Tae Guk Gi - The Brotherhood of War

I will most likely watch it a few more times just because it is so good.

"Tae Guk Gi" centers around the story of two close-knit brothers who are conscripted into the South Korean army at the start of the Korean War. After enduring numerous battles and personal hardships that severely strain their relationship, the brothers find themselves on opposite sides of a battlefield, and are forced to fight each other, as well as the enemy, in order to survive.Although "Tae Guk Gi" has often been compared to "Saving Private Ryan," its storyline also contains elements of "Flags of our Fathers" (issues surrounding the "war hero") and "Letters from Iwo Jima" (intensely close-up and personal nature of combat). The most memorable scene of this film, however, was when the brothers were literally torn from their family, dragged onto a train, and sent to the front. No draft card or induction ceremony (and we dont see the brothers going through basic training). I think this blending of civilian and soldier distinguishes "Tae Guk Gi" from most American war movies, where a clear break exists between a soldier's civilian and military life. Perhaps the closest resemblance to this blending in America occurred during the first year of the Civil War, when Northern farmboys and factory workers were hastily given a uniform and rifle, organized into regiments, and sent down to Virginia to fight Confederates (this first group was pretty much all volunteers, however).Like many (recent) American war movies, "Tae Guk Gi" portrays the chaotic, gory, and deeply personal nature of war, experiences that those of us who've never been in combat will never really know. But it also dramatically illustrates the blurring between civilian and soldier that frequently occurs during war. General William Tecumseh Sherman was ultimately referring to this blurred boundary when he said that "War is Hell." General Robert E. Lee's equally profound statement, however, perhaps better sums up the powerful emotional appeal of this film: "It is well that war is so terrible -- lest we should grow too fond of it."

The only reason I purchased this movie is because I enjoy watching Min Sik Choi from Oldboy act. I knew he had a small part in this and I wanted to see it. With the movie being over 2 hours and 20 minutes long I noticed I had forgotten my initial reason once I began watching it. The movie is an amazing one. I was interested all the way through. From the very beginning it was good and I still wasn't sure how it was going to end until it was over. The movie makes you go through a whole bunch of emotions throughout and it kept me amazed at how great this movie was. I couldn't imagine how anybody wouldn't enjoy it.When I finally noticed Min Sik Choi in his small part and remembered that was my reason for buying this movie in the first place I was so into the movie already that it just made it that much better. This is by far one of the best films I have seen and I have seen a lot of good movies. I can't think of anything I didn't like about it. It was a movie I will not forget. I would give it a higher rating if I could.

More than gore and explosions, it takes you thru the Korean War through the experience of common citizens unwillingly tossed about by the tides of history. As in reality, there is no one side that’s completely just. The brutal fighting between the 2 brothers reflected in part the nature of this fratricidal war.

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War  is a long movie, but it needs to be, as it spans the three years of the Korean war.While the title includes "The Brotherhood of War," it's important to understand that the "brothers" here are allegorical. There are simply too many unbelievably miraculous escapes, amazing coincidences, and serendipitous meetings between the two brothers. These occasions detract from the film, as alert viewers think: "Oh, come on -- really???" But on reflection *after* the film, you should think, "Well, of course, since this isn't meant to be a tale about two actual brothers, but rather the family of Korea."The brothers are portrayed ably by the actors in this film. The subtitles do not distract as dubbing would. The film uses a realistic "cinema verite" effect which is actually getting old. There are numerous grisly scenes upon which the camera dwells a bit too long at times.There are the usual War Movie Standards -- the grinning dumb soldier, the hard case sergeant, the heartless officer, the beautiful girl and idyllic life back home. OK, filmmakers feel compelled to drop this stuff in to frame this as a war movie (Or do they? Maybe it's time creative, able directors drop some of the worn-out cliches with us since the forties?)Overall, this is Korea's "Platoon" -- a survey of ALL the horrors of war as experienced by a small group of highly unfortunates. It's well made, will acted, long, but somewhat laden with cliches.

Usually the war movies are boring. I've seen so many movies about American Civil War, and I'm kinda tired of it. I'm not saying they are bad, but the movies don't go with fast pace. They have great story lines, but they are so typical since they are only based on true people. But with this movie, you never get bored. It's a fiction, of course, but it's bloody-realistic, and it shows how awful and sad war(any wars!) is.I might feel that way because I'm Korean, and I know about the war. But the movie truly is good.A lot of American people think Korea has bad movie production, but you know what? We DO NOT. I really think Korean movies deal with more interesting stories and synopsises.(Of course there are some bad movies just like America does.)I can promise you that you will not be dissapointed. You will like it.For American people, I recommend you to watch the movie with ampathy and think that the war happened in America. Then you will enjoy the movie more; well, at least that's what I do when I watch movies about American History.

Glad to finally have this movie! Came as posted and can’t wait to watch it :)

Il film narra la storia di due fratelli durante la guerra di Corea. Personalmente ho apprezzato molto le scene di battaglia che risultano essere molto realiste, storicamente accurate e la contestualizzazione della guerra con tutti i suoi aspetti devianti. Deve essere stata una guerra terribile ed ancor oggi le tensioni non sembrano sopite. Le cose che non mi sono piaciute sono più che altro legate alla recitazione di alcuni attori secondari e, a mio modo di vedere, l'esagerazione eroica di certi personaggi. Tuttavia è un male comune a molti film quindi esprimo solo un giudizio personale.Ne consiglio l'acquisto.

Tengo la edición en DVD de esta película y siempre me ha encantado. Ahora que veo una versión europea en bluray (que ya era hora), me entran dudas a la hora de comprarla dado que no estoy seguro sobre los idiomas. No espero que esté con el audio en español pero por lo menos que tengan subtítulos en inglés y si también en español, pues perfecto. Alguien sabe algo? Estaría agradecido ante cualquier información sobre este aspecto. Gracias.------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Al final la he comprado y me he llevado una decepción. Para empezar la calidad no es 1080p sino 1080i y los idiomas solo alemán y coreano. En cuanto a los subtítulos solo en alemán. Decepción con esta edición. En general siempre he estado contento con amazon, para mi la mejor tienda online. Pero lo peor de ellos es la falta de información sobre sus productos. Por favor amazon, ruego seáis más rigurosos .....

Nach dem Tod seines Vaters setzt der Schuhputzer Jin-Tae alles daran, seinem jüngerem Bruder Jin-Seok ein Studium zu ermöglichen. Als jedoch der Korea-Krieg ausbricht, wird Jin-Seok zwangsrekrutiert. Um seinen Bruder zu schützen begleitet in Jin-Tae. Fortan meldet sich Jin-Tae für jeden gefährlichen Einsatz freiwillig. Sein Ziel ist es die Tapferkeitsmedille zu bekommen, denn die gibt ihm das Recht seinen Bruder vom Militärdienst zu befreien."Brotherhood" braucht sich vor großen Antikriegsfilmen aus Hollywood & Co. nicht zu verstecken. Diesem Film gelingt das, was Steven Spielberg mit  Der Soldat James Ryan  eher misslungen ist. Denn seien wir mal ehrlich, außer den anfänglichen 30minuten "Filmgeschichte" liefert der Film einen Plot nach Schema F ab. "Brotherhood" hingegen erzählt eine einfühlsame und packende Geschichte, mitsamt einer realitätsnahen und glaubwürdigen Charakterstudie.Aber auch der Film an Sich ist ein hartes, glaubwürdiges Meisterwerk, dass den Zuschauer nicht schont. Die Bilder des Korea-Krieges sind nicht für Zartbesaidete geeignet, denn die Kamera hält auf alles drauf. Der Fokus liegt dabei die ganze Zeit auf den beiden Brüdern, die sich während des Krieges immer mehr voneinander entfremden. Hier der feingeistige Gutmensch Jin-Seok und dort der brutale Jin-Tae, bei dem man phasenweise nicht weiß, ob er wirklich nur will, dass er die Tapferkeitsmedaille bekommt, um seinen Bruder nach Hause schicken zu können oder ob es ihm einfach nur "Spaß" macht. Absolut packend.Aber auch die politische Brisanz des Korea-Krieges wird aufgezeigt. Hier findet man vielleicht noch am ehesten einen Schwachpunkt im Film. Denn das Wie-und-Warum wird für manchen Geschichts-Interessierten phasenweise eher nur am Rande behandelt. Andere Punkte, wie z. B. die Erschießung von vermeindlichen Kommunisten oder der Eintritt in die kommunistische Partei des Landes, um dafür ein wenig Essen zu bekommen sind dafür überzeugend und eindrucksvoll.Insgesamt ist "Brotherhood" einer der besten Antikriegsfilme überhaupt. Der Film ist einfühlsam, realitätsnah und top-insziniert. Die Geschichte der beiden Brüder ist spannend und bewegend. Anfangs war ich ein wenig skeptisch was diese asiatische Produktion betrifft (liegt wohl am starken Einfluss Hollywoods in meinem heimischen DVD-Schrank), auf jedenfall waren sämtliche Zweifel schnell verflogen und der Film hat mich von Anfang bis zum Ende gefesselt - 5 Sterne. Der Soldat James Ryan

I bought this product for 17.99 canadian dollar. By far the best war movie for me. Great story, good acting, good quality (for a DVD) althought if you want HD quality you may choose the bluray version (BUT: the bluray is only korean for the audio and is not dubbed in english). This DVD was in Korean and in english for the audio. The subtitle are Korean, english and French !Again BUY it you won't regret your choice :)I give it a 5 stars! Tae Guk Gi:Brotherhood of WarTAE GUK GI-BROTHER HOOD OF WAR (Blu-Ray)Tae Guk Gi:Brotherhood of WarTAE GUK GI-BROTHER HOOD OF WAR (Blu-Ray)