Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
Short description
Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War follows two brothers caught up in the Korean War. Jin-tae, the elder, has spent years working as a shoeshiner so that his younger brother Jin-seok can attend university. When the conflict breaks out in 1950, both are conscripted into the South Korean army and sent to the front with little training or equipment. Jin-tae resolves to keep Jin-seok out of danger, volunteering for the most hazardous missions in the hope that his record will earn his brother a discharge. The arrangement changes Jin-tae himself, and Jin-seok begins to question what his brother is really fighting for.
Directed by Kang Je-kyu, who co-wrote the screenplay with Han Ji-hoon and Sang-don Kim, the film sits between his 1999 debut Shiri and his 2011 release My Way. Jang Dong-gun and Won Bin play the brothers, with Lee Eun-ju as Young-shin, Gong Hyung-jin as Yong-man and Lee Young-lan as the boys' mother. Made for about 13 million US dollars, it took roughly 70 million worldwide, a strong return for a Korean production of its time.
On IMDb it holds 8 out of 10 from around 42,000 votes, and on TMDB 8 out of 10 from a much smaller base of 796 votes. The critics' rating of 6.8 out of 10 from 43 reviews is noticeably lower than those audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film's shooting period was from February 10th to October 31st, 2003.
- Due to the abundance of scenes depicting military violence, the film received high restriction ratings in many countries.
- Approximately 19,000 sets of uniforms for the South and North Korean armies were sewn for the filming.
- A two-kilometer defensive line was created near the Nakdong River for filming, and actual equipment from the Korean War era was used.
- Recreating the Battle of Tumil-yon required 15,000 rounds of ammunition, 3,000 extras, and 500 stunt performers. Filming lasted 3 weeks with an average of 50 minor incidents per day, but the scene was shot without any major accidents.
- The original title of the film can be translated as "Waving Flag" (referring to the flag of South Korea).
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
