Review of the Brotherhood of War (2004)
Have you heard about the Korean War that happened in 1950? This happened due to ideological differences between South and North Korea in the process of establishing its own government after the Japanese colonial period. The United States, the Soviet Union, and China directly intervened in the war. The Soviet Union and China stood for the North, which pursued socialist ideas, and the U.S. supported the South, which aimed for democracy. Finally, on July 27,1953, North and South Korea agreed to stop fighting for a period of time. After three years of fierce fighting, and it has been maintained.
Today, I want to introduce the movie “Brotherhood” which illustrates the horrors of the Korean War and the tragic destiny of the two brothers. In June 1950, the Lee family lived in the South Korean capital of Seoul. Lee Jin-Tae owns a shoeshine stand to pay for his younger brother Jin-Seok’s education. On June 25, 1950, North Korea invades South Korea and both brothers are conscripted by force. Jin-Tae is told by a superior that if he can earn the highest award for a South Korean soldier, his brother can be sent home. Jin-Tae volunteers for many dangerous missions and performs suicidal acts of bravery to earn the medal, and is quickly promoted to sergeant. He finally got the medal, but his combat experiences have turned him into an emotionless killer, horrifying his younger brother.
Due to the many events in the movie, Jin-Tae’s request to release his brother is refused, and he believes Jin-Seok died in combat. Jin-Tae proceeds to murder people he believes killed his brother. In truth, however, Jin-Seok had been transferred to a military hospital after barely escaping.
Due to the sadness from losing his younger brother and anger toward the South Korean military, who refused his request, Jin-Tae stood by the North Korean army and struggled to attack the South. While he has taken active parts in so many battles, the brothers come face-to-face, but not recognizing his young brother Jin-Seok, Jin-Tae attempts to kill him. This is the plot of the movie “The Brotherhood of War.”
This movie has many meaningful points, illustrating the cruel side of a war. In fact, during the war, countless young men were conscripted without proper military training, and the majority of them were almost used as human shields. The movie described the tragedy, which is that brothers forced to attack each other, and how ordinary people are sacrificed and harmed in the terrible situation of war.