Brotherhood [Taegukgi]
— The Korean War from a Korean (male) perspective and not a yank in sight.”
- Director: Je Gyu Kang
- Korea, 2004
An epic saga of two brothers caught up in the Korean War, this film demonstrates the Korean sensibility for well-crafted melodrama.
What’s unusual, however, is the sheer scale of the production. Taegukgi was the most expensive movie ever to come out of Korea and the mission, led by Shiri director Kang with his crack squad of filmmakers, is very much accomplished.
Comparisons with Saving Private Ryan are inevitable, with a human interest storyline and the similar use of flashback storytelling, bleached photography and handheld cameras. Nevertheless the Korean effort, made for just $3.5m, is visceral and more evenly paced, making it easier to forgive the occasional lapse into sentimental opera.
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