe Froggy and Marilyn lived happily ever after). "Tale of a Dog," according to Maltin and Bann's revised 1992 "Little Rascals" book, came out on Saturday, April 15 (Tax Day), 1944, while "Dancing Romeo" was released exactly two weeks later, Saturday, April 29, 1944 (April 29, 1962 was my birthday!).

Also according to Maltin and Bann's book, MGM was planning another "Our Gang" short to have been called "Homefront Commandos," but decided to cancel production midway through filming (most likely after discovering how much money "Dancing Romeo" lost). I can only imagine how funny that might have been, considering the title, the fact that World War II was still going on, and that since there were 221 total films made in the entire "Our Gang" series what the film to make it an even 222 would have been like had it been completed. It also seems tantalizing to imagine if MGM decided to stick out "Our Gang" for one more year, until after World War II ended, I'll bet there would have been a patriotic-themed musical episode, like "Calling All Kids!" Don't you think so?


Way before Three's Company, there was Tale Of A Dog which was one of the last of these underrated MGM Our Gang classic shorts. Buckwheat sees friend by the name of Bigshot who is sending a nameless dog away because his dad doesn't have enough food for him. Buckwheat convinces him to have the gang take care of him and call the dog smallpox because of his spots. Here is where the situation begins: Mickey, Janet, and Froggy hear about it, they take it literally like most kids do. They hear that Buckwheat has smallpox and will give it to the gang. They panic and make several phone calls which leads a city wide panic. Pure misunderstanding that makes stuff like Three's Company funny and so does this. Again, I give this 10 out of 10.


Oddly enough, I found the first minute or so with Buckwheat and Big Shot discussing the dog to be fairly endearing. Sure, their acting still isn't on a par with what the Roach kids were capable of, but it's still rather a warm scene. Buckwheat's decision to call the dog "Smallpox" is rather contrived, though, as is the rest of the gang's discovery. (They don't even think for half a second that they may have misunderstood what they overheard; they just overreact and run away. Well, time IS running short, I guess.) There are a couple of funny little digs at gossipy housewives (who all attended the Margaret Hamilton finishing school, it seems) and the phone booth bit IS kind of amusing (but is there no other phone booth in this dang town?) but, alas, it's all capped off by another lecture, which seems to be the only thing MGM honed down to a fine science in these shorts.

Better than the usual MGM short, because there's some attempt at gags and some characterization, but still nothing to write home about. (Or even to write to someone two feet away about.)


I just cant believe how much I became fond of the characters and hows visually beautiful this film is. The score is gently leading you along as this touching tale unfolds.

The different layers of the story adds much deserved humanity to the characters - which were well cast. Especially the crazy girl of the village (Hye-jeong Kang from the film Old Boy).

The film brings together the South Korean/American Allies and the Communist North so that they saw eye to eye as human beings, due to the example of innocence radiating from the village. I'm looking forward to the director of Welcome to Dongmakgol's future work.

Basically a really really good film! Korean cinema is really finding its way.

Many Thanks, Ricky Thind


When I first heard about this movie, I really had no expectations. I thought it would be just another one of those films that would come and go without leaving any impression. Finally, after hours of coaxing from my sister, I finally went to see the movie. And I was surprised to find that this was one of the most wonderful films I've seen in a long time.

The one word that I can think of to describe this film is "Korean". And I don't mean that this film is like other Korean films. I mean that the whole film shows very beautifully a picture of Korean culture. You can experience Korea's culture, Korea's beauty, Korea's people, and Korea's sad past. After watching this movie, I am sure that you could get a clear idea what Korea itself is like.

This movie really is a spectacular film. It will make you laugh, it will make you cry. It will leave you awed when you leave the theater. A highly recommended film. I give it a 10 out of 10.


Please excuse bad English, I am still learning :) This is excellent film but I think many Americans will dislike it because it shows American soldiers as "bad guys". In true war there is no "good guys". There is no John Wayne who is always right. This movie shows ugliness of war on all sides. But it is still very pleasant and happy movie to watch sometimes. It is not history lesson, it is fantasy. but still it tells truth about war which Hollywood has never done because Hollywood always shows good guys vs bad guys. Even though this is fantasy it is more real than any war movie I saw. I urge you see this movie regardless of what country you from. Pretend you take no sides. You will enjoy this movie.


The only thing that stinks about this movie is... what am I going to follow it with? Dongmakgol is such a memorable, powerful experience that I'm afraid to watch another movie lest the next one be a dud.

The only reason I watched this film was that I heard Joe Hisaishi did the musical score. He of course did a brilliant job as always, but that's not even the tip of the iceberg. For one thing, it's the first *colourful* war film I've ever seen. What is it with war movies and drab, bleached sepia tones anyway? Hasn't that been done to death? Well, the gorgeous opening scene of an angelic girl standing in a meadow and watching a fighter plane crash ought to be enough to tell you that this is no cookie-cutter war movie. I'm about to cry just thinking of it.

*sob* give me a minute, willya

OK... moving along...

I won't pretend to say I know anything about the Korean War. I'll leave the political bickering to other IMDb posters. For me, this told a very timeless, human story which could have been set in any war. It is the story of two violent enemies who find something more important than their conflict.

I didn't care who was wearing which uniform, nor did I care who the "bad guys" were, nor did I even flinch when I, a red-blooded American, found myself occasionally hoping for an American soldier to be shot (a truly bizarre experience). I ignored all that stuff; it's all purely incidental. At any time, you could swap flags, and the story would be the same. Magical, humbling, emotional, funny and profoundly affecting.

I strongly recommend that ALL Americans SHOULD SEE THIS FILM. NOW. It's not a history lesson; it's a human lesson. And the message is extremely timely with what is going on in the world today. Leave your personal political views at the door, and allow yourself to be swept away by the poetry of this wonderful tale.


The tragedy of this film is that it's not playing in every theatre in the U.S. so it can be seen by the people who most need to see it. Thank you, Korean American friend of a friend who shared it with us.

See this film if you or someone care about is thinking about signing up to go into the military. See it if have been, or if you've ever known anyone who was, in a war. See it if you have ever seen a peace march - live or on television - and asked,"What's it all about?" See it if you love life.

Don't worry; it's not propaganda or any kind. It just takes us to the scene of the action, sets us down, then lets us get to know some very real people and watch what happens.

Carolfrances


One of the common themes that can be found in traditional East Asian literature is that of a small village ensconced by mountains and protected by the ravages of the outside world. While the outside world might be enmeshed within the struggles of war, these secret hamlets prosper with their only concerns pertaining to daily necessities not the brutalities that man can wreck upon his fellow man.

Welcome to Dongmakgol opens with a small detachment of North Korean soldiers whose numbers are continuously dwindling not only because of constant attacks, but also because they have been given the order to kill every wounded man. Sick of the murder of his own men, High Comrade Lee Su-Hwa refuses to kill the few remaining wounded soldiers. Yet his second-in-command is all to ready to follow the orders of high command and tries to stir up a mutiny versus the High Comrade. However, before the heated words are able to become firing guns, the small group is attacked and only four survive. These four men scale a steep mountain and their number is reduced to three when the fourth plummets to his death.

Wandering alone on the mountain, the medic Moon Sang-sang comes across a fellow South Korean soldier, 2nd Lt. Pyo readying himself to commit suicide. The medic stops the man from doing so, but almost gets killed himself. As with the North Korean soldiers, these two men make their way into the wilderness.

While resting, the three North Korean soldiers encounter an odd girl dressed in traditional clothing with flowers in her hair. Although each man points a gun at her, she shows little concern and informs the men that they should move because they are standing close to a snake rock. After a snake falls on the arm of Sgt. Jang the three men unload their weapons at the rock. With their guns empty, the three men follow the girl, Yeo-il, to Dongmakgol. Later the South Korean soldiers arrive and, of course, there is a stand off between the two groups. However, after a few events, including the food storehouse blowing up and defeating a wild boar, the five Koreans, along with an American pilot named Kent Smith whose plane crashed at the very beginning of the film, are able to come to terms with each other temporarily, but with the threat of other outsiders looming on the horizon can this fragile friendship be maintained? One of South Korea's biggest hits in 2005 Welcome to Dongmakgol is truly a visual delight. The natural scenery is quite stunning and the CG, a brilliant sequence with a wild boar and a rain of popcorn, is very well done. The actors, especially Shin Ha-kyun, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Joint Security Area, Save the Green Planet, and Jeong Jae-yeong, the Quiet Family, Guns and Talks, do an extraordinary job of portraying adversaries who eventually warm to each other. While not the best of friends, their friendship does shine through. Kang Hye-jeong, Oldboy, Antarctic Journal, does a good job portraying the nutty but sweet girl Yeo-il.

While primarily a comedy Welcome to Dongmakgol also contains a few graphic scenes of violence such as the eradication of the North Korean soldiers at the beginning of the film and a few scenes near the end of the film. While the film might be written off by some as a hurrah that both Koreas can work together, those of Western decent might be a little shocked by the portrayal of Western soldiery, i.e. American, in an otherwise comedic film.


Charming feel good story set during the Korean War. Hard to believe but true! The characters are easy to identify with, and draw you into the story. They are fairly believable, with the slight exception of the North Korean commander who seems perhaps too heroic. It verges on being trite or cheesy at times, idolizing the "quaint" village, but for the most part stays away from that. The film is even handed in its treatment of all sides in this war, other than perhaps the military command, as it is quite anti-war. There is a bit of violence and gore, so it isn't for young children. I would recommend this to anyone; go in expecting a fairly romanticized comedy and you shouldn't be disappointed.


Upon approaching this flick i was a tad sceptical - i knew with the cast, director and musical score covered nicely - there was no reason for it to be a let down, but i always find myself slightly dubious of war films. JSA was fantastic though so i gritted my teeth, held my breath and hoped for the best. Absolutely F'in glad i did, its such a well shot beautiful tale, the cinematography is highly original for the premise of a war film, the colours and dialogue were spot on and the actors all came correct. I found myself wishing that i could just F it all and go live in that cool village with that crazy girl for the rest of my days, ha ha. Thats not to say this film is completely void of any gritty (and sometimes gory) realism on the 'war' front but it just doesn't focus so much on the agony, more so on the individual and the reasons behind such atrocities. Its not a short film, but i found myself not wanting it to end. Some scenes in particular bring light relief and patch the whole thing up into a marvellous little epic. I highly highly recommend it to fans of beautiful cinema.


Wonderful fairy tale movie! A charming village full of innocent, simple people really show some jaded soldiers how to step out of that mentality of fear. In the process of dealing with personal demons and bonding with the villagers, a wonderful transformation takes place between the North and South Korean soldiers toward each other.

The bonding between the soldiers and villagers and the innocence that the soldiers try to protect really hits home. The village's crazy girl was quite endearing --another symbol of innocence which is a major theme. She will remind you of a little child that never grows.

All the politics and harsh realities of the war is secondary to the possibility that the village of Dongmakgol represents. Though more jaded folks might blast the movie as ignoring reality, we all could use a break from all the hate and war in the world couldn't we?


This movie won the 2006 Udine Far East Festival a big festival about Asian cinematography. At the end of the screening the audience applauded the director Kwang-Hyun Park and the movie for 5 minutes and gave him the audience award with a clear margin above the other festival movies (and many movies where very good!) This is a great film. The story is a great mix of dramatic and comical moments, with some interesting characters as the crazy girl of Dongmakgol (Hye-jeong Kang) and the northern and southern soldiers. Technically the movie is beautiful. Great visuals, simple but effective and good editing that keeps a good pace though all the film. The musics are good but there is no score that you are going to remember. The acting is very good and all the main actors can keep up well all the changes in the mood of the movie and they can do both good comical scenes and dramatic ones. I have no great experience in Korean movies, but this one is surely the best one i've ever seen and I suggest to try and see it, i'm sure that you will have no regrets in doing that.

(Sorry for my "stumbling" English, i'm Italian and i'm not so good in learning foreign languages :P )


I found the movie simply brilliant, and i must say i find weird that many people focus their attention on the war, which is not the key of the movie itself. In my opinion the war is roughly depicted because it is just a "place" within which the main story unfolds. The emphasis is on the characters, their unpredictable encounter and the situations that make possible for them to become friends and maybe even companions. There is a phrase said Smith taking back the grandma while the village keeps up with the party that somehow sums up the movie: "Such a good time. That's life.".

Besides, i particularly appreciated the acting of the crazy girl, Hye-jeong Kang (which i already saw in Old Boy) which is also probably the best character. Watching the movie i found more than a similitude with two movies from Hayao Miyazaki: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi (for the hidden village idea and the lantern-statues as well) and Mononoke Hime (for the wild boar scene, which by the way is one of the best of Dongmakgol, original and simply brilliant). Only later i realized it was mostly due to the music, which is in fact composed by Joe Hisaishi, who made the music for these Miyazaki movies too; once again, his work is superb.

One thing i always wait for is a movie's ending scene (mostly cause i've seen too many movies ruined in the last part... A.I. for example), and i must say i loved this one, when we see why the young communist soldier had a flower too, and who gave him it. No special happy ending for the village or whatever, just a moment when all of them where together, 6 as the 6 butterflies that we saw flying away from the snow a few moments before. ;)


As another review put it, this movie takes no sides. Uniforms link soldiers to a nation, but each uniform is worn by an individual. In the film, we first see the main characters, as they fight each other for some abstract ideal, something they come to realize (or already realized) that they don't really believe in. During their stay at Dongmakgol, however, they come to realize what is truly worth fighting for, and ultimately trade their lives to preserve it.

To me, it seems that the movie yearns for the innocence that Korea lost during the Korean War. Dongmakgol, the village - exemplified by the young, exceedingly naive, and perhaps a bit crazy, but cute, woman - is sort of Korea's Eden. The villagers know nothing of guns, grenades, or even that there's a war going on. When one villager asks one of the soldiers who has attacked Korea, the soldier has trouble getting the villager to understand that it is Korea that has attacked itself. For the villager, it just doesn't compute.

There's a somewhat non-so-subtle theme of the hope of reunification (but, definitely a bias toward South Korea), which reminds me of Taegukgi.

This is the director Kwang-hyun Park's first film, I believe. For being so young, he is an adept director. I anticipate his next film with hope.


The first thing that occurred to me when I was watching Welcome to Dongmakgol was that I was watching a Hayao Miyazaki film. This was simply because of the score and the setting, a near-magical isolated village, complete with folk lanterns and strange wildlife. That, and most notably, the fantastic score, which was composed by frequent Miyazaki collaborator, Joe Hisashi. But, despite some similar atmospheric elements to Miyazaki's oeuvre, the film is very much a Korean film.

Set during the Korean war, two small groups of soldiers, North and South, respectively end up in very isolated Korean village in the mountains, in addition to a UN pilot who crashed there. When the two groups discover each other in the antiquated village (most of whom have never seen a gun before) a tense standoff occurs, which results in misfortune for the village. Driven by guilt (or responsibility), these two enemy groups have to learn to work together to fix their mistake. Meanwhile, the UN forces get antsy for their missing planes (which seem to mysteriously vanish over that mountain) and suspect a North Korean anti-aircraft base to be located on the mountain.

While the story isn't without its logical hiccups, it's still a well told fantastic anti-war film, having the isolation in the village force all sides to have to deal with the humanity of the other. The film, based on a play by notable Korean screenwriter/playwright, Jang Jin, features a sense of humor characteristic of Jang's style, melting both the serious with the comic and criss-crossing genre lines as necessary. It's largely successful in this regard and the small plot holes are easily overlooked. Unfortunately, the near cartoonish UN villains (which includes a Korean man as the ignored conscience, along with some Korean goons) don't get the benefit of a nuanced portrayal.

The picture looks fantastic, along with a couple surreal seaming fantasy sequences which fortunately disguise the weaknesses of some of the special effects. The art/production direction is quite enjoyable to view and I obviously don't have to repeat the merits of Hisashi's score. The direction itself is good as well. The acting, on the part of the Korean actors is strong, except where the characters are shallowly written. The American actors on the other hand are largely cartoons and hard to believe, even within the context of the movie. The lead American, Captain Smith (Steve Taschler), comes off a little better than his one- off peers, but his acting is uneven; whether it's due to his acting skills or his character's limited portrayal, I'm uncertain.

Welcome to Dongmakgol has a lot going for it, especially its mix-up of fun, fantasy, comedy and drama, as well as its admirable message of harmony and unity. I found the fantastic elements a little ungainly, but the fantastic atmosphere was very well embellished, and drawing in Joe Hisashi was a stroke of genius for the film. While the film has some minor logical hiccups and treats its villains with much less nuance than its protagonists, it still remains a largely enjoyable yarn and worth watching for those that appreciate this sort of film. 7/10.


Dongmakgol is an amazingly verdant,pristine village where a US navy pilot Neil Smith(Steve Taschler) crash-lands when his plane gets caught in a surreal butterfly storm.The village which is totally incognizant of the Korean conflict warmly welcomes the foreigner. Since no villager except the village teacher can speak any English they just try to communicate with him in their own language. At one moment the teacher asks hims "How are you?" but when Smith answers him "How do you think I am? I feel like sh*t?" so the teacher gets disillusioned with the answer because the normal correct American answer should "I am fine, and you?" :) The village looks like a calm and serene place where time stands still. The villagers have no knowledge of all the fancy trappings of modern life,technology or merely guns and weapons. Their life goes on simply and placidly till two groups of Korean soldiers (North Korean and South Korean)ends way up there. The North Korean soldiers, Rhee Soo-hwa (Jeong Jae-yeong), Chang Young-hee (Lim Ha-ryong)and the two South Korean soldiers Pyo Hyun-chul (Shin Ha-kyun) and Moon Sang-sang (Seo Jae-kyung)destroy the storage of the village in their armed clash.Apparently one of them just throws the hand grenade assuming that it's been just a "dud". The two groups of soldiers are now bound to work together in the fields to fill the storage of the village and they will actually rub off on each other somehow. The movie sounds like a surreal piece of flick sometimes. For instance, at one moment they kill one of the wild boars in a transcendent work-together. At another moment the corns blown out of the stockpile of the village falls down on the village like a pop-corn. There are some interesting characters in the movie too even if they may sound and look stereotyped sometimes they are sweet and rich characters--like the village chief and the crazy girl Yeo-il (Kang Hye-jeong.) Welcome to Dongmakgol may sound like a "platitudinous" movie for some. It may even sound "cheesy" at some points but it's indeed one sweet anti-war movie!


I first saw this DVD about three weeks ago - nestling in the bargain bin in Morrison's supermarket.

It was cheap t £2.99...though the packaging looked anything but: and the striking image on the front of the box interested me. Two Korean Soldiers...with different uniforms, stood in front of the massive turbo-prop of an American fighter. I didn't buy it at the time but it registered within my weary , troubled mind.

The word 'Dongmakgol' stayed with me and I remembered to check it out on the internet movie database - a brilliant resource for film fans.

I took the plunge a fortnight later & added it to my collection... ... I've now watched this movie twice in the space of four days. What can I say? Well, it has a most marvellous musical score...which I thought I'd heard before. As time went by I realised it's the same music used in Spielberg's 'Saving Private Ryan'....which I think was shot before 'Dong' but I'm, not sure...we might have a chicken and egg situation here because the films are, in my opinion of equal merit...and I loved 'Ryan' and its message with a similar evangelical zeal.

If you're the type of person who does not mind subtitling and are prepared to invest a couple of hours and more into the cinematic experience then I'd urge you to buy this little masterpiece. I say 'little' but it isn't really...everything about this production says big-time to me. I do not know how vibrant or productive the Korean film industry is but if this example is anything to go by I need to find out more.

Set during the Korean war it tells the tale of some disaffected troops from either side. The Communist north, and the 'puppet' army (according to the commies) from the south who are being aided and abetted by western forces. It's September 1950.

By chance the stragglers find themselves ensconced in a small village, both isolated and remote. It's people are hitherto untouched by war , or indeed much of the outside world. Some of the English used in the captions is quite comical, and there are several smile out loud moments - if that makes any sense. There is also violence, and graphic death by gunfire. All of which is essential to the telling of the story. The contrasting nature of the worlds in collision here...from peaceful serenity and unconditional humanity, to brute force and ignorance.

The innocence and naivety of the villagers is captured by the film's female lead. A delightful teenager who wafts in and out of scenes with flowers in her hair and wide eyed with a simple outlook on life. She's not quite 'the full shilling' yet somehow has a soothing, calming effect on almost everyone she meets. Her sweet, innocent face is a picture of all you'd want to celebrate in this often worrying world.

Also taking refuge in the village is the downed pilot of a UN recconaisance aircraft....brilliant 'crash' scenes incidentally...gut wrenchingly terrifying.

The hostility between the groups is tangible for a while, and an incident with a hand grenade results in the total destruction of the villagers food store. The film constantly surprised the unwary. They all pledge to helping the locals replenish stocks...as winter is fast approaching.

The six who form the warring factions form an uneasy alliance as the story moves on. The simple life of the villagers, and the life they lead soon starts to lull the protagonists into believing they've been there for years! They are welcomed to Dongmakgol.Smiles abound, friendships are forged and the incomers weave their way into the tapestry of village life. Especially after helping overcome a quite terrifying wild boar...this sequence was stunning, yet simplistic and I realised I was watching a master film maker open mouthed in near wonderment. How I enjoyed watching my wife view the same scenes a day or two later...she too was captivated.

The good times cannot last of course and soon paratroops are invading the area ahead of a bombing raid which threatens to annihilate the village and everyone in it. Sacrifice is called for , and the recent arrivals are not found wanting in what amounts to a fitting, poignant climax to a memorable movie. What now emerges is a band of brothers newly united in a common cause.

This is the first Korean film I've seen , it perhaps will not be the last. I loved almost every moment of it & have elevated it toward the near top of my league...yes! it really is that good.


I am a lover of all foreign cinema especially the Asian side of things but for me this came under the radar. I had not heard of this until i rented it in my local video shop 2 years ago. World cinema is far popular now than when i first got into it and i'm not to sure thats such a good thing because there was a time where only the best titles made there way to this country, a time where renting a foreign film guaranteed quality but that changed with the sudden American studio interest. This film was apart of that era for me, a film that i picked up many times but couldn't bring myself to rent. Wow was i wrong

This film is politically based but mythically set, get past the war and into the ethos of dongmakgol and you have a far more enjoyable film. I am not writing off the atrocities of war by no means but the way the spirit of this village has in bringing these enemies together is what the film is all about.

From the performances to the music score and even the quality SFX this film amazed me, how this isn't more widely appreciated is a sin. I urge all the people who read this that haven't seen it to watch it, and if you don't enjoy it then i can at least say i tried.


I thought this movie was definitely original, funny, sad, and emotional in many ways...I didn't expect much and was simply curious about the film due to having been the number 2 movie of 2005 in Korea...I'd definitely recommend it - it really reminds us about what's important in life...I found it quite heartwarming how such adversarial parties could learn to enjoy a genuine fellowship sans the rigid, conformist partisanship that was indoctrinated by their respective countries. This symbolic "shedding" of their former identities was demonstrated quite poignantly when each of them adopted the traditional garments of the town...the fact that each of them voluntarily assumed such physical transformations evinced a willing preference and readiness for unity. It was quite moving to see the progressive dissolution of their contempt and distrust for each other evolve into such a powerful, familial bond... In many ways, this transient, new life within the village represented a form of "utopia" which seemed far more preferable than their former ways of life

*spoiler* The only thing I didn't like was the tragic ending --and I do agree with the arguments made by a few on this board concerning the illogical nature of opting for a futile, suicidal standoff as opposed to a more practical evacuation of the village--even if that would entail some sacrifice on the part of the villagers...there was definitely an alternative to avoiding the unnecessary deaths...Just because the villagers would be losing their way of life doesn't seem to justify their deaths...on the other hand, I guess it's arguable that their deaths were heroic and almost "redemptive" for them...especially for the NK leader and the suicidal SK solider...nevertheless, it was a great film.


At the beginning of the film I thought that it was going to be another cynical korean war picture, because it was so dark. But then I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out to be a moving human story, that one can love their enemies and even come together for sacrifice to save others.

This film has fluffy parts, serious parts, touching parts, and beautiful parts. It's a real turning point for korean cinema and this director is one to watch as this is his debut film it has so many ideas. Like for instance there is this great scene with a boar that reminded me of "A Clockwork Orange". The score was done by Miyazaki's composer.


I thought that this film would be another one of those feel-good touchy storyline that seems to be dominating Korean movies lately. But the way that this movie displayed the story in a simple manner, not overdoing too much war story but not completely overriding it with the human story, impressed me.

The year is 1950 and the Korean War is at its climax. An American pilot lands near a small, isolated village, located in the mountains. Meanwhile, a troop of North Korean soldiers are attacked and only 3 live to trudge through the harsh mountains. A South Korean soldier who ran away from his troop meets another soldier in same position. These soldiers meet together in a small village called "Dongmakgol" where innocent and very old-fashioned villagers are surprised to hear that there's been a war going on.

I loved seeing the scenes where the audience gets to know the good side of characters who seem harsh on the outside. This movie has some great acting. The scenes are not only touching, they have some amount of dry Korean humor as well. I laughed and cried.

The one thing I can specifically point out as a fault in this movie was the portrayal of Americans or the Allies troops. The dialogue wasn't so bad, considering it was made in Korea. I've heard a lot worse. But the Allies had a typical one-dimensional feel and I was disappointed to find that they were viewed in such a way. It only showed what some Koreans like to call a "kojeng-eeh" image. The movie explained why they had to take certain actions, but I still felt it was something that could have been improved.