I'm not a Korean, but I do have a pretty good understanding of the historical background between the N and S Korea. That said, I didn't try to watch this movie as an historical evaluation piece. I went in with the mindset of watching an movie.
With that mindset, I'd say this is a pretty good movie. Is it a masterpiece though, well, unfortunately no.
This movie has a military investagation - i.e. one of those 'who did it?' or 'what really happened?' plot. I guess you could call it a 'military mystery' movie. This mystery started up pretty interesting with the the 'extra bullet' setup, but with all the buildup throughout the entire movie you kindda expect more. And when the cat's finally out of the bag you kindda go "Huh? That was it?!"
There's good acting from all 4 Korean soldiers, while I think the acting from the female investigator's not as strong in comparison. Which is not to say it's weak acting ... but relative to the 4 actors it was lacking. The role almost spells out "Demi Moore from A Few Good Men" and in this case, the performance's far inferior to Moore's ... which probably isn't a fair comparison though.
The performance by the 4 actors' so good it made you believe in the friendship between those 4 soldiers. And because of that **SPOILER AHEAD** it makes you question why did the S. Korean soldier shoot one of the N Korean soldiers. At least if the movie went in a little more depth on the psychological state of the soldier to explain why he took 8 shots at his 'friend' while just taking a single shot towards that N. Korean superior would help.
Furthermore, after his fellow N Korean comrade was killed by 8 shots, it becomes impossible to justify Sgt Oh's action of protecting his S.Korean new friends, instead finding justification for the death of his N Korean comrade. It just isn't human nature.
And I can never understand why the other S. Korean soldier (sorry but I'm poor with names) would commit suicide by jumping off the building, especially when it's later revealed he didn't kill anybody.
All plots have flaws. But when this is movie based upon conflict of loyalty towards your country and friendship, a flaw in that coarse of action leaves a big question mark on the main plot of this movie.
It's a beautifully filmed movie, and is an interesting mystery with a smart setup. It just fell short of a masterpiece with a few significant flaws that are simply anti-human nature. That said, it's still a movie I'd recommend to spend the time and money on.
3.5 stars / 5.
With that mindset, I'd say this is a pretty good movie. Is it a masterpiece though, well, unfortunately no.
This movie has a military investagation - i.e. one of those 'who did it?' or 'what really happened?' plot. I guess you could call it a 'military mystery' movie. This mystery started up pretty interesting with the the 'extra bullet' setup, but with all the buildup throughout the entire movie you kindda expect more. And when the cat's finally out of the bag you kindda go "Huh? That was it?!"
There's good acting from all 4 Korean soldiers, while I think the acting from the female investigator's not as strong in comparison. Which is not to say it's weak acting ... but relative to the 4 actors it was lacking. The role almost spells out "Demi Moore from A Few Good Men" and in this case, the performance's far inferior to Moore's ... which probably isn't a fair comparison though.
The performance by the 4 actors' so good it made you believe in the friendship between those 4 soldiers. And because of that **SPOILER AHEAD** it makes you question why did the S. Korean soldier shoot one of the N Korean soldiers. At least if the movie went in a little more depth on the psychological state of the soldier to explain why he took 8 shots at his 'friend' while just taking a single shot towards that N. Korean superior would help.
Furthermore, after his fellow N Korean comrade was killed by 8 shots, it becomes impossible to justify Sgt Oh's action of protecting his S.Korean new friends, instead finding justification for the death of his N Korean comrade. It just isn't human nature.
And I can never understand why the other S. Korean soldier (sorry but I'm poor with names) would commit suicide by jumping off the building, especially when it's later revealed he didn't kill anybody.
All plots have flaws. But when this is movie based upon conflict of loyalty towards your country and friendship, a flaw in that coarse of action leaves a big question mark on the main plot of this movie.
It's a beautifully filmed movie, and is an interesting mystery with a smart setup. It just fell short of a masterpiece with a few significant flaws that are simply anti-human nature. That said, it's still a movie I'd recommend to spend the time and money on.
3.5 stars / 5.