director:
Kang Je-Gyu
starring: Jang Dong-Gun · Won Bin ·
Lee Eun-Ju · Kong Hyeong-Jin
"This
Korean wartime epic belongs to that brand of sweeping, conflict-era drama
epitomized by SAVING PRIVATE RYAN and GONE WITH THE WIND," writes
Robert K. Elder in the Chicago Tribune. ·"What makes TAEGUKGI
such an extraordinary film isn't its solid, humane core or the choreographed
chaos of its battle scenes·although both contribute. Instead, writer/director
Kang Je-gyu dedicates himself to the human side of a grand tale, to people
who've been uprooted by history." ·· In February 2004,
TAEGUKGI broke South Korea's all-time box office record as it surpassed
the sale of over 12 million tickets (that's equal to almost half the country's
population!) An ultra-mega-blockbuster told via flashbacks, offering up
one man's story of his peaceful life in South Korea of the '50s, before
North Korea invades his country resulting in he and his brother getting
drafted. This is the story of their painful call to duty... their transformation
from civilians to soldiers. This is strong cinema (rated Category III
for excessive and brutal scenes of war violence) punctuated by fierce
and unrelenting battles, including the "worst of times" when
they run out of food and ammunition and begin to die slowly.
Korean import;
widescreen uncut (140 min.) version in DVD format, encoded for ALL REGIONS,
playable on any American DVD machine; in Korean language with removable
English or Korean subtitles as an option.
Violence/Adult
Material/Gore : Viewer discretion is advised.
