Tae Guk Gi (1) vs. Brest Fortress (8)

 

REALISM

                “Tae Guk Gi” is the story of two brothers who are conscripted into the South Korean army early in the Korean War.  Jin-tae is the older and vows to keep his brother Jin-seok alive.  He can get his brother discharged if he wins a medal, so he takes extreme risks in battle and becomes a big national hero.  Jin-seok is not interested in being “saved” by his brother and their relationship sours, especially as Jin-tae begins to love killing.  In a strange series of events, they end up on opposite sides and face each other in battle.  The plot is as gonzo as the combat and clearly is not based on a true story.  As with most Korean war movies, you can expect the combat to be unrealistically extreme, but in this case the plot is probably even more unrealistic.  GRADE  =  C  (7)

                “Brest Fortress” is based on the siege of the fortress in 1941 on the Eastern Front in WWII.  The central character is a teenager named Sasha who spends the siege trying to link up with his girlfriend.  Although he is the typical resilient survivor, his arc is not ridiculous.  His travails are intercut with the defense by several groups of Soviet soldiers led by historical figures.  Since this is a 2010 Russian feature instead of a Soviet propaganda piece, it is more realistic than many Soviet war films.  It was vetted by the Brest Fortress museum.  The combat is similar to that of a Korean war movie, but considering the brutal fight, it corresponds accurately to what took place.  GRADE  =  A (9)

CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT

                “Brotherhood of War” focuses on two main characters.  Jin-tae is the stereotyped soldier turned warrior.  Rambo was probably a regular joe at the start, too.  His development into a crazed killer is a bit over the top considering there are no drugs involved.  Jin-seok starts as the wimpy pacifist, but his transformation into a patriotic warrior is even more problematic.  The change has no clear tipping point.  The rest of the small unit are not developed much.  GRADE  =  C  (7)

                “Fortress of War” spends only one day introducing the characters before the onslaught begins.  Sasha is a bit of a stereotype and the rest of the characters are basically stoical Red Army leaders.  Their actions make sense given the crisis they are in and the lack of options they have.  They put up the kind of defense you would expect from a Soviet Alamo.  The movie does not develop any German characters.  GRADE  =  C (7)

SOLDIER BEHAVIOR

                “Tae Guk Gi” does not spend a lot of time with the men.  We do see the hardships they are faced with in the dirty war.  They do a lot of complaining, as soldiers of every army do.  They ask “why are we here?”.  The named characters are a bit too enthusiastic in battle, with Jin-tae being superhuman.  In order to bring his brother back from the dark side, Jin-seok has to march the same path, but without the lunacy.  GRADE  =  C  (7)

                “Brest Fortress” is mainly command-centric.  No average soldier is developed so we get no soldier banter.  Hardships are inferred, for example the lack of water.  Some of the men want to surrender, which is logical under the circumstances.  They are representative of the soon to be long-suffering Soviet soldiers.  They follow orders and die well.  GRADE  =  C  (7)

ENTERTAINMENT VALUE

                “Tae Guk Gi” is the king of the South Korean war movies.  It put them on the map.  It still represents the best example of the combat porn style they are famous for.  This means it’s a must-see for combat porn lovers, but holds less interest for an average audience.  And little for females.  As a pure war movie, it has few peers.  There is plenty of action, but some of the plot developments are distracting.  I also find it does not improve with multiple viewings.    GRADE  =  B  (8)

“The Fortress of War” has some aspects of a docudrama and strives to stay true to the historical event.  The addition of the Sasha character brings the audience into the fort and gives it a stake in the outcome.  It mixes the warriors with civilians well.  There are some female characters, including Sasha’s girlfriend.  The narrative is advanced between battle scenes.  The cinematography and combat choreography are eye-popping.  There is some poignancy to the ending.  GRADE  =  A  (9)

FINAL SCORE:  Fortress  32  Tae Guk Gi  29

ANALYSIS:  The two movies have a similar quantity and quality of combat.  They are both great combat movies and represent their nation’s modern war movies very well.  I have seen a lot of South Korean war movies and “Tae Guk Gi” is in the top three.  The same could be said for “Brest Fortress” as it represents the new style in Russian war films.  It sure looks like their directors have been influenced by Korean films.  The reason why the Russian film won was it is more well-rounded.  The characterizations make more sense.  It also has the advantage of being based on a real historical event. It adds educational value to its entertainment value.  It simply is a better movie.