When it comes to cinematic portrayals of conflict, some titles inevitably dominate the conversation. Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan is one, Sam Peckinpah’s Cross of Iron another.
But on IMDb, war film fans have been pointing to a very different contender for the title of “best war movie ever” – South Korea’s Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War.
Released in 2004, Kang Je-gyu’s film is set during the Korean War of the 1950s and tells the story of two brothers caught up in the devastating conflict.
Known in some countries simply as Brotherhood, it quickly became one of South Korea’s biggest box office successes, selling more than 11 million tickets domestically and reaching international audiences through film festivals and DVD releases.
On IMDb, one reviewer described the film as “a spectacle larger than any film made this year, but as intimate as a tale of brothers could ever be.” That balance between large-scale battle sequences and deeply personal storytelling has been central to its acclaim.
The film follows Jin-tae (played by Jang Dong-gun) and Jin-seok (Won Bin), siblings from Seoul whose lives are violently interrupted when they are conscripted into the army. What begins as a determined fight for survival soon becomes a heartbreaking study of loyalty, sacrifice and the toll that war takes on ordinary families.
For many international viewers, Tae Guk Gi has stood out because of its willingness to match – and sometimes surpass – the scale and intensity of Hollywood productions.
One fan wrote: “The battle scenes are intense and brutal, even more so than Spielberg’s classic film (which is a movie I really like, too). They also kick in at unexpected places. They are sitting around eating and suddenly bombs are exploding and limbs are flying.”
Another reviewer added: “Behind all the technicalities comes a very moving and powerful character-driven story that is more riveting than Saving Private Ryan. In comparison to the incredibly gritty Saving Private Ryan, Tae Guk Gi is more of a blockbuster movie that has more stylized action and drama.”
Several viewers have pointed out that, while the battle sequences may grab attention, the real weight of the film comes from the performances and the bond between the two leads.
“The acting is incredible and emotional even though I watched it in subtitles,” one review reads. “The facial expressions said it all. The story is a heartbreaking tale of two brothers who are drafted into the Korean conflict in 1950. By the end, I came this close to tearing up.”
For some, watching the movie was not only a cinematic experience but also a lesson in history. “I have not known much about the Korean War that took place at the beginning of the 1950s,” another user wrote. “But that was a history lesson I will not easily forget. Tae Guk Gi is really the best (anti-)war movie I have ever seen.”
As one reviewer summed it up: “Hollywood needs to take a lesson and make more creative stories. This is truly a masterpiece of modern cinema, a milestone in war movies, and one of the best films I have seen in a long time. Incredible.”