"TaeGukGi: The Brotherhood of War"
By: Su Dae-Won
Translated By: Jenny Kim
The opening of the blockbuster film TaeGukGi: The Brotherhood of War took place during the weekend of September 3rd to 6th, 2004. $364,386 box office tickets were sold that first weekend. This was the biggest Korean blockbuster movie to ever hit the United States. Shown throughout 29 screens during its first weekend, TaeGukGi: The Brotherhood of War became the 30th bestselling film. This movie attracted more than 8.5 million viewers in a matter of 25 days. The director of the film, Kang Jae Kyu, has been compared as Asia's Steven Spielberg due to his great talent and skills in creating extraordinary movies such as Shiri in 1998. The popularity of the film has spread across the states from Los Angeles to Houston, Atlanta, and now Canada. TaeGukGi: The Brotherhood of War is the most expensive film ever made in Asia with a budget of approximately $13 million and a total of about 25,000 extras on screen. It also stars Korea's leading actors Jang Dong-Geon and Won Bin as two star-crossed brothers. In this war film, the scenes are very realistic and the chaotic war environment is well depicted. The 1950s period is vividly portrayed with its beautiful settings and props. The total running time of the film is 145 minutes.
TaeGukGi: The Brotherhood of War conveys an epic tale of two brothers, Jin-Tae and Jin-Seok, who are drafted to the Korean War. The oldest brother Jin Tae tries to protect his younger brother Jin-Seok and is willing to sacrifice his own life in order for his brother to safely return home. However the tribulations of war and the greed for power get the best of Jin Tae. This film portrays the struggle between the morals and values of these two brothers. The only downside of the film is that the plot focuses too much on the two main characters instead of the other side characters. The film depicts life during the Korean War, and can be compared to the Hollywood blockbuster hit Saving Private Ryan. In other words, call it Saving Private Jin-Seok. Rather than simply being a war story, the film shows the hearts of two brothers. It leaves the audience with an understanding of what true brotherly love is.
For references, please go to:
http://www.nkino.com/NewsnFeatures/article.asp?id=13995
http://www.movist.com/focus/read.asp?type=2&type2=1&id=6977
Published: Friday, October 1, 2004