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Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
Destination Films / Samuel Goldwyn Films

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War reviews


9.4

based on 19 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 43 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

FILM:

Shiri

MPAA RATING: R for strong graphic sequences of war violence

Starring Jang Dong-Gun, Won Bin, Lee Eunjoo, Kong Hyeong-jin, Lee Yeong-ran, Jo Yun-hie, and Jung Doo-hong

A story of two brothers set against the backdrop of the Korean War.

GENRE(S):	Action \| Drama \| Foreign \| War
WRITTEN BY:	Kang Je-gyu
DIRECTED BY:	Kang Je-gyu
RELEASE DATE:	DVD: February 15, 2005 Theatrical: September 3, 2004
RUNNING TIME:	140 minutes, Color
ORIGIN:	South Korea
LANGUAGE(S):	Korean (with English subtitles)

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

San Francisco Chronicle Jonathan Curiel

An intense, powerful film.

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

The most costly and the most popular film in South Korean history is also one of the most gripping and epic war films ever made, and certainly the only one I can think of the portrays the Korean war from the viewpoint of both sides of the conflict.

Chicago Tribune Robert K. Elder

Belongs to that brand of sweeping, conflict-era drama epitomized by "Saving Private Ryan," "Gone with the Wind" and TV miniseries "North and South."

Washington Post Michael O'Sullivan

A complex film about the minefield of loyalty and betrayal.

Entertainment Weekly Gregory Kirschling

Always entertains, just like ''Pearl Harbor'' and the rest of the best of Hollywood's dumb war movies.

Seattle Post-Intelligencer Sean Axmaker

An anti-war spectacle that uses the story of brothers divided by the 1950 civil war as a metaphor for the wounds of the split.

Los Angeles Times Kenneth Turan

With killing as an end in itself, combatants lose sight of what they were supposed to be taking up arms for in the first place. It's a terrible lesson, and one that Tae Guk Gi teaches with unexpected confidence.

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

The cloying score aside, this is a searing depiction of war in all its savagery, waste, and folly, with artfully choreographed sequences that surpass the conventions of the genre.

Washington Post Stephen Hunter

You may find some of the story developments melodramatic -- I did -- but the film itself is quite powerful.

LA Weekly David Chute

While it comes on like a flag-waver, it actually delivers something more nuanced. Its underlying skepticism about the Korean War seems to have jibed with the current national mood: The picture was, deservedly, a huge hit.

New York Post V.A. Musetto

Shamelessly contrived and manipulative, Tae Guk Gi packs a visceral wallop.

New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman

It's hard to remain unmoved by Kang's deeply heartfelt homage to his nation's past.

The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Stephen Cole

The film is never as powerful or convincing as it should be.

Village Voice Ed Park

In the rare moments when a rifle, grenade, howitzer, bayonet, dagger, fist, land mine, or flamethrower isn't being deployed, the film pushes its melodramatic plotline with soap operatic shamelessness.

The New York Times Dave Kehr

Far more ambivalent and ambiguous film than Mr. Spielberg's. Both North and South are portrayed as brutal, abusive regimes that use their citizens as so much cannon fodder.

TV Guide Ethan Alter

It's easy to view the story of these brothers as a larger metaphor for the relationship between the two Koreas, which gives the film an added resonance that your typical Hollywood war movie wouldn't possess.

Variety Derek Elley

Kang remains a superb technician, but somewhere the movie forgot to pack any genuine emotion along with its ordnance and K rations.

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

After a sentimental opening sequence, he (Kang) scarcely lets the film pause to breathe, which dulls its effectiveness.

Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt

Almost entirely devoted to combat violence and sentimental interludes.

The average user rating for this movie is 9.4 (out of 10) based on 43 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Dale K. gave it a10:
This movie is one of my favorites because I wonder if my brother and I were Jin-tae and Jin-seok. People think that it is all about blood and gore, but it's actually about brotherhood. The violence is there because it is to portray the kinds of things that happened to people in the war.

Michael S. gave it a10:
This is one of the greatest movie I have ever seen. It is like a Korean Saving Private Ryan!

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
This is the best movie ever and for those who didn't give it atleast over 8 u suck omg how can u be so stupid, u obviously didn't watch the movie or your mentally challenged.

Billy B. gave it a10:
This is a very good movie. Betta than any of those stupid American war movies that make Americans look like their doing the right thing even though they are killing. This movie portrays the South Koreans as people and as such make them look bad and sometimes good and they don't always look like heroes in the movie. The drama in this movie also makes it so exiting and it is definitely worth watching!

Amy R. gave it a10:
Amazing movie! So much more than a war movie! I'm surprised that it didn't receive more critical acclaim from the US. I highly recommend this movie!

George S. gave it a10:
Awesome Movie! The saving private Ryan of Korea..I never even knew Korea had a war or it's own and that the South had conflicts with the South. I love SOUTH KOREA!

Eric R. gave it a10:
Simply Phenomenal Never have I witnessed such a divine blend of attributes sum into a two and a half hour masterpiece. It is no by no means a mindless war movie, but rather a multidimensional insight into the dreads of real war. The moral, cultural, and personal implications of Civil War were masterfully composed in this form of cinematic art.

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War Destination Films / Samuel Goldwyn Films

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
Destination Films / Samuel Goldwyn Films