The Battleship Island (Gunhampo) (2017)

 

                    I am a fan of South Korean war movies and have seen most of them.  Most are good and the South Koreans have developed their own distinctive style of staging battles.  They are the best in the world at quality combat porn.  Although most of their war movies are set in the Korean War, they occasionally delve into World War II (like “My Way”).  “The Battleship Island” or “Gunhampo” is one of these.  Although all the characters and incidents are fictional, there was an island off the coast of Japan called Hashima Island where Japanese and Koreans were used as forced laborers.  The movie does not specify the company, but in reality it was Mitsubishi.                    

                    The movie opens in November, 1944 with workers being lowered by elevators into a mine where they are whipped to work harder.  Hashima Coal Mine is located on an island off the mainland.  The first half of the movie focuses on several diverse characters.  Lee (Hwang Jung-min) is a Korean bandleader.  He and his daughter (Kim Su-an) get sent to work at the Hashima Coal Mine.  She is thrown in with the “comfort women”.  One of them is a the feisty Oh Mal-nyeon (Lee Jung-hyun).  Choi (So Ji-sub) is a street gangster.  Into the mix comes an OSS agent named Park (Song Jong-ki) who is tasked with infiltrating the island and getting a charismatic patriot out who could unite Korea.  He may not be who he seems to be.  A new, nefarious manager takes over and plans to liquidate the Koreans so they can’t testify at war crimes trials.  Park, Choi, and the others make plans to take over a ship and escape.  This builds to a climactic battle that blows the screen up in typical Korean fashion.

                    “The Battleship Island” is essentially a two-part movie.  The first part develops the characters and the situation.  It is a bit slow, but it builds well.  We get to know the characters well.  The main ones are intriguing.  Lee’s daughter is a standout.  You don’t usually see strong girl characters in war movies.  On the other hand, the villains are stock.  Their deaths are satisfyingly over the top because you are all out of hisses.  Some of the character development is clicheish.  Choi and Oh start out sniping and end up snuggling.  There is a mole in the mix and a daughter in distress.  While the characters are developed, so is the set.  A lot of effort went into it.  Most of the budget went to a realistic rendering of the actual mine and environment.  It comes off as dystopian. 

                    Surprisingly, the Japanese mistreatment is not over the top.  The movie may invent an insurrection, but it does give a little historical background to the forced labor abuses by the Japanese on the actual island.  There are also the references to comfort women.  Naturally, Japanese conservative media was not pleased with the movie.                  

                    I don’t recommend you fast forward to the second part, but the battle is amazing.  The buildup is worth the watch for the payoff.  It is one of the best battle scenes of any Korean movie.  That is saying a lot.  The deaths are graphic and poignant (for the good guys; screw those villains).  If you have seen Korean war movies, like Tae Guk Gi, you will recognize the mixture of quick cuts, slo-mo, and explosive effects.  There is a bombing raid that is total chaos and pyrotechnically exhilarating.  The theme of simple people fighting back is appealing.  Those common people are anchored by two action heroes in Park and Choi.  Female characters don’t just cry and hide.  The insurrection is a team effort.  The movie has a satisfying conclusion.  You’ll be drained by then. 

GRADE  =  B