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:

One of four Korean movies screened at the 2006 International Fajr Film Festival in Iran.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Jin Tae and Jin Seok are drafted, a band is playing as the newly conscripted soldiers board the train. One of the band members is playing a Ludwig bass drum, but the logo on the drum is the modern Ludwig logo which was not introduced until the 1970s.

Quotes:

Jin-tae:[tears up the last will that Jin-seok was writing] Wills are for dying people. You've got to be strong.

Movie Connections:

References Saving Private Ryan (1998)

One of the Most Spectacular Movies of War Ever (if not the Best)

In 1950, in South Korea, the shoe-shiner Jin-tae Lee (Dong-Kun Jang) and his eighteen years old student brother Jin-seok Lee (Bin Won) form a poor but happy family with their mother (Yeong-ran Lee), Jin-tae's fiancé Young-shin Kim (Eun-ju Lee) and her young sisters. Jin-tae and his mother are tough workers, who sacrifice themselves to send Jin-seok to the university. When North Korea invades the South, the family escapes to a relative's house in the country, but along their journey, Jin-seok is forced to join the army to fight in the front, and Jin-tae enlists too to protect his young brother. The commander promises Jin-tae that if he gets a medal he would release his brother, and Jin-tae becomes the braver soldier in the company. Along the bloody war between brothers, the relationship of Jin-seok with his older brother deteriorates leading to a dramatic and tragic end.

I have just watched one of the most spectacular movies of war of the cinema industry, if not the best. The stunning and overwhelming "Taegukgi Hwinalrimyeo" is impressive and the brilliant direction of Je-gyu Kang and his crew is among the most perfect I have ever seen, with realistic and gore battles and fights. The cinematography is amazing and the camera work in most of the moments seems to be a documentary, so realistic it is. The sad and dramatic story shakes the emotions of the viewer, with another stupid war, and worst, between brothers. Probably this is the best and most visceral anti-war movie ever made. Dong-Kun Jang and Bin Won are amazing and I felt deeply sorrow with the fate of the character performed by the gorgeous Eun-ju Lee. How can this movie be not nominated to the Oscar? My vote is ten.

Title (Brazil): "A Irmandade da Guerra" ("The Brotherhood of the War")