71: Into the Fire

It is without doubt that any war film made post-Saving Private Ryan would suffer the fate of being compared to it. And while I get that it is most certainly one of the greatest and most moving films based on war, ever made - the Spielberg epic will need to learn to step to the side to make room for more than a few East Asian war epics that do the same, if not, a better job! 71: Into The Fire is one such film. Soaked in a rich filter than presents a cold bleak setting, yet pops with colour as every explosion goes off (of which there are many), making for some incredible visuals, cinematography and scenes. From the get-go we are launched into battle as leading man (boy) Choi Seung Hyun makes his feature film debut as the teen put in charge of these poor student soldiers positioned at a school in Pohang-Dong. Once there, their fear and innocence create rifts in the team leading to some silly moves with bad results. There really isn't much more to say about this incredible film apart from going through it scene for scene. Everyone gives amazing performances as they weave in and out of - or die in - the intense and realistic action scenes. Emotions run high and more than once, you will be left with a lump in your throat as brotherhood, bravery and honour is tested. I love this film and its true story, and while it wouldn't be one I could watch on a regular basis given the content, I certainly couldn't imagine ever getting bored of it too soon! Overall: Intense, emotional and incredible, 71: Into The Fire is one of the best war movies ever made!

The most surprising thing I noticed in the film was how the South Korean police were portrayed. Just about all of them are totally corrupt in the film--even more so than Geon-soo (who has been taking bribes as well as his involvement in the hit and run and disposing of the body)! I have no idea how accurate this portrayal is, but it sure makes you think twice about going to visit the country! Another thing that surprised me was that I liked the film. This is a surprise because I generally don't like action films. Normally, such a movie wouldn't interest me...but this one managed to. But, as I mentioned above, it is a bit derivative...though it certainly is not exactly like I Know What You Did Last Summer. The only real deficit I otherwise noticed was the big finale. While it was super-tense and exciting, it completely lacked realism. No one can take that much punishment and STILL be alive...yet one of the characters seems almost immune to anything Geon-soo can throw at him (literally). The bottom line is that the film is super-entertaining provided you don't think too much near this crazy ending.

"There is no one to blame for the Korean War; not the soviets, North Koreans, South Koreans, Chinese or the anti communist nations. We only have over selves to blame for war, and no one truly wins one." So states a previous reviewer; but that's wrong. The North invaded and killed their "brothers." Stalin had to approve the use of Soviet tanks. The historical documentary proofs are available to researchers. There really is good and evil in this world. We choose which side to join. The students chose to sacrifice themselves to defend their homeland. The North Koreans chose to kill students. Their sacrifice was only a small part of the whole Korean War; but their example still inspires people. This film tells that story rather well. We can all look at these examples and choose to live our life the right way. Or not. Doing good is not easy and often painful. We can fight to enslave others, fight to free them from slavery, or just run away and hide. What will we do?

Possible Spoilers The film makers copied the look and feel of "Saving Private Ryan"...but, action wise, it has far more in common with "Wind Talkers" or "Miracle at St. Anna" then "SPR" or "Band of Brothers". Their is lots of shooting, violence and gore in this movie, but that doesn't make this a realistic war movie, its just a bloody movie. Nothing bothers me more then watching a soldier run through hundreds of missed shots and exploding grenades, as the "hero" skillfully shoots the "battle hardened" (but apparently incompetent) enemy to pieces. Their are so many aspects of this film that make decent drama, but are defiantly NOT realistic or historical. An example; 70 student soldiers, each one of these (untrained) students is armed with a Garand rifle and 250 rounds...these boys manage to hold off, and kill a thousand battle hardened North Korean soldiers. Well, I say they killed thousands of soldiers because they sort of disappeared all of the sudden. One minute you see them marching up to the school...and 10 minutes later the North Korean General is facing "our hero" alone on the rooftop. Anyway...if you want to enjoy a war drama, go for it. BUT if your looking for a realistic war movie...walk away.

A heartfelt and passionate Korean War epic, 71 – INTO THE FIRE marks the epitome of self-sacrifice, brotherly love, and gung-ho soldierly bravery. It's a simple enough tale which, crucially, really happened: 71 schoolboys were tasked with holding back a North Korean division single-handedly during the Korean War in 1950. What follows – their holding-out against impossible odds - sounds too good to be true, but yes, it really happened, and it makes for great movie-making. The only South Korean war movie I'd seen previously was the superlative BROTHERHOOD, so I had no idea what to expect from this production. I got it all: thoroughly engaging characters, an interesting storyline and typically stylish direction. Yes, it's a slow builder of a movie: it takes an hour and a half before things really get going, but then the climax hits and you've rarely seen anything so intense and devastating in equal measure. Solid performances throughout contribute to the overall feel that this is a great movie.

This movie overall was really well made. The acting was great, the special effects were good, and the movie was easy to follow. Since this was based on a true event, the ending was not going to be a huge surprise. Compared to most American films in the past two decades, this film had a low budget (about $10 Million USD). Most of the critics comment TOP from Big Bang being casted just for pure publicity, but he is a good actor as proved from a past Korean drama he did called IRIS. The sadness of the Korean War and the desperation of the people at that time were wonderfully portrayed. We should take this movie as a harsh reminder of the Korean War and wars around the world in general. You may think that this might never happen… especially to you of all people but the harsh reality is that is can… There is no one to blame for the Korean War; not the soviets, North Koreans, South Koreans, Chinese or the anti communist nations. We only have over selves to blame for war, and no one truly wins one.

I wasn't really sure what to expect, but I do enjoy watching war films, especially true stories, as they generally depict the horrors of war. Right from the start I was hooked, and was not disappointed. It is a pity films from Korea, Japan, China, and other oriental countries are not included in the Oscars or bafta awards, but then America and Britain wouldn't have so many winners. This film is typical of this as it has some great acting and is filmed extremely well. It also shows you don't need a budget like that of some Hollywood movies. The biggest thing for me is that it is a true story and is dramatised well. Without being too political, with the ongoing problems in Korea, they could have made the North out to be animals, but they don't. For a film that probably wont be mentioned at the big ceremonies, it is a loss for film-making. I would highly recommend this film if you haven't seen it yet. Would love to see Britain make films as good as this, but I haven't seen many, recently, that comes close. That is just my opinion though. As with all films though, don't go by opinion, watch it and decide by yourself, but I think you will enjoy the movie.

I have been waiting for this movie to be released in the US ever since I saw the trailer on Youtube.com last month and read all the hype. Plus, one of my favorite Korean actors, Cha Seung Won, is one of the four leads. This guy can do it all--comedy and drama, and he does not disappoint as the North Korean commander in this movie. This is the first time I have seen him on a big movie theatre screen and the camera loves him. DVD rentals on my TV are not quite the same--too bad more Korean films don't get US theatrical releases. Also giving excellent performances were Kim Seung Woo and Choi Seung Hyun--two actors who I first saw in last year's Kdrama, "Iris". Rounding out the lead actors is Kwon Sang Woo--another good performance and my first time seeing him in a theatrical film. All the supporting roles were also very well cast. If one likes war movies, this one is not to be missed--especially since it is based on a true incident during the Korean War. Direction, sets, costumes, music--all were well done. This film merits more than one viewing at the movie theatre.

I first read about this movie on a Korean site looking up Korean entertainment, it was probably up pretty quick since it has the Korean rapper TOP in it who is in a popular K-pop group Big Bang. Anyways I also managed to watch the trailers on YouTube and it looked promising, and I must say the trailer was better than the actual movie itself after viewing. I felt a lot of the characters went to waste, like the nurse for instance who just treats Seung-hyeon Choi wounds and doesn't appear for the rest of the movie. The movie would have been so much better if it was more engaging and you actually care for the character and you do care a bit but not enough to really worry if they die or live. The film also seems to rely to much on the cinematography since the camera changes constantly but not really effectively. It just constantly switches to TOP's facial expressions a LOT, but I guess it's to please the fan girls while the guys enjoy the action scenes. TOP's acting got better but it's just passable and Kwon Sang-Woo really overdoes it in order to stand out but just comes off as obnoxious, but he did have his moments. Cha Seung-Won did a fine job of playing the charismatic North Korean commander although his scenes are very few, he did a fine job, just not very memorable. I wished it found a way to get more in depth with the characters cause most of them didn't really stand out to me. Another annoying aspect of the film is how the North Korean soldiers fights like retarded drones that is just asking to get shot by running straight into bullets, yeah it's a movie but it got irritating to watch cause of the stupidity. I know they tried to make the final scene all epic, but I couldn't help but roll my eyes. I didn't feel cheated while walking out of the theaters, but was a bit let down. I also noticed there were more girls in the theater seats than guys, I guess TOP makes up for his lack of acting skills in order to get the female viewers to go watch his movie. Like Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner in the "Twilight" movies. Anyways good movie with a average plot and pretty cardboard characters and a lot of stuff blowing up. 7.1/10

71: Into the Fire-360P