Brotherhood (UK)

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Review of Brotherhood
added by
Jitendar Canth

aka Tae Guk Gi
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 142 mins
Retail Price: £19.99
Release Date:
Content Type: Movie

Synopsis:
Taking its title from the name given to the Korean flag, Brotherhood (Taegukgi) is an epic tale of brotherhood, loyalty, heroism and lost love set against the backdrop of the 1950 to 1953 Korean War. Hoping to save enough money to send his younger brother, JinSeok (Won Bin), to university, Jin Tae (Jang DongGun) makes a meagre living as a shoe-shine boy in a small South Korean town, while his mother is assisted in the running of the family`s noodle shop by Jin Tae`s girlfriend, YungShin (Lee EunJoo). Their lives are turned upside down by the sudden invasion of South Korea by the Communist forces of North Korea. The invasion act provides the catalyst for a bitter conflict that would eventually last for three bloody years. When JinSeok is unwillingly conscripted to fight in the war, Jin Tae enlists himself in the same army troop, leaving behind both his mother and his lover. His intention is to protect his brother until such time as he is able to send him back home to relative safety. Without any money or influence, Jin Tae`s only hope of saving his brother is to volunteer for a succession of suicidal missions in a bid to earn the coveted Medal of Honour and then use his status to gain JinSeok`s release from the army. But JinSeok misinterprets his brother`s actions as a foolhardy mix of patriotism and an obsession with fame and glory and begins to resent Jin Tae and everything he appears to stand for. It is a misunderstanding that results in tragic repercussions for both brothers and for those they love.

Special Features:
Audio commentary with Asian cinema experts Bey Logan and Mike Leeder. Tears of Fire: making-of documentary. History through the Lens: on-location featurette. Captain`s Orders: interview with action-director Jung Doo-hung. Battle Plans: animated gallery of original storyboards. The Colours of War: animated photo gallery. Don`t look back in Anger: retrospective documentary featuring Korean War veterans and archive footage. 1950 Re-lived: black & white featurette covering the effects of the Korean War. Honoured in Dispatches: interviews with cast members. Brotherhood: behind-the-scenes featurette. Special Operations: a featurette detailing the logistical challenges. Trailer gallery. Fully animated menus.