What would you do if you were a young adult during a time when the government issued a military draft for an emergency state of war. Would you fight headstrong performing your call of duty? Would you rebel in anger of your government's decision? Would you cower in fear to stay alive in hopes to see your family again? History has shown that nations in times of war have had no choice but to use their men to fight in combat whether they volunteered or not. One example of this is the Korean War. When North Korea invaded the South in the summer of 1950, South Korea, under immense pressure, issued an emergency draft where hundreds of thousands of young men were literally picked off from their families to fight the Northern army. Sadly, many of the selected soldiers were only young students who had no experience in warfare. However, even these young men have made their historical mark in defending their country and the film 71: Into the Fire shows the miraculous story of just what some of those students were capable of.
Above is the Cine-Asia trailer made for the English-speaking audience. 71: Into the Fire, directed by John H. Lee, is a Korean 2010 war-film and is a recreation of the true story of the Battle of P'ohang-dong during the Korean War. Here's a brief historical background of the movie. When the North Korean army invaded the South, they were able to push the Southern army far down the country to the Nakdong River which is a river running down the southern part of the peninsula into the city of Pusan. South Korea had no choice but to take every precaution to make sure the North does not advance any further in order to protect what's left of their citizens and refugees. At this point, the P'ohang-dong girls' middle school acted as a strategic defense hold against the North vital for the security of the Pusan perimeter. Unfortunately, the South Korean army was only able to put 71 untrained student soldiers (drafted 18 year-old students) to defend the school where most have never even fired a gun before. 71: Into the Fire portrays the story of these young men and their ability to hold back an elite North Korean brigade for 11 hours which is considered to be a major turning point in the war for South Korea.
Having to recently watch more Korean films (from my last Formal Film Studies), I stumbled upon this piece about the Korean War. Like most war film, it demonstrates the struggles of soldiers in warfare and their greatest moments of courage and determination to fight for their country along side their comrades in arms. This movie in particular though may give the more sadder appeal as it shows life of the student soldier completely brand new to war. Similar to movies like Saving Private Ryan or Letters From Iwo Jima, the story gets very sad yet touching, and the battle scenes are very dramatic and intense. It falls under the typical war film that are made to commemorate historical moments of the war and the people serving in them while still trying to make a successful blockbuster movie. I haven't seen any of John H. Lee's other films so I can't really compare his style to any of his other works, but it seems that he has a good skill in making Hollywood style and Korean style pieces in terms of drama and action.
Captain of students (T.O.P)
I'm not familiar at all with the stars of the movie since I don't watch that many Korean films, but it seems that the main character, the captain of the 71 student soldiers, is surprisingly played by the K-Pop star, T.O.P. K-Pop (Korean Pop) has been the most popular music genre in Korea for more than a decade and this particular artist, T.O.P (his stage name), actually stars in this movie. Personally, I don't care for K-Pop so I don't really know much of anything about T.O.P but what I do know is that he is a widely acclaimed K-Pop artist and is one of the biggest reasons why this movie was such a huge success in the box office. I don't know about his career as a singer, but I can say that he has potential in an acting career. I was surprised to find out he was a singing sensation after seeing the movie because he played his role very well. He acted very seriously and dramatically which was very appropriate for this movie. In fact, his character seemed to lean toward more of the angry mood since he portrays this student bearing the responsibility of other student soldiers and protecting a defensive military point. It's hard to believe this T.O.P guy is a K-Pop star with that kind of acting skill.
Can you believe this guy....
...and this guy are the same person???
The movie, as said before, is like many familiar war movies including the cinematic elements. The shots contain quick movements of the camera during the battle scenes and use of discontinuity editing. The camera also shakes a lot when explosions occur or barrages of gunfire are ensuing. The angles will mostly consist of close ups of soldiers and long shots of them fighting and the occasional use of extreme long shots to portray the massive armies and scenic views of the battlefield. Lighting was pretty average with not much variation at all since most of the movie is taken place outdoors during the day. Emotional cues on the actors were pretty vital for the movie so close ups on faces were common. Also during battle scenes, editing was very important so the movie used a lot slow-motion in many of the intense fighting and shooting scenes. Overall, there wasn't anything different about the movie's special effects, shots, and editing compared with other war films since the movie focused more on the story and characters.
A scene I want to talk about is the beginning of the final battle scene when the South Korean student soldiers are defending their school base from the incoming North Korean brigade. Clearly outnumbered, outskilled, and outgunned, the young South Korean students set up their most strategic defensive position to try and halt the North Koreans. With the use of buried grenades acting as land mines, and constructed walls as cover, the South Koreans are able to take out a good number of the North Korean army in a bloody barrage of bullets and explosions. But as the scene progresses, the North Korean men keep on coming as the students find it more difficult to keep up with their numbers. The scene portrays the typical battle scene of the war movie and uses simple but realistic special effects to make the battlefield come alive. You can also notice how the camera switches back and forth between the two sides to show how the shooting of the students affects the casualties of the North Koreans. Prior to the shootings, you can also see how the camera focuses on the intensity and expressions of the determined student soldiers ready to defend the school and how the subtle zooming of the camera builds up suspense. When the firing does start, the camera gets very shaky and disoriented so to make the audience feel like they are in the middle of the battle and cringe over every shot. This scene also demonstrates the importance of the story as it shows how well-trained and prepared the students became which is exemplified through their organized defense. It makes the audience realize that they are ready for battle and have more courage and determination than ever before to perform their call of duty.
Click Here to watch the scene. Warning though because it is a war scene, so there is obviously a lot of death and blood and killing.
71: Into The Fire was a good war movie, but I wouldn't consider it one of the greatest. I like the fact that it's a movie about the Korean war since there aren't many out there, and there were definitely moments in the movie that made me feel really sad or touched as expected of Korean drama films. In fact, the whole story is one worth remembering and reminiscing over considering the fact that it is a true one. The courage of those young soldiers should be one written for the history books and should set an example of youth and Korean pride. The story definitely uses lots of character development so to make the audience connect more with the young men and feel sadder over their tragic deaths. However, the movie displayed poor and dull acting in some characters like the main general of the North Korean army, and it sometimes showed cliche cheesy shots of explosions and unnecessary intensity. It gave an unrealistic vibe to the movie at times which completely killed the mood. Overall though, it was a successful movie to commemorate a victorious historical moment and it did a good job to appeal the necessary information and emotions towards the audience. I'd give this movie a 7/10.
Actual photograph of the 71 student soldiers at P'ohang-dong girls' middle school.
Ive never heard of this film ut in just a few minutes I was intrigued. It look like the special effects are great. I also am interested in the change of the main character from citizen to soldier in a gruesome war. I will definately check this out.
Above is the Cine-Asia trailer made for the English-speaking audience. 71: Into the Fire, directed by John H. Lee, is a Korean 2010 war-film and is a recreation of the true story of the Battle of P'ohang-dong during the Korean War. Here's a brief historical background of the movie. When the North Korean army invaded the South, they were able to push the Southern army far down the country to the Nakdong River which is a river running down the southern part of the peninsula into the city of Pusan. South Korea had no choice but to take every precaution to make sure the North does not advance any further in order to protect what's left of their citizens and refugees. At this point, the P'ohang-dong girls' middle school acted as a strategic defense hold against the North vital for the security of the Pusan perimeter. Unfortunately, the South Korean army was only able to put 71 untrained student soldiers (drafted 18 year-old students) to defend the school where most have never even fired a gun before. 71: Into the Fire portrays the story of these young men and their ability to hold back an elite North Korean brigade for 11 hours which is considered to be a major turning point in the war for South Korea.
The movie, as said before, is like many familiar war movies including the cinematic elements. The shots contain quick movements of the camera during the battle scenes and use of discontinuity editing. The camera also shakes a lot when explosions occur or barrages of gunfire are ensuing. The angles will mostly consist of close ups of soldiers and long shots of them fighting and the occasional use of extreme long shots to portray the massive armies and scenic views of the battlefield. Lighting was pretty average with not much variation at all since most of the movie is taken place outdoors during the day. Emotional cues on the actors were pretty vital for the movie so close ups on faces were common. Also during battle scenes, editing was very important so the movie used a lot slow-motion in many of the intense fighting and shooting scenes. Overall, there wasn't anything different about the movie's special effects, shots, and editing compared with other war films since the movie focused more on the story and characters.
Ive never heard of this film ut in just a few minutes I was intrigued. It look like the special effects are great. I also am interested in the change of the main character from citizen to soldier in a gruesome war. I will definately check this out.
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