THE 100 BEST WAR MOVIES: #75. The Admiral: Roaring Currents (2014)

 

  

                “The Admiral:  Roaring Currents” is a South Korean war movie that was directed and co-written by Kim Han-min (“War of the Arrows”).  It was titled “Battle of Myeongnyang, Whirlwind Sea” in South Korea.  It was a smash hit with 10 million viewers in the first twelve days.  It went on to be the highest grossing South Korean film ever.  It won Best Picture and Best Actor (Choi Min-sik) at the Grand Bell Awards.  It is based on the naval battle of Myeongnyang in 1597.  In the battle, the legendary Korean admiral Yi Sun-sin defeated a Japanese fleet of 300 warships with only 13 of his own.

            After a bad defeat, the recently imprisoned Yi Sun-sin (Choi Min-sik) is reinstated to command of the pitiful remnant of the Korean fleet.  Yi has been ordered to disband the fleet and join up with the army for a last stand against the Japanese invaders.  This seems like a good idea considering the morale of his sailors is rock-bottom and Yi is in ill health and seemingly apathetic.  Plus, he has PTSD from his recent imprisonment.  On the other side, the Japanese commander-in-chief sends a pirate named Kurushima (Ryu Seung-ryong) to light a fire under his admiral Todo.  Kurushima is a total bad-ass who has a grudge against Yi for killing his brother.  He also has a henchwoman named Haru who is a sharpshooter.  I don’t think she was based on a real person. 

             At his camp, everyone is depressed and Yi is morose.  Things can’t get any worse. Except they do.  One of his subordinates, Bae Seol, is a traitor who attempts to assassinate Yi and successfully destroys the only Turtle boat.  Damn, I was really looking forward to seeing that Turtle boat win the battle by itself!  Man, this was a pretty short movie with an unsatisfying conclusion.  But wait, this insane admiral does not know the word quit.  He does some recon and discovers a place where the current is as insane as he is.  Perhaps he can lure the overconfident (and how can they help but be?) Japanese into a roaring trap.  Before you say “how can only 13 ships beat 300?”, be aware that at first only Yi is willing to take on the entire Japanese fleet.  Well, not actually the whole fleet, because only Kurushima’s contingent advances.  It still should be way more than is needed except that they are facing a dude named Yi and incidentally, there is a whirlpool.  What ensues is typical Korean mayhem, only this time on water.  And it lasts 61 minutes!

ACTING:                      B

ACTION:                      A+   10/10 (quantity)

ACCURACY:               B

PLOT:                           B

REALISM:                   C

CINEMATOGRAPHY:      A

SCORE:                        A

BEST SCENE:  the battle

BEST QUOTE:  Yi Sun-sin:  Dying is an unavoidable fate.  You only survive if you are willing to die.

            As my readers know, I am a big fan of South Korean war movies.  They are the greatest practitioners of combat porn on planet Earth.  This is the first one set on the water that I have seen, so I was a little skeptical.  The battle is epic.  Just when you think it cannot get anymore gonzo, Kim Han-min steps it up a notch.  So, a scene that starts out at a 10 on the combat porn scale, ends up at a 15.  Kim films the action with a variety of cinematography including slo-mo, of course.  There is abundant use of CGI, but it is pretty seamless.  Kim did have the use of eight ships that were very detailed recreations of the period warships. A lot of research went into the sets, costumes, and weapons.   

 

            The violence is graphic and relentless.  But the movie is not just action.  The plot is fine with the theme of make the enemy fear you and turn your men’s fears into courage.  Yi does not manage this with the usual cinematic charisma.  Choi Min-sik plays him as damaged, but driven.  He’s a magnetic actor.  Plus, the movie has a great villain in Kurushima, “The Pirate King”.  He’s so bad, the other Japanese don’t like him.  And thrown in the unique character of the female sharpshooter.  Sure, she’s ridiculous, but Korean women need someone as a role model, too.  She may not be a real person, but the movie is surprisingly accurate.  Granted, it’s a Korean war movie version of the events.  Like how “Godzilla” was the retelling of a lizard being found in a Tokyo sewer.

            If you have not seen a Korean war movie, I would not start with this one.  Try some of the ones on the Korean War like “Tae Guk Gi” first.  After you get hooked on the combat, move on to this movie to see what they can do with naval combat.  It is a real treat and it comes with the bonus of being a true story, something most Korean war movies can not claim.

HISTORICAL ACCURACY:    The background information that leads off the movie is accurate.  In the 16^th Century, Toyotomi Hideyoshi united Japan and then decided to conquer Korea and possibly China.  The movie is set in his second invasion of Korea which began in 1597.  The Japanese army advanced northward and had the objective of capturing the Korean capital.  Admiral Yi Sun-sin won numerous victories against the Japanese fleet, which had the effect of slowing down the Japanese advance by cutting its supply lines to Japan.  Unfortunately, Yi was removed from command due to Japanese espionage and court intrigue.  He was tortured and demoted to a common soldier.  He was replaced by a rival who subsequently got his ass whipped at the Battle of Chilchonryang.  This defeat cost the Josean Navy around 200 ships.  Yi was reinstated, but had only 12 ships under his command.  Those ships had been saved by a captain named Bae Seol.  As the movie shows, Yi had problems beyond the small size of his force.  His sailors and commanders were justly demoralized and not exactly keen on another confrontation.  In fact, the government strongly urged Yi to disband the fleet and take the crews to supplement the army.  Yi refused and many of his men thought he was nuts.  Bae Seol deserted, for instance.  Unlike in the movie, he did not try to assassinate Yi.  And there was no Turtle ship to set afire.  The inclusion of the Turtle ship was a nice nod the memory of Yi because he was credited with designing the iconic ships.   Bae was later caught and executed for desertion.

            Yi did scout out locations for the battle and decided on the Myeongryang Strait.  Besides the narrowness which would negate the size of the Japanese fleet, the current was ten knots.  Not only that but the current shifted around after three hours so at first the Japanese ships would be impelled forward into the Koreans and then would be forced rearward.  The strait was rife with eddies and whirlpools which would cause severe problems for maneuvering and swimming if any Japanese sailors went overboard or were on sinking ships.  In other words, it was the perfect location for what he had in mind.

            The Japanese fleet was actually about 130 warships (the movie’s number of 330 would have been arrived at by adding support vessels).  Kurushima was in command of the vanguard.  I found no evidence that he was considered to be a pirate and was not liked by the Japanese commander Todo Takatora.  Although the Japanese fleet included some sharpshooters, the Haru character is clearly fictional.  She would have been better placed in the Korean fleet because it relied on missile weapons and stand-off fighting whereas the Japanese tactic was to close in and board.

            As far as the battle itself, the movie gets the foundation right, but enhances the action in ways only a South Korean war movie can do.  On the day of the battle, Yi advanced his fleet and anchored at the northern end of the strait.  He then moved the flagship forward to provoke the battle.  This act of seeming suicide was probably due to the reluctance of the other twelve ships to accompany him.  Kurushima took the bait and accepted combat with his vanguard.  The rest of the Japanese warships hanged back, most likely because they were intimidated by the knowledge that it was Yi they were facing.  They had good reason to be awed as Yi’s ship was able to hold its own against numerous opponents by using it cannons, arrows, and larger size.  Seeing the flagship performing magnificently, the other ships gradually joined starting with An Wi.  Yi’s ship was not boarded, but An Wi did have to repel boarders.  The death of Kurushima did occur, but the circumstances are unclear.  The corpse of a Japanese general named Modashi was fished out of the water and decapitated.  His head was launched toward the enemy.  A second turning point occurred when the current shifted outward.  The Japanese ships lost headway and began to drift rearward.  They also began to collide with each other.  Cannon fire and ramming increased the panic of the Japanese.  There was no giant whirlpool.  Thirty ships were sunk in the melee.

            The result of the battle was morale was restored in the Korean navy and the military in general.  China’s navy came into the war to aid the Koreans.  Japan never did get to the capital.

Masters of the Air (2024)

 

            It has only taken eleven years, but we finally have the last part of the Spielberg / Hanks WWII trilogy.  It was 2012 when HBO first announced the project.  In 2019, HBO dropped and Apple + took over.  Filming began in 2021, but the Covid pandemic set the project back.  The series is based mainly on the book “Masters of the Air:  America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany” by Donald Miller.  It concentrates on the 100^th Bomber Group, which was known as the “Bloody Hundredth”.  First, that would have been a better title.  Second, don’t get too invested in any of the characters.  The first three episodes were directed by Cary Fukunaga (“Beasts of No Nation”).  The series cost about $250 million, which might explain the nine episodes, instead of ten.

            The series gets started by immediately explaining why the two main characters are named Buck (Austin Butler) and Bucky (Callum Turner).  This is our first clue that the teleplays will adhere to historical accuracy.  Major Gale “Buck” Cleven and Major John “Bucky” Egan are best friends in the 100^th Bomber Group.  It is headed for Great Britain.  Bucky goes on ahead so we can have a stricken bomber scene in the first episode.  This will not be “Band of Brothers” which introduced the characters by way of boot camp.  The group follows along via Greenland.  Buck has to make a landing in gale force winds, proving he is a very talented pilot who is perpetually cool.  The first mission is to bomb u-boat pens.  The mission is aborted.  Another clue that the series will be fact-based. 

            By the second episode, the group has a new commanding officer.  This episode gives props to the ground crews.  Our first successful mission is to Norway.  It completes the redemption arc for sad sack navigator Lt. Harry Crosby (Anthony Boyle).  The other focus is on the bomber piloted by Lt. Curtis Biddick (Barry Keoghan).  Bucky has to decide whether to slow the group down to protect Biddick’s ship.  We get our second crash landing.  It’s not the “Bloody Hundredth” yet, but is already apparent that getting to 25 missions will be very difficult. 

            The cast can be underwhelming, but so were the casts of BoB and The Pacific.  Austin Butler is the only major star and he is perfect as Buck.  Those who haven’t seen “Elvis” are going to be exposed to a heavy dose of his charisma and good looks.  If the project wanted to draw female viewers, he was an outstanding choice.  It is probable that years from now, the rest of the main actors will be familiar faces.  And Maj. Gale Cleven will be famous, like Dick Winters.  I have not read the book yet, so I cannot affirm whether the other characters are actual people.  As of now, only Harry Crosby (who wrote a book entitled “Wing and a Prayer”) and Harold Huglin (the first commanding officer) have Wikipedia pages.  That will be changing.  I double checked on Cleven and he is based on a real B-17 pilot, but I did not read when he died.  One of the suspenseful factors in the series will be seeing who will survive.  It could be brutal.  And should be brutal.  As the air war was.

            Truthfully, after Cleven, the biggest star in the movie is the B-17 Flying Fortress.  It was the third most produced bomber in history after the B-24 Liberator and the Ju-88 (which is mentioned as attacking the “Bloody Hundredth”).  I pray B-24 veterans can tap into the homage to all bomber crews.  The B-17 is the third most famous plane from WWII (first and second being the Spitfire and the Mustang), but I doubt most viewers are familiar with it.  Everyone that watches the series will learn that it carried 10 crewmen.  That makes doing the math (or maths) is easy.  60 downed bombers meant 600 Americans either killed or captured (I think one of the threads will be covering a captured crew).  And viewers will learn that the bomber could take a beating.  Despite this, many will be going down.  There is a scene where the Yanks get into a discussion with some Brits about daylight bombing versus night bombing.  The snooty Limeys warn that the losses will be untenable.  Our boys accuse the Brits of trading safety for terrible bombing results.  This discussion was much too brief.  Hopefully, the series will return to it after some of the characters have died flying in broad daylight to bomb heavily defended targets.  It’s an issue that needs discussion. 

            Besides the actors and their characters, the other big question is how good the special effects are.  It is clearly apparent from the first two episodes that a lot of the $250 million went into visual effects.  They are amazing.  So good, that you will wonder whether they used actual B-17s for some taxiing and flight scenes.  They did create three replicas, one oversized model for interior filming (which is authentic).  The CGI is flawless.  That includes the belly landing.  We no longer need to pay a very  brave stunt pilot (Paul Mantz did it for $4,500) to crash land a Flying Fortress, like in “Twelve O'Clock High”.   The flak effects stand out.  It is those scenes that will make you wonder how anyone survived those missions.  And then you add in the fighters, which realistically whiz by in a blur.  How the heck did they ever manage to shoot any down?  And how did the gunners avoid hitting other bombers?  

            It’s too early to compare the series to the others in the trilogy.  The first two episodes set the hook.  The effects don’t disappoint.  The cast looks comfortable in their roles.  They went through a two-week boot camp with Dale Dye.  The dialogue gets the banter right.  Although there are some cliches, like the redemption for the navigator, the drinking scenes, and countingthe bombers when they return,  the series looks like it will be grounded in reality.  I saw nothing that caused me to shake my head.  I just hope viewers don’t find the series boring because it sticks to what actually happened to men like Cleven and Egan.  And I hope the series does not sugar-coat the losses.  Only one of four bomber crews reached 25 missions in 1943.  The series should be as brutal as “The Pacific”.  Here’s hoping I shed some tears.

GRADE  =  B+

 

 

A Small Light (2023)

 

            “A Small Light” is a limited series that first appeared on National Geographic and is now playing on Netflix.  It is based on the book “Anne Frank Remembered”  The Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family” which was published in 1987.  The title comes from a statement by Hermine “Mieps” Gies:  “I don’t like being called a hero because no one should ever think you have to be special to help others.  Even an ordinary secretary, housewife, or teenager can turn on a small light in a dark room.”  It has been nominated for Critics Choice awards for Best Limited Series, Best Actress in a Limited Series or Made for TV Movie (Bel Powley), and Best Actor in a Limited Series or Made for TV Movie (Liev Schrieber).

            The series opens in Amsterdam in July, 1942.  Miep Gies (Powley) gets Margot Frank through a German checkpoint even though Margot does not have her identification papers.  A flashback to 1933 shows her getting hired as Otto Frank’s secretary.  Mr. Frank’s company makes pectin and spices.  Otto (Live Schreiber) and Miep bond over being refugees.  Miep was adopted by a Dutch family.  She is feisty and fun-loving, but has to grow up when the German army marches into Amsterdam in May, 1940.  She doesn’t think twice when Mr. Frank asks her to help hide them.  He warns her it will be dangerous, but she is not deterred.  The family and some other Jews hide in the upstairs of Mr. Frank’s business.  Miep gets married to Jan (Joe Cole).  He gets recruited to the Dutch resistance, so he has his own risk-taking going on.  He helps with hiding Jews and making illegal ration cards so they can get food.  Miep and several other employees keep the business running and help with the hiding.  Miep befriends Anne and knows she is keeping a diary.  On August 4, 1944, the Gestapo arrives. 

            Everyone knows the Anne Frank story.  Her diary is one of the most famous books in history.  And it was made into “The Diary of Anne Frank” in 1959.  “A Small Light” gives a different perspective of the tragedy.  It focuses on Miep Gies, instead of Anne.  That would be inexcusable if Anne’s story had not already been told well.  And Miep’s story needed to be told.  Not to take away from the victims of the Holocaust, but there were brave Gentiles who risked their lives to help some of them.  Miep and Jan fall into that group.  The movie does an admirable job combining the story of the Frank family and the others with that of their Dutch friends.  It also adds in a resistance subplot focusing on Jan.

            The cast is outstanding, especially Bel Powley.  She starts as a party girl who is nagged by her adoptive parents to grow up and get a job.  Little does she know that meeting Otto Frank will change her life and bring our the heroine in her.  Her relationship with Otto is at the center of the movie.  She also interacts with Anne (Billie Boullet) more than with any of the others.  The series realistically portrays her as a teenage girl.  Which means she was something of a pain in the ass.  The rest of the hiders are peripheral to the story.  Some of the dysfunction is shown.  These were people thrown together in an cramped attic.  The series makes you wonder why it took so long to find them.  Their noise discipline was not good.  The series does not take a stand on who tipped off the Nazis and it does not follow them in captivity.  Only Otto returns to thank Miep for all she did.  And to receive the diary that she saved.

            How accurate is it?  Miep did get a job after an interview with Otto.  After working for him for years, the Frank family was forced to go into hiding when Margot got an order to report to a work camp.  Otto did ask Miep to help them and she agreed immediately.  The checkpoint scene did not occur, but Miep did bicycle with Margot to the hiding place.  It was during a rain storm so no one was suspicious of a Jew riding an illegal bike.  The sets used for the building and the secret annex were based on the actual locale.  Johan did build a bookcase to cover the door to the annex.  Jan was a member of the resistance and did things like providing illegal ration books and helping hide people.  He never talked about his resistance activities so the series filled in the gaps.  The couple did hide an anti-Nazi college student named Kuno van der Horst.  Miep’s friend Tess is fictional.  She represents the Dutch who cooperated with the Nazis.  The arrest was accurate.  The series does not assign blame, but Miep, in an interview, did not think the leading suspect (Willem van Maaren) was guilty.  Miep did find the diary and kept it for Anne.  She did not read it and she later said that was lucky because if she had she would have burned it because it had names of people who would have been arrested.  The movie shortchanges the actions of Bep Voskuiul, who was with Miep when they found the diary.  Much of what Miep did, Bep also did, but the series kept it simpler.  Miep did go to SS headquarters in an attempt to get them freed.  She did get questioned by an agent that turned out to be from her hometown of Vienna and because of that he let her go.  She did turn over the diary to Otto after the war. 

GRADE  =  B

There was a documentary made about Miep called “Anne Frank Remembered” (1995).