Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War
Samuel Goldwyn Films | Release Date: September 3, 2004 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
64
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 19 Critic Reviews
Positive:
13
Mixed:
5
Negative:
1
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
San Francisco ChronicleJonathan Curiel
An intense, powerful film. Read full review
89
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
The most costly and the most popular film in South Korean history is also one of the most gripping and epic war films ever made, and certainly the only one I can think of the portrays the Korean war from the viewpoint of both sides of the conflict. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneRobert K. Elder
Belongs to that brand of sweeping, conflict-era drama epitomized by "Saving Private Ryan," "Gone with the Wind" and TV miniseries "North and South." Read full review
80
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
A complex film about the minefield of loyalty and betrayal. Read full review
75
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
An anti-war spectacle that uses the story of brothers divided by the 1950 civil war as a metaphor for the wounds of the split. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyGregory Kirschling
Always entertains, just like ''Pearl Harbor'' and the rest of the best of Hollywood's dumb war movies. Read full review
70
L.A. WeeklyDavid Chute
While it comes on like a flag-waver, it actually delivers something more nuanced. Its underlying skepticism about the Korean War seems to have jibed with the current national mood: The picture was, deservedly, a huge hit. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKenneth Turan
With killing as an end in itself, combatants lose sight of what they were supposed to be taking up arms for in the first place. It's a terrible lesson, and one that Tae Guk Gi teaches with unexpected confidence. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderAndrea Gronvall
The cloying score aside, this is a searing depiction of war in all its savagery, waste, and folly, with artfully choreographed sequences that surpass the conventions of the genre. Read full review
70
Washington PostStephen Hunter
You may find some of the story developments melodramatic -- I did -- but the film itself is quite powerful. Read full review
63
New York PostV.A. Musetto
Shamelessly contrived and manipulative, Tae Guk Gi packs a visceral wallop. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
It's hard to remain unmoved by Kang's deeply heartfelt homage to his nation's past. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Stephen Cole
The film is never as powerful or convincing as it should be. Read full review
60
Village VoiceEd Park
In the rare moments when a rifle, grenade, howitzer, bayonet, dagger, fist, land mine, or flamethrower isn't being deployed, the film pushes its melodramatic plotline with soap operatic shamelessness. Read full review
60
The New York TimesDave Kehr
Far more ambivalent and ambiguous film than Mr. Spielberg's. Both North and South are portrayed as brutal, abusive regimes that use their citizens as so much cannon fodder. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineEthan Alter
It's easy to view the story of these brothers as a larger metaphor for the relationship between the two Koreas, which gives the film an added resonance that your typical Hollywood war movie wouldn't possess. Read full review
50
VarietyDerek Elley
Kang remains a superb technician, but somewhere the movie forgot to pack any genuine emotion along with its ordnance and K rations. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubKeith Phipps
After a sentimental opening sequence, he (Kang) scarcely lets the film pause to breathe, which dulls its effectiveness. Read full review
25
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
Almost entirely devoted to combat violence and sentimental interludes. Read full review
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