Brotherhood

This is a film about the Korean War told retrospectively as at first we are shown archaeologists digging up the bones of Lee Jin-Tae, whose remaining brother Lee Jin- Seok is informed that his brother's body has finally been found. Back in 1950 these two brothers both fought in the bloody Korean War, something they were forced to do by a sudden conscription, even though they had no idea how to fight. In the battlefield Jin-Tae is motivated to protect his younger brother but finds himself to be an adept soldier able to motivate others. With battle after battle the brothers find themselves at odds within the war and soon the bond between brothers weakens to a staggering degree.

This film has been compared to Saving Private Ryan as it shows the horrors of war from a very personal angle. It also has the slick production values of Hollywood and the epic scale of a war film, with many huge scenes of hundreds of soldiers running over muddy battlefields flanked by explosions. Yet it is definitely a unique film in its own right and avoids touting nationalism to tell a moving story with the war as a dramatic backdrop.

A war movie and a lot more.

Parker Bic