JP/19/TAEGUK
East meets West in cinema flash-in-the-pan
Paul Agusta Contributor/Jakarta
The title of the Korean release, Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War, directed by Kang Je-gyu, is a harbinger of what viewers can expect; lots of blood and gore with a mix of melodrama.
Essentially an eastern story of conflict, valor and brotherhood, this film is highly western in its approach to the subject matter, and deeply reminiscent of any of the many Hollywood war epics produced in the last 10 years, such as Saving Private Ryan, Windtalkers and Blackhawk Down.
One cannot help but wonder why the film was not simply dubbed in English as it seems to be primarily directed at the Western market. As it is, viewers will have to make do with English subtitles.
Although not a profoundly original approach to war storytelling, Kang Je-gyu's methodology, in the unfolding of a tale of two brothers caught up in the turmoil of the Korean War, is solid, calculated and technically sound.
What this movie might lack in script development and character depth, it makes up for with big-budget special effects and slick, gut-wrenching cinematography. The movie does its best to graphically depict how bombs, bullets and bayonets can dissect human beings into meaningless blobs of mincemeat.
The one really important aspect of Taegukgi is that it shows a view of the Korean conflict rarely seen in cinema; the Korean side of the story.
This film about two brothers, the older one a shoe shiner with dreams of one day having his own business, the younger still a promising student, tells of their being conscripted into military service as the southern part of the country where they were born stands on the brink of an all-out civil war with the north in 1950.
Leaving begrudgingly for the brutal battles he would rather have avoided, the older brother Jin-tae (played by Jang Dong-kun) believes that if he fights valiantly and earns honors, he will have the leverage to get his brother sent home to safety.
His brother, Jin-Seok, (played by Won Bin, a Korean TV heart- throb highly popular among Indonesian housewives) copes with the chaos swirling around him by developing a cynical attitude that questions even his older brother's motives.
The conflict that emerges between the two brothers as the war wages on across the screen in all its bloody horror and glory is clearly a rather unsubtle metaphor for the violent confrontation between North and South Korea.
Although not highly creative, this storytelling channel does allow the director Kang Je-gyu to provide some insight into the inner workings of the Korean psyche, especially as relates to sibling relationships and the horrendous impact of civil war on individuals raised in a culture in which family and harmony are paramount.
However, JIFFest viewers hoping for a taste of distinctly Korean cinema may not find much of what they are looking for in this film. On the other hand, anyone who enjoys a rip-roaring tale of guns, gore and glory will be sure to find this war movie entertaining.
The film is scheduled to be screened on Dec. 17 at Djakarta Theater 1