Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War (2004) Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo (original title)

Director:

Je-kyu Kang

Writers:

Je-kyu Kang
Sang-don Kim
(more)

Release Date:

6 February 2004 (South Korea)

Genre:

Action | Drama | War

Plot:

A drama about the fate of brothers forced to fight in the Korean War.

Plot Keywords:

Korean War | 1950s | Korea | Medal | Soldier

Awards:

9 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Dong-gun Jang	...	Jin-tae Lee
Bin Won	...	Jin-seok Lee
Eun-ju Lee	...	Young-shin Kim
Hyeong-jin Kong	...	Yong-man
Yeong-ran Lee	...	Mother Lee
Kil-Kang Ahn	...	Sergeant Huh
Jin Jung	...	Sergeant Lim
Jae-hyeong Jeon	...	Yong-seok
Min-ho Jang	...	Old Jin-seok Lee
Yun-hie Jo	...	Jin-seok Lee's grandaughter
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Min-sik Choi	...	North Korean Captain
Do-Hee Go	...	Young-Guk Kim
Taek-ha Hwang	...	Platoon Soldier #2
Dae-Hoon Jeong
Doo-hong Jung
Bo-kyeong Kim
Kyung-Hwan Kim	...	Young-Min Kim
Su-ro Kim	...	Anti-Communist Federation member
Ki-su Park	...	Esq. Yang
Sung-Mo Um	...	Seung-Chul
Cho Won-Hee
Joe Cappelletti	...	Additional Voices (voice: English version) (uncredited)
D.C. Douglas	...	Additional Voices (voice) (uncredited)
Adam Epstein	...	Additional Voices (uncredited)

Directed by
Je-kyu Kang		(as Je-gyu Kang)

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Ji-hoon Han
Je-kyu Kang		(as Je-gyu Kang)
Sang-don Kim

Produced by
Ha-na Lee	....	planning producer
Seong-hun Lee	....	producer

Original Music by
Dong-jun Lee

Cinematography by
Kyung-Pyo Hong

Film Editing by
Kyeong-hie Choi

Production Design by
Bo-Kyung Sin

Production Management
Hyun-Jeong Hwang	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Doo-hong Jung	....	martial arts director
Min-Gyu Song	....	assistant director

Sound Department
Eun-ah Choi	....	dialogue editor
Sung Rok Choi	....	dialogue premix
Chang-seop Kim	....	sound designer
Suk-won Kim	....	supervising sound editor
Ju-kang Park	....	sound effects editor

Special Effects by
Do-ahn Jung	....	special effects supervisor

Visual Effects by
Chong-Ik Kang	....	visual effects supervisor
Namsik Kim	....	digital artist
Kim Namsik	....	compositor
Danyo Donghyun Yoon	....	pre-visualization artist

Other crew
John Charles	....	software engineer: Sony DAC
Winston Emano	....	publicist
David Magdael	....	publicist
Myung-Rim Park	....	advisor

Production Companies

• Showbox Entertainment (presents)
• Kang Je-Kyu Film Co. Ltd.
• KD Media (in association with)
• KTB Network (in association with)
• OCN (in association with)
• Prime Venture Capital (in association with)
• SBS (in association with)
• Venture Plus (in association with)

Distributors

• Showbox Entertainment (2004) (South Korea) (theatrical)
• Lark International (2004) (Hong Kong) (theatrical)
• Min Gyo Group (2004) (Australia) (theatrical)
• Samuel Goldwyn Films (2004) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• 1More Film (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Contender Entertainment Group (2005) (UK) (theatrical)
• Filmhouse (2005) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Columbia TriStar Films de Argentina (2005) (Argentina) (all media)
• Contender Entertainment Group (2005) (UK) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• LK-TEL (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• 3L Filmverleih (2006) (Austria) (theatrical)
• 3L Filmverleih (2006) (Germany) (theatrical)
• e-m-s the DVD-Company (2006) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• HFR  dailies

Also Known As:

"Taegukgi hwinalrimyeo" - South Korea (original title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic sequences of war violence

Runtime:

140 min | 148 min (director's cut)

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Australia:MA | Denmark:15 | Finland:K-18 | France:-12 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB (original rating) | Hong Kong:III (video rating) | Ireland:15A (cinema release) | Italy:VM14 | Japan:Unrated | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 (original rating) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | South Korea:15 | Spain:13 | UK:15 (director's cut) | USA:R | Mexico:C | Argentina:16 | Indonesia:Dewasa | Brazil:18 | Sweden:15 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | New Zealand:R16

Filming Locations:

A-San City, South Korea

Company:

Showbox Entertainment

Trivia:

To recreate the battle at Doo-Mil-Ryung, the scene required 15,000 bullets, 3,000 extras and 500 stunt experts. Instead of rifles being fired, fist fights were the main focus of the scene and all of the cast were specially trained. The shoot lasted 3 weeks with about 50 minor accidents a day on average, but the scene was finally wrapped without any major accidents.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: In a couple of shots the flags of the UN countries that were involved in the South Korea side during the war are displayed. The canadian "Maple Leaf" is visible and also the current South African flag. The canadian flag was changed in 1965 from the red ensign of the colonial time to the present design and South Africa changed its flag from the tricolor (orange, white and blue) to the present design after 1992, so both flags displayed are incorrect.

Quotes:

Young-shin:[while trying to decide what to take along as they evacuate the house upon declaration of war] There's Kimchi pots buried in the yard. What will happen to them?

Movie Connections:

References Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Better than any Hollywood production

I have watched Taegukgi for the first time just yesterday, so my impressions of the movie are still fresh. I have not known much about the Korean War that took place at the beginning of the 1950's, but that was a history lesson I will not easily forget. Taegukgi is really the best (anti-)war movie I have ever seen. And believe me, I have seen a lot. But no movie ever before has impressed me so much. In most Hollywood productions there is only one perspective, the winners view. Many directors tried to make a movie that shows both sides of the conflict, but all of them failed. Until now: Taegugki is showing the situation mostly from the south korean view too, but it is the first movie which shows also the "other side". I was very surprised, that the director showed also the crime that his own government committed to their own people at this time. That movie is the first war movie that is not glorifying war - it's horrifying, terrifying, scary - like in reality.