Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War

A film about two brothers, set in the Korean War. Jin-tae repairs shoes in Seoul; his younger brother Jin-seok is studying and is the family's hope. War breaks out in 1950 and both are conscripted. The elder brother is after a bargain: if he wins a medal his brother will be discharged. For that he volunteers for steadily more dangerous work and changes over time. The real subject is that change: the wish to protect becomes, after a while, a violence of its own. The narrative shows both sides of the war and treats as a separate section the way civilians were forced to prove which side they were on. The battle scenes are what the film is known for; they were shot on a large scale with crowds of extras and practical effects. Jang Dong-gun plays the elder brother and Won Bin the younger. Kang Je-kyu directed. It reached one of the highest admission figures in Korea to that date. A strong example for anyone who likes war films and drama built on brothers. Before you watch, know this: the violence is very explicit and the film steers feeling openly; the final section raises that considerably.