Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War (Taegukgi Hwinallimyeo) is a 2004 South Korean war film directed by Kang Je-gyu. It stars Jang Dong-gun and Won Bin and tells the story of two brothers who are forcibly drafted into the South Korean army at the outbreak of the Korean War. Kang Je-gyu made a name for himself directing Shiri and was able to attract top talent and capital to his new project, eventually spending USD $12.8 million on production. The film became one of the biggest successes in the South Korean film history up to that time, attracting 11.74 million people to the theatre, beating the previous record holder Silmido. At the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival, Taegukgi won the “Best Film” award, while Kang Je-gyu was awarded the “Best Director”. It was one of four Korean movies screened at the 2006 International Fajr Film Festival in Iran. At the 2004 Grand Bell Awards, the main awards for film in South Korea, Taegukgi won three technical awards, for art direction, cinematography and sound effects. According to the numbers at Box Office Mojo, Taegukgi earned â‚©64.8 billion in South Korea, $1.1 million in the United States playing in limited release and $68.7 million overall worldwide, to finish as the 75th highest-grossing film in the world in 2004. In addition to its record-breaking reception in South Korea, the film has also achieved positive responses abroad. Taegukgi holds a fresh rating of 80 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. Most positive reviews cite its unflinching portrayal of war and praise it for showing the brutality of both the North and South Korean armies.The film is also recommended by the War Nerd Gary Brecher.
Taegukgi: The Brotherhood of War
