Movies - Taegukgi

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	Movies - Taegukgi

Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War is a 2004 film directed by Kang Je-gyu dealing with the Korean War, a bloody civil war where brothers turn into enemies.

This film was the biggest success in Korean film history. It attracted over 10 million people to the theater nearly tying with admissions of Silmido
, which is over 20% of the South Korean population. In 2006, The King and the Clown
surpassed it with about additional 2 million people.

At the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival, Taegukgi won the "Best Film", while Kang Je-gyu was awarded the "Best Director". It was one of four Korean movies screened at the 2006 International Fajr Film Festival in Iran.

Synopsis

This movie delves into the bond between two innocent brothers who are sent into battle against their wills. The elder, Yi Jin-tae (Jang Don Gun), owned a shoeshine in Seoul before the start of the war. His younger brother, Yi Jin-seok (Won Bin), is a bright young student who wants to attend college.

Not long after the North Korean invasion on 25 June, 1950, the two brothers are drafted into the South Korean army and sent to the frontline. Jin-tae, wanting to spare his brother's life, makes a deal with his superior. If he can earn a "Taegeuk Medal" -- the highest honor for a South Korean soldier, his younger brother will be free to go home.

To win this medal, Jin-tae willingly takes on all sorts of risks. He finally earns it by capturing a North Korean commander alive, but at the cost of a good friend's life. Jin-seok, who is not aware of his brother's intentions, starts to question Jin-tae's morality. At the same time, the formerly gentle Jin-tae has turned cold-blooded from having killed so many people.

In a bloody hunt for communists undertaken by the South Koreans, Jin-tae's fiancée (Lee Eun Joo) is killed and Jin-seok is imprisoned. Jin-tae mistakenly believes that his brother was killed in a fire during an invasion and turns mad. Jin-tae is later captured by the North Koreans. Several months later, from a medal-wearing model soldier of the South, Jin-tae, apparently driven mad by his losses at the hands of his own side, has turned into a star commander in the North Korean army. He has become a senseless killing machine. The two brothers, separated by war, meet again on the battlefield. Jin-tae tries to kill Jin-seok, but finally recognizes him. Jin-seok tries to carry a wounded Jin-tae off the battlefield, but is then wounded himself and unable to do so.

The movie then depicts Jin-tae's death as he bravely mans a machine-gun post to hold off the north Koreans, killing many in the process and allowing Jin-seok to escape, but inevitably dies with his body curled up filled with bullets. Next, there is an emotional transition from the past to the present from that same position as the younger brother begs for his older brother's bones to speak to him, citing the promises that the two made, which is symbolized in the pen that Jin-seok received earlier in the movie. The movie then transitions back into the past where Jin-seok and his siblings talk about returning to school and then fades black, perhaps to represent the potential prosperous future.

Main Themes

Taegukgi mainly deals with the current division of Korea and its main cause, reflecting it on the two main characters. The movie also has a very heavy anti-war undertone. In addition, the movie also reflect the distrust and hate the people of the two Koreas have for each other during (and after) the war.

Ending Song

The ending song to Taegukgi was sung by South Korean pop sensation BoA. The ending theme song was entitled "We" (우리)

Memorable quotes

"You promised to come back and finish the shoes, but what are you doing here? I've waited for so long. What happened to your promise? Say something! I've been waiting to see you for 50 years, please say something! I shouldn't have left you alone back then. Jin-tae!"

-Said by Jin-seok, when he reclaimed his brother, Jin-tae's remains.

"Give it to me... when we see each other again."

-Jin-seok (talking about the pen that Jin-Tae gave to Jin-seok. Jin-Tae picked the pen up from where he had thought Jin-Tae had died.)

Cast

Jin-tae: Jang Dong-gun
(장동건, 張東建)
Jin-seok: Won Bin
(원빈, 元斌)
Young-shin: Lee Eun Joo (이은주, 李恩宙)

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