Silmido (2003)

Based on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the ... See full summary »

Director:

Woo-Suk Kang

Writer:

Hie-jae Kim

Stars:

Sung-kee Ahn, Kyung-gu Sol, Jun-ho Heo

7 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Sung-kee Ahn	...	Commandant
Kyung-gu Sol	...	Kang In-chan
Jun-ho Heo	...	Sergeant Jo
Jae-yeong Jeong
Seong-jin Kang
Won-hui Lim
Shin-il Kang
Jeong-heon Lee
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tae-woong Eom	...	Won-Sang
Gi-seong Jeong
Yu-mi Jeong
Yu-mi Jeong
Kang-woo Kim
Won-hie Lim

Storyline

Based on a true story of 1968 Korean Republic Army plan to assassinate North Korean president Kim Il-Sung. 31 criminals and death row inmates are recruited into secret training on the island of Silmi; for two years they are subjected to maximum mental and physical abuse before the mission is cancelled and the unit terminated.

---

Plot Keywords:

rape | based on true story | based on book | title spoken by character | 

---

Genres:

Action | Drama

---

Details

Official Sites:

official site [South Korea]

Country:

South Korea

Language:

Korean

Release Date:

24 December 2003 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

684 - Eine Einheit kämpft um ihr Leben

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$296,190 (Japan) (4 June 2004)

Gross:

$2,159,045 (Japan) (2 July 2004)

Company Credits

Production Co:

CJ Entertainment, Cinema Service, Hanmac Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie is based on actual events. After North Korean commandos tried to assassinate South Korean President Park Chung Hee in 1968, the Southern Government set up a unit to kill North Korean President Kim Il Sung. The unit was made up of prisoners sentenced to death for various offenses. During their preparation, the South Koreans scrapped the idea; contrary to what is stated in the film, though, it is unknown what happened next, only that the unit eventually mutinied.

---

Goofs

At the end of the film, the photo of the soldier's mother misses a piece in the upper right corner. A few moments later we see the photo again, but this time it misses a piece in the lower left corner.

User Reviews

Riveting account of Korean govt doublecross

Korean film is blossoming, from the action thriller "Shiri" to the delightful romantic "My Sassy Girl." "Silmido" takes this ability to make excellent films in a political direction. "Silmido" is to South Korea as Costa-Gavras' "Z" was to Greece: truth-telling about terrible government misdeeds. Unlike "Z," however, "Silmido" is not only shown at home, but is hugely successful, demonstrating the increasing strength of Korean democracy. One hopes that films like "Silmido" are a sign of increasing openness, and better times ahead for the Korean people.

As was the case with "Z," the excellence of the film guarantees an international audience for the story, and the widespread attention may well lead to additional revelations. Although the details of the government plot are sordid, the film romanticizes the actions of death-row convicts, and one suspects that the filmmakers took some liberties in portraying some of their noble and comradely behavior. Nevertheless, an first-rate movie and highly recommended.